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| Staff Writer |
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Friday’s third meeting of the 2022 Dubai World Cup Carnival was highlighted by the 1600m turf feature, the Gr.2 Zabeel Mile, won in great style by Real World, Danny Tudhope taking the ride in place of an unwell Frankie Dettori for Saeed bin Suroor and a third winner on the evening for Godolphin.
Always travelling well, the homebred Dark Angel 5yo entire quickened to lead about 300m out and soon had the race in safekeeping to maintain his unbeaten record on turf with five wins from as many starts on grass, including all four starts in Europe last year.
The most recent was in the Gr.2 Prix Wildenstein at the beginning of October, a success for which he was penalised so was conceding weight to all his 12 rivals but class prevailed and he won comfortably.
The first Classic of 2022, also over 1600m but on dirt for 3yo fillies, the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas, attracted a field of just six but only one mattered Shahama and Adrie de Vries maintaining their unbeaten record, registering a third consecutive success for Fawzi Nass and KHK Racing.
Twice a winner over 1400m on the Meydan dirt, including the official trial for this a month ago, the daughter of Munnings was initially settled in fifth before eased into second about halfway. De Vries was then happy to bide his time before putting the race to bed in a few strides with 400m remaining.
A 2800m turf Listed race, the Al Khail Trophy, was turned into a procession by Godolphin’s Siskany who shot clear 500m out and was never in danger of being denied a clear cut success for Charlie Appleby.
A 4yo homebred gelded son of Dubawi making his UAE debut, he was having only his tenth career outing and has won half of them, four on turf from eight attempts.
Over 2000m on turf, the Listed Zabeel Turf also went to Godolphin and Appleby, this time William Buick performing the steering aboard Star Safari who was conceding weight to all 13 of his rivals.
A 6yo gelding by Sea The Stars, the winner was registering his fifth career success, fourth in carnival races and third over this course and distance, including the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes last February, a victory for which he was penalised in this.
The finale and fourth Listed contest on the card, the 1200m turf Dubai Sprint, was won for the second year running by Man Of Promise, Buick in the saddle as he was 12 months ago and another winner at the meeting for Appleby and Godolphin.
The meeting kicked off with a 1200m turf conditions race for horses who had failed to get into the aforementioned Dubai Sprint, the prize going to France with Mickael Barzalona producing Batwan to lead close home for trainer Nicolas Caullery and owner Oliver Lodge.
A 7yo gelded son of Kendargent, the winner was posting a fourth career success on his first start for current connections. He can boast a 1000m Group Three success in France, in May 2020, his previous visit to the winner’s enclosure.
Caullery said: “We love bringing horses and racing here in Dubai and that is our third winner. We hope this will prove a horse good enough for the Al Quoz Sprint.”
The Graduate Stakes, a 1600m dirt conditions contest for horses sold at sales conducted by the ERA in September 2020 and 2021, as well as April 2021, provided the ideal opportunity for Discovery Island to double his career tally, leading close home under Tadhg O’Shea for Bhupat Seemar and Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed.
A 5yo gelded son of Dubawi, he was having his ninth career start, fourth locally for current connections, and had landed his penultimate outing, a 1200m maiden on the Meydan dirt, in early December.
Also on dirt but over 1400m, the Downtown Dubai Gold Cup, a rated condition stakes, was won stylishly by Mubakker, Dane O’Neill riding for Shadwell and Doug Watson.
A 6yo, the Speightstown gelding was taking his winning tally to five, from just nine attempts and has won his two most recent starts after three outings for Watson, all on dirt. A 1200m winner 50 days ago, the extra 200m appeared to really suit him here.