Thursday @ Meydan - SAf interest

Yeah seemed to be pretty close, but I had an idea that the 9 got his head down right on the post.

Close finish that!

Brilliant Gregs . Nice one

Shit sorry I watched the race and thought Kavango won on the line . Shows how deceiving the angle is .

Mahbooba defeated by Khawlah in UAE Oaks
Meydan

MAHBOOBA was unable to add to her UAE 1,000 Guineas victory as Khawlah (Frankie Dettori) completed an on the day treble for trainer Saeed bin Suroor in the 1m1½f UAE Oaks, run on the Meydan Tapeta.

Trained by Mike de Kock, Mahbooba was sent off as the 1-3 favourite to capture a second UAE Classic and settled in the middle of the field as Khawlah tracked stablemate Abtasaamah in the lead.


Turning into the straight, Khawlah moved easily past Abtasaamah and to the front but Mahbooba appeared to be travelling supremely well behind her under Christophe Soumillon.

But little response came from the favourite when Soumillon asked her to challenge and Dettori was able to drive his mount out to the line to give bin Suroor his seventh winner of the race.

Bin Suroor said: "We like this filly and had been very pleased with her work. She was Group placed in the UK and we will wait for England with her now. The Musidora Stakes at York is a likely first target."

Electric Waves, having her first start for new connections and stepping up markedly in trip, finished third after being unable to go with the leaders in the straight.


Barzalona seizes the Moment to land sixth carnival win

MICKAEL BARZALONA recorded his sixth winner at the carnival as he threaded Godolphin's Charlie's Moment up the rail to record a cosy victory at 9-1 in the 6f Tapeta handicap.

The victory provided trainer Saeed bin Suroor with a double on the card following Bay Willow's earlier success for Frankie Dettori.

On this occasion Dettori partnered stablemate Global City, the 4-1 joint-favourite, who finished second. The John Ryan-trained Iver Bridge Lad ran on well to finish third at 20-1.

Dettori brooks no dissent on Bay Willow

FRANKIE DETTORI made sure he hadn't wasted his time riding at close to his minimum weight when he grabbedthe 1m3f Tapeta handicap by the scruff of the neck two furlongs out on Bay Willow (Saeed bin Suroor).

Front-running Heliodor, who had been allowed to establish a big lead, cried enough soon after entering the stretch, at which point Dettori kicked for home on 11-1 shot Bay Willow.

Out of the frame on his previous two outings, the son of Singspiel stole a march on his rivals, soon fivelengths and more down after what proved to be a race-winning move from Dettori.

Meeriss was closing under William Buick but never got nearer than a couple of lengths adrift as he claimed second from Prizefighting.

As is his wont, Christophe Soumillon parked the favourite Star Empire at the rear and he was unable to get anywhere near the shake-up.

Think Mahbooba must be the shortest price Fav beaten in Dubai at the Carnival? The good thing is she was that short that the man in the totes might have saved themselves from a hiding...


What do you think of the quality of the carnival this year? IMO it`s poor and not a patch on past seasons...

Well considering the stakes on offer would think that the "stars" from States/UK/Aus etc would take more interest, but lets keep it hush hush and bring the money back to SA.

Twice Over among star cast for World Cup prep

TWICE OVER, the Henry Cecil-trained dual Group 1 Champion Stakes winner, is set to head a star-studded cast at Meydan on Super Thursday, the dress rehearsal for Dubai World Cup night.

The Khalid Abdullah-owned six-year-old heads 26 entries for the Group 2 Maktoum Challenge III, the traditional prep race for the $10million Dubai World Cup over the same 1m2f on Tapeta as the world's richest horse race.

Some old rivals will be taking on Twice Over, but the main threat is likely to come from the Mike De Kock-trained Bold Silvano, who won the second leg of the Maktoum Challenge over 1m1f and is currently favourite with most bookmakers for the big race.

De Kock said: "This race has always been the plan as his final prep race. He won well first time but this is certain to be a much stronger race. He is working well though and we are delighted with him."

The race has produced three World Cup winners in the past, all trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, who has Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Poet's Voice, ninth behind Twice Over in last season's Champion Stakes, and Maktoum Challenge I winner Mendip among the entries.

Fellow Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni's entries include Debussy, winner of the Arlington Million for John Gosden last year and Etched, a Grade 2 winner in America for Kiaran McLaughlin, while multiple Grade 1-winner Richard's Kid is set to have his first start for Satish Seemar.

Of the entries who contested the World Cup last year, Marco Botti's Gitano Hernando fared best in sixth ahead of Richard's Kid (7th for Bob Baffert), Mr Brock (8th), Crowded House (9th) and Twice Over (10th).

SA Entries for Thursday, 3rd March
(Plus others of Interest)

Race 1 -
TB - Group 3
1600M(a8F) - All-Weather
MUSIR (AUS)
BANKABLE (IRE)
IMBONGI (SAF)
OUR GIANT (AUS)

Race 2 -
TB - Listed
1900M(a9.5F) - All-Weather
PAULINHO (ARG)
REEM (AUS)
AMICA (SAF)

Race 4 -
TB - Group 3
1200M(a6F) - All-Weather
J J THE JET PLANE (SAF)
BANKABLE (IRE)
CLEARLY SILVER (SAF)

Race 5 -
TB - Group 2
2485M(a12F) - Turf
MR BROCK (SAF)

Race 6 -
TB - Group 2
1800M(a9F) - Turf
PRESVIS (GB)
LE DRAKKAR (AUS)

Race 7 -
TB - Group 2
2000M(a10F) - All-Weather
TWICE OVER (GB)
BOLD SILVANO (SAF)
IRISH FLAME (SAF)
MUSIR (AUS)
BANKABLE (IRE)
MR BROCK (SAF)

I thought JJ might contest the 1000m race on the grass?

