Dubai World Cup Victory to Japan gives hope to Country

Well what a night at the Dubai World Cup. The final race of the UAE season proved to be no disappointment as the runners raced in the World's richest race for $10,000,000. The Japanese horse Victoire Pisa led home a Japanese 1-2 and who could begrudge the Japanese something to cheer after all the horrors in their country which has left parts of their country destroyed and uncontrolled dangers such as radiation are still circulating.

It was touching when Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum embraced warmly the owners the feelings of joy for the owners were all too much and the warmth was a real gesture of feeling towards the victory that has come out of a grim reality. The race itself was a slow muddling race early on with plenty of incident. Mirco Demuro, the 23 year old from Italy, sat at the tail of affairs watching the incidents and at the end of the back straight made a daring and risky move to go round the whole field and be challenging for the lead coming in to the straight. He just kept finding a little more as the challengers queued up to have a go at him and although Transcend got to within half a length he could be called the winner a long way out.

I was working on the radio and the reaction of the Japanese radio next door summed it all up. As the horses entered the last 400m little cries of hope increased in volume and excitement. There was a yell as the horses crossed the line, they put
their hands in the air embraced and after a quick dignified celebration they went back to their work as if nothing had happened.

Other giant performances were seen throughout the night and perhaps the highlight was the Ryan Moore ride on Presvis in the Dubai Duty Free. Turning in to the straight this far from straightforward horse, trained in Newmarket UK by Luca Cumani, was in plumb last but Moore found the gaps and managed to weave his way through the field masterfully to win a touch cosily.

Another enigmatic horse is Rewilding and he won the Sheema Classic very easily. He produced a devastating turn of pace to come with a conquering run in the home straight to score quite comfortably under an ecstatic Frankie Dettori who was completing a double. This was a great vindication for the Godolphin team with Mahmood Al Zarooni enjoying a Godolphin winner after his team mate and rival Saeed Bin Suroor had notched a double. Earlier Skysurfers had won the Godolphin Mile under a vintage Dettori ride seeing off a determined Richard Hills of Mufarrh. It was an exhilirating finish with both jockey going head to head with Bin Suroor's charge managing to overhaul Ali Rashid Al Raihe's charge and maintain a small advantage up to the line.

Bin Suroor also doubled up in the finish of the night when Khawlah won the UAE Derby. The first filly to win the race is now set for a classic season in England aiming for the Musidora at York before the Oaks. It was the tightest finish of the night and the nose she beat Aidan O'Brien's Master of Hounds was so close it took the judge a minute to split them. It was a great return to the UAE for the Ballydoyle team and they were unlucky not win a race and their Cape Blanco was fourth in the Dubai World Cup. It was lovely to see Sheikh Mohammed welcome Aiden O'Brien so warmly.

Perhaps the performance of the night was that of the Singapore horse of the year Rocket Man in the Golden Shaheen. It is very rare that a sprinter looks to have a race totally under control but the way Pat Shaw's charge won made it look effortless. In the other sprint JJ the Jet Plane left it late to emerge from the sandstorm to hit the front with less than 50 metres to go to beat the three others battling for victory who filled the frame.

A great night for racing was enjoyed by everyone in the field of dreams that is Meydan. Fortunately the sandstorm that threatened the evening early on cleared for the Group 1 races and the crowd left delighted with what they had seen.

The Godolphin Mile

Fourteen runners go to post in the Godolphin Mile sponsored by Etisalat. As the name suggests this is a Group 2 contest over a Mile or 1600m and it has attracted a very high class entry with representatives from six nations.

Mufarrh is the representative of Champion UAE trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and this four year old has progressed so far this season to become a genuine contender tonight. Having only made his debut at the Carnival in February the son of Marju was far from disgraced in his last run behind leading Dubai World Cup fancy Twice Over last time and is sure to go close.

We have only seen Conveyance once in the UAE following his move from the US to Satish Seemar’s Zabeel Stables and he showed he was in great form chasing home Bankable over 1200m. In the US he showed the trip should be no problem winning a Group 3 over this distance so this four year old is certainly one for the short list.

Premio Loco is having his first run in the UAE and is trained in Newmarket in the UK by Chris Wall. He is the second highest rated horse in the race and will be bidding to give his trainer his first win in the UAE.  Another trainer bidding for his first winner in the UAE is Mauricio Delcher, the Spanish trainer, with As De Trebol who was placed third in both his Carnival starts chasing home Barbecue Eddie and Mendip. In the Mendip race Zafeen Speed was second and this improving son of Zafeen will certainly give Musabah Al Muhairi a good chance of hitting the target.

