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| Staff Writer |
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Frost At Dawn, a promising filly owned and homebred by Abdulla Al Mansoori, is being considered by William Knight for the Al Quoz Sprint. The 3YO horse, sired by Frosted, had two successful runs in Britain on all-weather surfaces in the previous year before making her way to Meydan.
She was placed over distances of six and seven furlongs before successfully stepping down to five furlongs in the Gr.3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint last Saturday.
Despite being a 33-1 outsider under Mickael Barzalona and being drawn in stall three, the filly led from the start by making a beeline for the rail. She won by two and a half lengths and broke the Meydan track record over the minimum trip.
“It was a very nice performance and the time was very good,” said Knight.
“She keeps on surprising me, we went out there thinking we were going to run in the UAE Guineas and we’ve ended up winning a Group Three over five furlongs.”
William Knight is confident that Frost At Dawn will have no trouble stepping back up to six furlongs for the Al Quoz Sprint, a Group One competition held on Dubai World Cup night.
“It’s fantastic and all roads lead back to the Al Quoz Sprint, I think she’s versatile and Mickael thought she could potentially be better over six,” he said.
“She was great over five and she’s got the track record but she could prove to be quite versatile.”
After that, it is probable that the grey horse will embark on a turf campaign within the country. If that turns out to be a triumph, there is a possibility that the Breeders' Cup might become a target later in the year
Knight said, “We’ll see how she comes out of the Al Quoz and take each race as it comes, but I’d like to think we could be competing in the big races throughout the summer and that would be great.
“If she can continue in this sort of form, then the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar could be something we aim for at the end of the season.
“She’ll need to have a freshen up when she comes back from Dubai, but for the owner to have a runner on World Cup night, and a homebred at that, would be very special.”