Defending Champions star on superb Super Saturday card at Meydan

Lord Glitters, Salute The Soldier and Canvassed among returning heroes on a bumper nine-race card
Five defending champions line-up on Super Saturday, the official dress rehearsal for the $30.5 million Dubai World Cup meeting later this month.

This year’s enhanced nine-race card has more than $2.3million in prize money and includes three Group 1s. The official feature is the $450,000 G1 Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (Sponsored by Emirates Airline), which sees the Fawzi Nass-trained Salute The Soldier try to become the first horse to win it two years in a row.

Up against him is G2 Godolphin Mile third Avant Garde, who has his second run for trainer Bhupat Seemar, having missed the break when seventh in the G2 Maktoum Challenge Round 1 in January.

“He’s a giant horse, he’s 17.hh so it’s very hard to get him fit, and a mile is too short for him anyway,” said Seemar. “That run was to help get him ready and hopefully now this is his right trip. The way he ran in the Godolphin Mile… he came from last in the straight and flew home. He was eating up the ground so you’d think he’s a mile and quarter horse.

Seemar, who runs five in the 2000metre contest, also saddles course and distance winner Remorse, who was second in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile last time out.

“Remorse is doing really well,” he said. “He galloped on Monday and he galloped so well that I was thinking ‘a mile and a quarter, is this his best distance or what, I’m not sure’, because he’s got so much speed.
“But he’s always been a good horse. He’s won for us already this season and he’s run three seconds in three really big races, unlucky sometimes too.”

Seemar is also stacked in the G3 Burj Nahaar [Sponsored by Emirates SkyCargo] with Tuz, Royal Mews, and Imperial Empire all taking their chance. Up against them in the Godolphin Mile prep is 2021 G3 UAE 2000 Guineas winner Mouheeb, who finished fourth in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile last time out.

“Mouheeb is drawn wide and it’s not an easy race but hopefully he can give a good account of himself,” said trainer Nicholas Bachalard. “He was a bit unlucky last time [in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile] and didn’t get a lot of cover.”
The Jebel Ali Mile was won by the Algiers, trained by Simon Crisford, who now must translate that form to the more conventional Meydan dirt surface.

“It’s his first time running on the Meydan dirt track so he might need the experience,” said Assistant Trainer Ed Crisford, who co-trains with his father in the UK. “He’s bounced out of Jebel Ali really well and he’s got a good draw [3], which of course makes all the difference.

“The aim is the Godolphin Mile, so we want to get him as much experience on the dirt track as possible and this race is perfect for him.”

The second Group 1 on the card is the Jebel Hatta [Sponsored by Emirates Airline], over 1800metres on turf; the prep for the Dubai Turf. Charlie Appleby runs four-time Group 1 winner Barney Roy, who was successful in this race in 2020, as well as Zakouski, the pick of stable jockey William Buick, and Highland Avenue.
“Barney Roy has enjoyed a nice break since Bahrain when he put up a good performance behind Lord Glitters,” said the reigning British Champion Trainer. “He looks great and his preparation has gone well. We always intended to come straight here – we gave him an entry in the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes last week to see what the race was shaping up like but this was always the main aim.

“We were delighted with Zakouski in the Singspiel Stakes. He didn’t quite see out a mile and a quarter in Bahrain but ran a great race back over nine furlongs. All the signs have been that he has come forward for that run and we are applying cheek-pieces just to help with his concentration at the business end of the race.

“Highland Avenue is on a slight recovery mission. He was very free on the front end in the Al Rashidiya and we have applied the hood this time. We are hoping that he can do everything the right way round and he should run a nice race if he can return to the level of some of his three-year-old form.”

Appleby aims to continue City Of Gold domination

Appleby has won the last four editions of the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold [Sponsored by Emirates Skywards] in which 14 line up over 2410metres on turf. This time he relies on Global Storm, the winner of a course and distance handicap last time.

“We were obviously very pleased with Global Storm on his first start out in Dubai, when he saw the mile and a half out strongly,” he said. “He has shown his wellness since then and doesn’t look out of place in this field. If he runs up to the best of his ability, we feel he has a good chance of making the frame.”

Alignak was a closing second behind Global Storm last time. He is trained by Jamie Osborne, who also runs Mekong, who is ridden by his daughter Saffie.

“Alignak’s been painfully unlucky, finishing second twice,” said Osborne junior. “Obviously this is a step up in class, but I think he’ll run really well.”

There are two sprints on the card, the first of which is the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint (Sponsored by Emirates SkyCargo). Appleby runs dual course and distance winner Man Of Promise, as well as Royal Crusade, winner of a French Group 3 in 2020.