Presvis looks like a penalty kick in that field....

Al Shemali back on turf for Duty Free warm-up

AL SHEMALI, winner of last year's Group 1 Dubai Duty Free, will warm up for a defence of his crown next month in the Group 2 Jebel Hatta over the same 1m1f trip on Thursday.

The run will signal a return to turf after two outings on Tapeta this month. Jilani Sidiqqui, assistant to trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe, said: "He has run well both time on the Tapeta, but his best form is obviously on the turf, so we have opted for the Duty Free route again."

The Luca Cumani-trained Presvis looks the likely favourite with Wigmore Hall and Poet's Voice due run in this or the third round of the Maktoum Challenge.

Gitano Hernando,who also has an entry in the Maktoum Challenge, has the alternative option of running in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold, over the same 1m4f turf course as the Group 1 Sheema Classic. He boasts the highest international rating (118) of the 17 entries in that contest, with the Freddie Head-trained Marinous just behind on 117.

De Kock's 2010 UAE Derby winner Musir is one of 36 entered in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar, over 1m on Tapeta. This has long been his target, whereas fellow entries Richard's Kid and Mendip have plenty of other options on the evening.

De Kock said of Musir: "We did not want to run him against Bold Silvano at this stage so we aimed him here. He too is going very well and pleasing us."

Robert Cowell will saddle Prohibit in the 5f turf conditions race, while JJ The Jet Plane is a surprise entry in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal over 6f on Tapeta after struggling on his first try on the surface.

There will be no UAE Triple Crown winner this year with 2,000 Guineas winner Splash Point not appearing among the ten entries in the middle leg, the Listed AlBastakiya.

Final Fields

Race 1 - AW 2000m - Purebred Arabians - Al Maktoum Challenge Gr1 $55k
None

Race 2 - AW 1900m - Al Bastakyia (Listed) $250k
(1) Paulinho (Arg) - Brown/Moore [59.0/100]
( Amica (SAf) - Kelleway/Ffrench [57.0/87]
(9) Reem (Aus) - de Kock/Shea [57.0/104]

Race 3 - Turf 1000m - Conditions $175k
None

Race 4 - AW 1200m - Mahab Al Shimaal Gr3 $200k
(6) Bankable (Ire) - Brown/Moore [57.0/116]

Race 5 - AW 1600m - Burj Nahaar Gr3 $200k
(1) Our Giant (Aus) - de Kock/Soumillon [57.0/109]

Race 6 - Turf 2485m - Dubai City Of Gold Gr2 $250k
(4) Mr Brock (SAf) - de Kock/Shea [57.0/108]

Race 7 - AW 2000m - Al Maktoum Challenge Gr2 $300k
(1) Musir (Aus) - de Kock/Soumillon [57.0/117]
(11) Gitano Hernando (GB ) - Botti/Murtagh [57.0/118]
(14) Irish Flame (SAf) - de Kock/Shea [57.0/119]

Race 8 - Turf 1800m - Jebel Hatta Gr2 $250k
(5) Le Drakkar (Aus) - bin Huzaim/Lemaire [57.0/112]

World Cup fancy Bold Silvano misses final prep

BOLD SILVANO, Stan James's 7-2 favourite for the Dubai World Cup next month, will head straight for the race on March 26 after being ruled out of Thursday's Al Maktoum Challenge with a bruised foot.

His name did not appear among the final 14 declarations for the third round of the Challenge on Meydan's Super Thursday card and trainer Mike de Kock said: "We had always planned to run him in the last two legs of the Maktoum Challenge but that is not possible now.

"It is just a bruised foot, nothing serious and I would think he will just miss a few days. The short break may actually be a blessing as we have been keeping him busy in the mornings."

De Kock, who will instead run Musir in the race, added: "Bold Silvano will now have to go to the World Cup without another run but that is no great issue as he was very fit and well before this minor setback."

The Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over, who is vying with Bold Silvano for World Cup favouritism, does run, along with Gitano Hernando, sixth in last year's World Cup.

He represents Marco Botti and will be ridden by Johnny Murtagh for the first time.

Murtagh also partners Steele Tango in the Group 2 Jebel Hatta on the same card. He won on his Meydan debut in January and was second to Presvis, who lines up again, two weeks later.

Connections are hoping a decent performance can land him a spot in the Dubai Duty Free on World Cup night.

"I think he's getting better with age, as horses do," trainer Roger Teal told At The Races on Tuesday. "The sunshine's helped him and he looks fantastic. I couldn't be happier.

"Presvis is a good horse, but we ran well against him. He got first run, but if we can get upsides him, we'll give him a race.

"Johnny sat on him this morning and did a light bit of exercise. He said that the horse felt well and fresh.

"We're hoping to run in the Duty Free. He likes it here and there aren't many opportunities over nine furlongs back home.

"If we can run in the front three we should qualify and that's the major target."

The Michael Bell-trained Wigmore Hall makes his Carnival debut in the race, while Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Poet's Voice has his first start of the year.