Mike de Kock is represented by Imbongi who was third to another of the Godolphin Mile runners in Skysurfers on his previous run.  Skysurfers is wearing the first colours of Godolphin and represents Saedd Bin Suroor. He was devastating on his only run this year and always runs well fresh so he is the one to beat in this contest. Godolphin also are represented by Rileyskeepingfaith who is trained by Mahmoud Al Zarooni. He showed his wellbeing and position as a contender for this race when seeing off Fareer over course and distance at the last Carnival Meeting in the Group 2 Zabeel Mile.

The highest rated horse in the race is Red Clubs  who is trained in Lambourn, UK by Barry Hills. He was last seen winning a Group 2 at Newmarket over 1400m in October. He is a talented performer and having been a close third in a Group 1 at Ascot behind Poets Voice will be another of the front runners.

There are two interesting runners from the USA are Make Music For Me and I Want Revenge. They both have decent form and it will be interesting to see how they get on against the horses we know more about. Crowded House is the third USA representative and he will have to improve a bit on his Carnival form to figure in the frame.

Hearts of Fire and Le Drakkar were both behind Wigmore Hall in the Jebel Hatta and are sure to make a good impression. These two complete the field and have shown themselves to be in good form.

Having looked at the race it is immensely difficult to predict the result. I have gone with Skysurfers to win as he will be running after a break which suits him. I thought Conveyence ran a promising trial for this so will plump for him in second and feel that Red Clubs could run a big race to finish third.

Mahab Al Shimaal Preview

My Race of the Week is Mahab Al Shimaal Sponsored by Emirates Airline tonight at Meydan.  It is a 1200m Group 3 Contest to be staged on the Tapeta at Meydan and twelve runners go to post for this competitive race. These sprints are always fiercely  contested and the high octane action always bring a real thrill to the crowd.

Green Beret tops the card and he has been in really good form. The secret with this son of Fayruz is all down to the start – if he makes a good start he is always in the shake up and he won the Attijari Al Islami Visa Infinite Card really nicely on his last start at the Dubai International Racing Carnival at the Meydan.  He is trained by the leading trainer in the UAE this season Ali Rashid Al Raihe who is also represented by Alazeyab who finished third to Green Beret in that race and is now half a kilo better off at the weights. Gellarni Siddiqui, Assistant Trainer to Al Raihe said: “we are expecting big runs from both our horses and I cannot split them”.

Second to Green Beret in the Attijari Al Islami was Sillah who reopposes again tonight. She is trained by Dandy Nicholls, known as the “sprint king” in his native UK, and despite a slightly disappointing run last week this front running gelding is sure to be on the premises. Dandy Nicholls said: “we are getting closer and one must win soon”.

Ahead of Sillah last week was Iver Bridge Lad who gave a very good account of himself when a close third behind Charlie’s Moment. 

Bankable is the highest rated horse in the race and should be in the shake up after a couple of unlucky results in his first two Carnival runs. Trainer Herman Brown looks to have found a good opportunity for him to get his confidence back.

Barbecue Eddie was in great form when winning  the Business Banking Stakes at the Carnival and will hope to hold that form now being dropped back to 1200m. His last run over that distance was when he was close to Alo Pura on the night she broke the course record. The inform stable of Doug Watson also run Force Freeze in this race and he may have to improve a bit to feature.

Godolphin have three entries in this race with Frankie Dettori electing to ride Global City who was second at the Carnival last week when running as a reserve. Rileyskeepingfaith was also second on his last Carnival start beaten narrowly by War Artist and Bank Merger certainly looks the third string after being well beaten by Barbecue Eddie in his last start. These are bound to be a tough team although Global City looks to be the pick.

Conveyance looks an exciting recruit to UAE racing now being trained by Satish Seemar and with two Grade 3 victories last year in the US looks to hold a major chance.  The field is completed by the German trained Indomito who has had two promising runs at the Carnival so far.

This is a fiercely competitive renewal and having thought about this I am going to take a chance on my Pick 7 form and put my selection as Conveyance with Bankable second and Green Beret completing my tricast entry.

