Group 1 winners clash in Maktoum Challenge II
Racing Post
Preview: UAE, Thursday 6.10pm GMT (live on ATR and RUK)
Meydan: Maktoum Challenge II (Group 3) 1m1½f, AW, 3yo+
NO fewer than five Group or Grade 1 winners are in action in Thursday's highlight, the second leg of the Maktoum Challenge series, as Meydan hosts the most prestigious card to date at this year's Dubai Carnival.
Maktoum Challenge II is one of two Group races on a card also featuring the Al Shindagha Sprint - plus a domestic Classic in the UAE 1,000 Guineas, which carries Listed status.
The feature may be only a Group 3 event but this is surely the classiest ever renewal of a race first run in 1994 and won in 2003 by subsequent Dubai World Cup winner Moon Ballad.
At least half the field for the all-weather highlight have the $10million World Cup as their target, headed by Al Shemali (Ali Rashid Al Raihe/Royston Ffrench), shock winner of last year's Dubai Duty Free for the UAE champion trainer.
He is a 1m2f handicap winner on the Tapeta surface, whereas Bold Silvano (Mike de Kock/Christophe Soumillon) - winner of the Durban July, the number one race in South Africa - will be having his first race on the Tapeta surface.
Gitano Hernando (Marco Botti/Weichong Marwing), a Grade 1 winner in the US in 2009, was beaten only two lengths in last year's World Cup, with 2008 Racing Post Trophy winner Crowded House a length further back.
Crowded House, second in this race 12 months ago, is ridden by Ryan Moore for US-based trainer Ben Cecil.
Moon Ballad was one of seven winners of this race for Saeed Bin Suroor who saddles Spring Of Fame (Frankie Dettori), a course-and-distance handicap winner on his sole start this year. Allybar followed a similar route last year before scoring here, and then being beaten only in a photo finish in the World Cup.
That race was was won by Gloria De Campeao, whose trainer Pascal Bary will be hoping South American star Interaction can return to his best, having run a dismal race in France on his European debut after winning the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, the continent's top race, as a three-year-old in December 2009.
Such is the quality of the race that Bin Suroor's 2009 winner My Indy, now with Mubarak Bin Shafya, is almost mentioned as an afterthought.
Elsewhere, Mahbooba (De Kock/ Soumillon) looks sure to start favourite in the UAE 1,000 Guineas, even though she was beaten in the 7f trial race by stable companion Reem (Pat Cosgrave).
Soumillon's mount is far better off at the weights and was staying on strongly over the shorter trip, with Abtasaamah (Saeed Bin Suroor/Frankie Dettori) in third.
Of the eight declared, only Amica (Gay Kelleway/Royston Ffrench) was not involved in that race and she looks to face a stiff task in a decent renewal.
The other three-year-old race is the 7f Meydan Classic Trial on turf. Roayh (Bin Suroor/Dettori) looked a useful prospect when third to Strong Suit in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and may have most to fear from Ahlaain (David Simcock/Ryan Moore) and the ex-Sir Mark Prescott-trained Krypton Factor (Fawzi Nass/Kieren Fallon).
Our Giant (De Kock/Soumillon) bounced back to winning ways in a 6f Tapeta conditions race on the opening night and returns to action in the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint over the same trip.
He was chased home on that occasion by Inxile (Dandy Nicholls/Adrian Nicholls), who looked briefly like supplying his trainer with a first carnival winner.
Prohibit (Robert Cowell/Jamie Spencer) and Banna Boirche (Mick Halford/Shane Foley) provide further interest from Britain and Ireland.
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