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| Rowan Anderson |
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With the Moonlight was hot property going into the eighth fixture of the 2023 Dubai World Cup Carnival on Friday night.
Running in the Group Two Balanchine Stakes, as the highlight of a seven race card, the 4YO daughter of Frankel made it two straight Group Two victories in Meydan.
A turf contest for fillies and mares over 1800m the win made it a sixth consecutive Godolphin winner in the race and fifth in a row for Charlie Appleby.
The shortest odds for the night the race was over from the gates as William Buick impressively put in another great ride and hitting the lead in the final 375 metres and winning by four and half lengths.
After winning the 1600m Group 2 Cape Verdi Stakes three weeks ago she became the eighth filly to complete the double.
“This is more her trip than the 1600m so we were very hopeful and she did that very well. She had a good 2022 but can hopefully build on this and have an even better season,” Buick said.
With the win she receives and official rating of 112.
Ah Jeez was ultra-impressive in the opener and the first of a trio of races for 3yos, the Al Karama Stakes, a conditions contest over 1400m on the dirt.
William Buick in the saddle for American handler Doug O’Neill, who was present, and owner Mark Davis.
O’Neill has so far this season shown that he has a knack of bringing horses from his native US and on debut unleashing them being rewarded with wins in their first UAE starts, so far this season has been the case with Tall Boy and Ami Please.
A colt by Mendelssohn, he may now try and emulate his sire who ran away with the 2018 UAE Derby and was taking his career record to three wins from nine starts.
The 1600m Jumeirah Fillies Guineas proved to be a one filly race from a long way out, Godolphin’s Mawj shooting clear halfway up the straight having probably never been headed under Danny Tudhope for Saeed bin Suroor.
She would go on to win over Fairy Cross by a mammoth eight and a half lengths.
The homebred daughter of Exceed And Excel has now scored four times from seven starts and both UAE outings having also landed the 1400m Jumeirah Fillies Classic on soft ground a month ago.
“Obviously the trip was an unknown and the plan was not really to lead but nobody else wanted to and we had it easy out in front before she really quickened nicely. She is a lovely filly, not the biggest but has pace and class,” hoop Tudhope said.
A seemingly competitive 1200m dirt handicap proved not to be with the progressive Colour Up and Pat Dobbs proving a class apart from their eight rivals, the pair dashing clear over the final 325m.
Saddled by Doug Watson for Sayed Hashish, the 5yp gelded son of Mehmas has now won three of five outings this campaign having not debuted until the middle of March last year.