Godolphin Masterplan Ensures Victory

With two rounds of the Dubai International Racing Carnival to go Saeed Bin Suroor closed the gap on Mike de Kock to be Leading Trainer to two last Thursday with a glorious treble. The highlight was undoubtedly the victory of Khawlah in the UAE Oaks sponsored by Al Tayer motors. This was a perfectly prepared filly making her UAE debut under a Godolphin masterclass in tactics undertaken by Ted Durcan and Frankie Dettori. Durcan on the pacemaker Abtasammah made the race a searching pace and set it up for Dettori on the three year old daughter of Cape Cross who the trainer felt: “would definitely get the trip comfortably”.

Had we seen the 2011 Epsom Oaks winner? Well I think so and interestingly bin Surour certainly had this in mind as he said: “you will next see her in the Musidora at York”. Traditionally a stepping stone for Epsom we will see her test her Oaks credentials in the UK there.  Exciting times and a great feather in the cap for Meydan and the Dubai International Racing Carnival to become such a part of the world racing season its races can be used as springboards for big races round the world as well as hosting the big races. The Carnivals position in the world racing Calendar is now vital.

"Mike de Kock is running one of his Dubai World Cup hopefuls tonight and  Musir will take on Twice Over in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge where amongst others he will face the dual Champions Stakes winner from the United Kingdom in Twice Over for Henry Cecil, and the exciting new recruit to the UAE in Richard's Kid, trained by Satish Seemar, amongst others in a very competitive field. Mendip who won the first Round will also be a hrd nut to crack with bin Surour saying: "he is a much improved performer now he has learned to settle."

International Stables is now bristling with even more talent than was previously there as many of the stars for Dubai World Cup night are starting to arrive. A morning on the gallops is now like a who’s who of world racing and definitely worth a trip and setting the alarm clock for.

A special mention from last weeks Carnival and congratulations must go to crack apprentice jockey Harry Bentley. He has had a terrific first season in the UAE and deserved this win. He rode Navajo Chief for Alan Jarvis and showed great style, strength and determination to get the horse home despite being headed more than once in the straight. This is a young jockey going places and he should get some great rides when he returns home to the UK for the summer there.

Super Thursday is definitely the jewel in the crown of the carnival and I cannot wait to see this years’ edition tonight. After the racing there is a concert and it will be interesting to see the talents of Tinchy Stryder, Sander van Doorn and Eddie Halliwell perform a one-hour set each. Tinchy Stryder is best known for his hit “Number 1” and he is known to be a real crowd pleaser. It is a bit of a departure from previous artists such as Sting who performed last year and these performers will help showcase racing to a new younger audience. So if you are coming to the concert can I please encourage you to come and enjoy the racing first. It is top class and will be very exciting and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.

Racing enthusiasts who have purchased tickets to watch the Super Thursday races will be able to upgrade their tickets for access to the concert area for an additional AED 100.

It was great to see some more stars at the Carnival last week with football leading the way. Tottenham Hotspur Manager Harry Redknapp. Redknapp had arrived early to enjoy a few days before his team enjoyed a mid season break out here. With no fixture for ten days he felt: “Dubai is the perfect place for my players to train and recuperate”. His team followed him out, including the injured players, and returned to get ready to face Wolves on Saturday followed by the second leg of their Champions League tie against Inter Milan. Carlton Palmer was also present.

Football and racing are often closely tied. Michael Owen, the Manchester United & England goalscorer, has a racing stables and racehorses in the care of Tom Dascombe. This week when speaking of his travel dreams he said: “I’ve been lucky enough to attend the Dubai World Cup race - I would love to go again.” Lets hope they find a horse for the 2012 Dubai International Racing Carnival and he could attend the meeting as an owner.

It never ceases to amaze me the level of interest in racing round Dubai. I had a taxi driver named Morad the other day who knew the formbook inside out and does not miss a meeting if he can avoid it. He told me “Curlin was the best horse I had ever seen”. As for this years’ Dubai World Cup he is undecided until after tonights racing but veering towards a tick for Bold Silvano on his Pick 7 entry.

2011 Dubai World Cup Stars put Credentials on the line on Super Thursday

We will learn a lot more about who will win the Dubai World Cup this “Super Thursday”. There has been little doubt the best horse at the Carnival we have seen so far is Bold Silvano, however this week he will meet some genuine competition in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 in Twice Over and possibly Richard’s Kid.

