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Fawzi Nass's filly, Manama Gold, has been shining bright in the Dubai season and has kept her unbeaten record intact by winning the Gr.3 UAE Oaks. Under the guidance of jockey Adrie De Vries, the daughter of Star Guitar set the pace along the rail and pulleowingid clear in the straight. However, towards the end, she had to put in extra effort to hold off Mizzyaan, who was closing in fast.
“I’m very pleased; I have a lot to do with her in the mornings and she’s a very special filly,” said De Vries. “At the moment, I think she’s not at her best – she’s growing a lot - but she has a lot of class.
“I didn’t really have a plan to make [the running] but no-one really wanted it. You can see when she gets in front she pricks her ears. I think she’ll be a better filly next year, but I’ll leave it to Fawzi and [owner] Sheikh Nasser to make a plan.”
Godolphin has a strong history in the Gr.2 Balanchine [presented by Longines], securing their tenth victory in the 1800-meter turf race. However, contrary to expectations, their filly Sapphire Seas, trained by Charlie Appleby and favored to win, was unable to keep up with stablemate English Rose in the final stretch.
English Rose, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and benefitting from a prep run in the Cape Verdi, comfortably clinched the win by two and a half lengths, extending her career record to three wins out of four races.
“We went a good gallop and my filly travelled well from the beginning,” said Barzalona after his first win in this race. “It went well for us as the horse to beat was just in front of us. Maybe she was a bit fitter today.”
Appleby added, “Mentally she’s come forward as she was a bit keen first time out. She had the race under her belt and this is probably her ideal trip.
“We haven’t quite firmed up a plan for these fillies yet. This filly could join [Cape Verdi winner] Silver Lady on a trip to America for the Keeneland meet in April.”
Similar circumstances arose in the second Group two race of the evening when Appleby's secondary contender, Naval Power, competed in the 1800-meter Singspiel Stakes [presented by Longines].
Despite being off the track for over a year, jockey Barzalona guided the 4YO horse to a clear victory, avoiding any potential interference near the finish line. Naval Power won convincingly by two lengths, leaving San Donato in second place and Sean unlucky to finish third after facing difficulties during the race.
“I found a good spot very easily and in the end he showed plenty of quality,” said Barzalona. “It was a huge performance and I’m sure for Charlie and the team to get him ready for this race after a break, they must have expected something.”
Similar circumstances arose in the second Group 2 race of the evening when Appleby's secondary contender, Naval Power, competed in the 1800-meter Singspiel Stakes [presented by Longines]. Despite being off the track for over a year, jockey Barzalona guided the 4YO horse to a clear victory, avoiding any potential interference near the finish line. Naval Power won convincingly by two lengths, leaving San Donato in second place and Sean unlucky to finish third after facing difficulties during the race.
Appleby completed a hat-trick as Siskany secured his landmark tenth career victory in the Gr.3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, creating history along the way.
By repeating his triumph from the previous year in this race, the six-year-old gelding became the first horse to claim victory twice in this event. Additionally, his win secured him a spot in the prestigious Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup, where he finished second in the previous edition. It was a close victory for William Buick's mount, crossing the finish line just ahead of Sea Stone by a narrow margin.
“He’s just a lovely horse who has been around for a while now. He’s very predictable: he turns up, does his best and seems to excel here at Meydan,” said Buick.
“He’s probably a horse who enjoys having targets, but he knows where the line is here, so I just have to point and shoot.”
In the Listed Al Bastakiya, there was a thrilling showdown between Killer Collect and Auto Bahn, with Killer Collect displaying exceptional toughness to secure victory after a grueling two-furlong duel.
Under the guidance of jockey Tadhg O'Shea, Killer Collect, trained by Bhupat Seemar, held the advantage of both the inside rail position and a weight advantage of four and a half kilograms. However, despite these benefits, Killer Collect had to summon great determination to preserve his narrow lead and ultimately triumph by a neck over his persistent rival, Auto Bahn.
“I was devastated the last time when nothing went right in the Guineas after he fluffed his lines in the gates,” said O’Shea. “He’s a lovely horse, I’ve loved him from day one, even when he was unsold at the sale here – I rang Michael Burke [owner] and luckily he decided to buy him.
“He’s got the perfect gap now; five weeks, so all roads lead to the [Gr.2 UAE] Derby on World Cup night.”
After missing out on a win with Auto Bahn, trainer Julio Olascoaga found redemption later in the day when Desert Peace claimed victory in the Longines Spirit Flyback Handicap, a mile race on dirt.
Formerly trained by Charlie Appleby and victorious twice under his care, the 7YO Desert Peace surged from behind to secure his sixth career win, guided expertly by Jose Da Silva to a neck triumph over Al Jaddaf.
Another fan of Meydan is Topper Bill, who clinched his third victory on the straight turf track, his first since 2021, in the opening Longines Mini Dolce Vita Handicap, covering 1000 meters.
Under the saddle of apprentice Qais Al Busadi, the 6YO trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri took the lead at the 400-meter mark and maintained a comfortable three-quarter length lead over favorite Vespasian.
Busadi achieved his first Meydan double and provided trainer Osama Refai with his first win of the season when Maplewood won the closing Longines Spirit Zulu Time Handicap, a mile race on turf.
Competing in the UAE for the first time on dirt, the 5YO Maplewood, owned by Sayed Hashish, secured his first local victory.
“I’m happy too much!” said Busadi, after his ninth winner of the campaign. “I was waiting, and waiting and Insh’Allah, he went!”
In another sprint event of the evening, the Longines Conquest Handicap, held over 1200 meters on dirt, Al Musn secured victory, granting Barzalona a second win of the night.
Under the training of Salman Al Sabri, the 4YO notched his second career win and maiden triumph in the UAE, edging out Border Edge in a close finish.
The Dubai Racing Carnival will draw to a close next week on 2nd March with 'Super Saturday,' featuring nine Pattern races, highlighted by the AED1.7 million Gr.2 Al Maktoum Classic.