“Man Of Promise has produced some pretty solid efforts out in Dubai and was very impressive on his latest start,” said the trainer. “He has enjoyed a nice break heading into this and looks fantastic. This is a stronger race compared to the Dubai Sprint but he is a young sprinter on an upward curve, so we are pretty confident that he will run a big race.

“Royal Crusade has a bit to find on the ratings but produced a decent performance on his first run of the year.”
Taking them on is Saeed Bin Suroor’s defending champion Final Song, who makes her seasonal bow here under jockey Pat Cosgrave.

“She looks very well, if anything a little too well!” said the Group 1-winning rider. “I think she’ll come on for the run but she should be competitive.”

European flavour is added by a pair of Group 1 winners; Haydock Sprint Cup hero Emaraaty Ana, trained by Kevin Ryan, and Prix de l’Abbaye winner A Case Of You, trained by Ado McGuinness.

“We gave A Case Of You a prep run at Dundalk, when he wasn’t really fit, it was just to get out there,” said McGuinness. “He won well enough that day and we were delighted. We finished just beside Emaraaty Ana at the Breeders’ Cup which was quick and it was tight – the further he was going, the better he was going. I think he’s a five and a half to six horse – he’s won over six as a two-year-old, so I don’t think the trip will bother him.”

Fellowes takes on dirt stars with Ejtilaab

The other sprint on the card is the closing G3 Mahab Al Shimaal [Sponsored by Emirates Airline] which is the prep for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Last year’s winner Canvassed takes his chance for Doug Watson, who also runs Group 3 winner Al Tariq, while California-based trainer Doug O’Neill pitches in Notre Dame – a winner over course and distance just last week – and Positivity.

There are two Europeans in the 1200metre contest. Manjeer, trained by Carina Fey, tries dirt for the first time, while the Charlie Fellowes-trained Ejtilaab attempts it for a second time, having run an excellent fifth in the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint last time.

“We were delighted with his last run,” said the British handler. “It was a bit of a gamble, but I felt having run in the turf race and seen what Mr. Appleby had produced that we would struggle to win one on the turf, so maybe running on the dirt would be an interesting little side note.

“He’s got a real dirt way of going about things. He’s a grinder, he’s got a great attitude and he doesn’t have a massive turn of foot but he just keeps on going, relentless. I think this race is probably a little bit weaker than the one we ran in the last time and he doesn’t have to improve a huge amount to feature. We’d love to run on World Cup night, ideally.”

The only three-year-old contest on the night is the 1900 metre Listed Al Bastakiya [Sponsored by Emirates Holidays], which is the prep for the G2 UAE Derby.

Seemar runs Bendoog, who progressed from his maiden win to run fourth in the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas last time, and Conglomerate.

“Bendoog is really improving and he worked very well the other day,” said Seemar. “On pedigree, I think he will stay and I think Conglomerate will stay too.”

Among their rivals in the dirt contest is Guineas third Quality Boone, trained by Antonio Cintra, and Get Back Goldie, who will represent O’Neill and be ridden by Antonio Fresu.

“He won first time here in the UAE over six furlongs [1200metres] coming late to the line and I galloped him a couple of times in the morning in Meydan and he gave me a very nice feeling,” said the jockey. “I think he will be very competitive.

“My only concern is that the trip might be a little too long, but we need to see how the track plays on the day and how the pace will be.”

Fresu also has strong claims in the opening G1 Maktoum Challenge Round 3 [Sponsored by Arabian Adventures] for Purebred Arabians, in which he rides Rajeh, successful over 1900metres in Round 2 last month.

“He’s a nice horse who came this year and the first time he ran really well, finishing third,” he said. “He improved a lot when he won Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and he’s fresh and happy in the mornings so I think he’s got a very good chance.”

His rivals include Brraq, winner of this race 12 months ago, and AF Alajaj, successful in the G2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah over a mile here a month ago.

The card has a new race, the $300,000 Ras Al Khor [Sponsored by Emirates Airline], over 1400metres on turf. It has a strong line-up, including the talented but quirky Al Suhail, the highest-rated in the field with a mark of 116. He is trained by Appleby, who also saddles veteran D’Bai and Path Of Thunder, while Bin Suroor sends out Listed course and distance winner Storm Damage, who beat stablemate Mutafawwig last time.

Super Saturday gets underway at 3 pm and will be preceded by a parade of ex-racehorses, including G3 winner My Catch, in the paddock at 2:30 pm.

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