Obviously if Cape Blanco takes part in the race he is likely to be a big threat too. His Irish Champion Stakes victory was to be seen to be believed. Mike de Kock holds a big hand with Bold Silvano and Musir and other possibilities including Golden Sword.

The big hopes from the UK include Twice Over, who is trained by Henry Cecil. Cecil has adopted a different approach this year for the 2010 World Cup tenth and has sent him out early for a prep race on Super Thursday. All very exciting stuff. Ed Dunlop is yet to announce which race the globetrotting filly Snow Fairy goes for but it will be a surprise if she is not in the field. Michael Bell is to be represented by Wigmore Hall who will run on Super Thursday too. Gitano Hernando will be representing the Marco Botti yard and he will need to come on for the run in the Maktoum Challenge Round 2 to be a serious threat this year.

Ali Rashid Al Raihe the Champion UAE trainer and with seven Carnival Wins already will be represented by Al Shemali who won the 2010 Dubai Duty Free but he will need a career best to figure. Satish Seemar has the interesting Richard’s Kid ready for a UAE debut run on Super Thursday and it will be a watching brief to see where he is but this highly rated colt could easily play a part in the World Cup finish.

The Japanese will have a strong hand with the multiple Group 1 winning mare Buena Vista and Victoire Pisa both having done nothing wrong in their prep races.

That leaves the Americans and Godolphin. Godolphin look to have Poets Voice, Mendip and Mastery as their likely entries and their representatives are bound to make an impact on the race. The boys in blue are always on the premises in this race.

The Americans are likely to have at least Gio Ponti, Giant Oak and Morning Line it looks to be a vintage field.
We will learn a lot on Super Thursday but at the moment I will be siding with Henry Cecil and Twice Over.

He has lot of class and the trainer has a huge desire to add the World Cup to his list of his world major wins.

UAE Oaks - looks to be a stroll for Mahbooba?

My race of the week this week is the UAE Oaks sponsored by Al Tayer Motors at Meydan on Thursday. It is the sixth race on the card and a 1900m Group 3 contest. Seven runners go to post for this competitive contest.

Mahbooba is the stand out entry for the de Kock yard who won this event in 2010 with Raihana. The UAE  1000 Guineas winner has looked in great form and with her eventual aim being the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup night she will certainly be the one to beat.  De Kock is the leading trainer at the Carnival and the Galileo filly is rated 116 some 6 lbs clear of her nearest rival in the weights. De Kock also saddles Empire Rose who finished fourth to Mahbooba in the UAE  1000 Guineas at Meydan on 3^rd February and  I do not expect her to reverse that form.

The Saudi Arabian entry Electric Waves is the second highest filly in the race and she is having her first run for trainer Naif Altawi. With four wins in the UK for Ed McMahon she showed she is not a filly to ignore and on her last start she won the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot in good style.  She also won a listed contest so this was no flash in the pan. Richard Mullen was her regular jockey in the UK and keeps the ride.

The Godolphin Team have won this race six times since it’s inception in 2001 with Saeed bin Suroor training all these winners. He is double handed this evening and Frankie Dettori has chosen to ride Khawlah who is having her first start in the UAE. She is relatively lightly raced and the daughter of Cape Cross’s, from the family of Sea the Stars, best form was a third in the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes. The other Godolhpin contender is Abtasaamah who has made two appearances on the Tapeta at Meydan and was last seen when fifth in the UAE 1,000 Guineas behind Mahbooba and Empire Rose.

Quick Val for Herman Brown and Amica for Gay Kelleway complete this small but competitive field. Kelleway said: “we are hopeful our filly may run a big race”.

Having looked at the race I fully expect Mahbooba to gain back to back victories in the UAE Oaks and Electric Waves and Khawlah to make her work for the victory hard.

UAE RACING PROVES ITS STRENGTH

Last Thursday the second Carnival meeting was held and as every race goes by the excitement of horses performances increases. The most exciting thing for Dubai Racing Fans is the strength of the local trainers. The true nature of the Dubai International Racing Carnival has been borne out by the fact that 42.5% of the runners being trained outside the UAE win 40% of the races.  This close correlation is fascinating as the International horses are winning proportionately all the races they enter as they had no runners in the Purebred Arabian Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1. This shows the strength of racing in the UAE is in great health now with UAE trainers Saeed Bin Suroor, Mahmoud Al Zarooni and Ali Rashid Al Raihe all having more than one winner apiece at this year’s Carnival already.

Last week the biggest cheer of the night was for the locally trained Happy Dubai, ridden by Ahmad Ajtebi in the colours of Mr Ahmed Al Falasi, winning the Bab Al Shams Al Hadeerah Trophy. Local winners are popular and the crowd really celebrate. This winner came as no surprise to the locals as the horse was prepared by Ali Rashid Al Raihe. Al Raihe is an approachable warm man and really enjoys himself - when racing at Jebel Ali he can be regularly seen joining in with huge enthusiasm with the traditional Emirati dancers. However do not be fooled by this genial exterior as the reigning UAE Champion Trainer is a perfectionist and an innovative trainer. He leaves no stone unturned to ensure his horses are ready to perform with the best chance of winning. Before racing at the second Carnival meeting Al Raihe and his excellent assistant Gelarni Siddiqui could be seen educating two unraced three year olds in the paddock. By giving them a taste of things to come, he was making sure that their first run would not hold any surprises. These, as yet, unnamed horses will run later in the season and the paddock will hold no fears for them. The horses started a bit fresh and excited but soon settled and this is just an example of how professional Al Raihe and his team are in their constant pursuit of winners.

A few international trainers were disappointed to have their horses balloted out last week. Freddie Head was one and he said “races surely must be split at the Carnival to make sure all horses get a run”. However for those horses on the edge of a Carnival Rating I can highly recommend trainers consider running at the other UAE courses. Sharjah,  Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi all hold meetings during the Carnival season with excellent prizemoney, and a win there could help secure a run at the next Carnival Meeting. These courses all have good sound surfaces and top class competitive racing.

In the Bab Al Shams Cape Verdi (G2) we saw a fascinating race with the Frankie Dettori ridden Godolphin representative Aspectoflove seeing off a useful field. However the race was not to everyones liking and it left Deem’s trainer, Jerry Barton, frustrated by the slow early pace. “Our Mare really needs a strongly run race to be seen at her best” he reported. All is not lost and we will see her again running in the Ballanchine before a tilt at the Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night. It is likely that she will reoppose the game winner of this race there as the winning trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said of Aspectoflove "She's a much improved filly this year and she did it well under the circumstances. The plan is to bring her back for the Balanchine and take it from there."

I have marvelled at the skill of the Pick 7 players throughout the season. Finding it often hard enough to tick the right box for winners I am fascinated how the racing fans regularly register high numbers of winners or even perfect sheets in their pursuit of a bumper win. The knowledge of the UAE racegoer is indeed high. I have had a look at the first two meetings to see if there are any real trends emerging to help Pick 7 players moving forward. There are several trends emerging.

The first obvious points are to never ignore the Godolphin or Mike de Kock camps. Despite multiple runners they regularly win having won 10 of the 15 races so far (over 50%). However they have run multiple entries in many races and in four of the eight races these heavyweight teams have won they have had more than one runner and the horse in second or third string colours have won.

Only two horses have won from being in Gate 5 in the stalls or lower which dispels the myth of wide draws being in the graveyard. Over half of the winners at this years’ carnival have been drawn in stall 9 or wider. Only three horses have won on their last appearance and the average time since their last run is one hundred and fifty-five days so a long break is nothing to worry about when considering form.

While visiting the Middle East there is plenty to see and do. Ralph Beckett, for example, has gone to explore Muscat with his wife, and there is much to see and do in Dubai, but closer to home one place I can highly recommend a visit to is the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. You can either enjoy an affordable Emirati Lunch or Breakfast at their headquarters in Bastakaya (Old Bur Dubai) or a tour around the Jumeirah Mosque giving you the opportunity to find out more about the history and traditions of the Country and ask any questions you may have. Visit www.cultures.ae for more information or call 04 3536666.

The “Carnival Race to the Dubai World Cup” Ten to Follow competition gets more and more competitive but the leader at present in none other than Al Adiyat’s Jason Ford, who also can be seen as a pundit on the Dubai Racing Channel. His list has set the early pace but if you feel that you can still beat him why not enter our competition. Its free and you can choose any horses you want and to enter please visit www.harrytregoning.com. Obviously when entering late you should take the view that all new entries start with a score of 0 so it is best to look for horses we have not yet seen or horses that look likely to improve on their last runs. I feel Bankable could be one to improve in his next run as he finished so strongly last time having encountered traffic problems.