By Heather Anderson
Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) overcame significant traffic issues late to nip pacesetter Racing History (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) by a short head in Meydan's G2 Dubai City of Gold and provide a Godolphin exacta. It was trainer Charlie Appleby's second win in the 2410-metre race (Hawkbill {Kitten's Joy}, 2018) and third on the Super Saturday card. Pilot William Buick had earlier teamed up with Appleby and booted Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) home in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, while Divine Image (Scat Daddy) saluted in the Listed Al Bastakiya with Brett Doyle in the irons.
In receipt of the blue cap and heavily favoured, the 4-year-old bounced out well and was soon joined at the head of affairs by Racing History. The Saeed bin Suroor runner went on with it into the first turn and it was Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) sitting just off his right flank as Old Persian perched in a handy third against the rails. Positions were unchanged for the backstretch run, with Racing History posting dawdling fractions of :54.34 for the half-mile and 1:32.73 for the first 1400 metres.
Prince of Arran swooped three furlongs from home, and he was quickly joined to his outside by Spotify (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling). Meanwhile Old Persian left the inside, but faced a wall of horses with a quarter mile to travel. A gap finally opened 250 metres from the wire as Racing History kept on dourly on the front end and he still held a half-length advantage as Old Persian came with his run three off the fence. The son of Dubawi finally found the front two strides from the wire, and Desert Encounter was three lengths back in third, a neck better than Prince Of Arran.
“He's a horse who's got a bright future ahead of him,” said Appleby. “He's a multiple Group 2 winner now and won at Royal Ascot. He beat Cross Counter and we know what he went on to do. Coming into this evening, we were pleased with his preparation, but we firmly have our eyes set on the [G1 Longines Dubai] Sheema Classic [on Mar. 30]. There's a little bit of improvement still there to come.”
Added Buick, “I can't imagine it was pretty watching it from here, but I had so much horse underneath of me. The way the race developed, it was funny stage. Halfway around the turn, everyone starting to move. I started to make my move and got stuck behind a wall of horses. Once he got in the clear, he really picked up well. It was a lovely performance.”
Old Persian first tasted group success in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot last June, but found the waters of the G1 Irish Derby too deep at The Curragh, settling for sixth at the end of the month. Back on top in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at York with stablemate and subsequent G1 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo (Ire)) second on Aug. 22, he signed off his sophomore campaign with a fifth in the G1 St Leger S. at Doncaster on Sept. 15 prior to Saturday's victory.
Pedigree Notes…
Already a two-time winner at the group level in England, Old Persian is out of a full-sister to G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Silkwood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and a half-sister to G2 Cherry Hinton S. victress Silent Honor (Ire) (Sunday Silence). Bred by the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings in Kentucky, Prix Amandine winner and third dam Massaraat (Nureyev) joined the Darley fold after bringing $1.1 million as a KEEJUL yearling in 1989. She is a full-sister to multiple champion, two-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner (1987-88) and blue hen producer Miesque and a half-sister to the dam of champion Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}), who also won the Breeders' Cup Mile for Flaxman in 2003. The second foal from his dam, the Darley homebred is followed by Chapelli (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}), who was placed at the stakes level in England, as well as a juvenile filly by Pivotal (GB) and a yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire). Indian Petal visited G1 2000 Guineas hero Night of Thunder (Ire) last spring.
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
DUBAI CITY OF GOLD SPONSORED BY EMIRATES SKYCARGO-G2, $300,000, Meydan, 3-9, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2410mT, 2:32.68, gd.
1–OLD PERSIAN (GB), 123, c, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Indian Petal (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Wood Vine, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Massaraat, by Nureyev
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Eng, 12-7-1-1, $596,979.
*1/2 to Chapelli (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}), SP-Eng. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Racing History (Ire), 126, h, 7, Pivotal (GB)–Gonbarda (Ger),
by Lando (Ger). O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Saeed bin
Suroor. $60,000.
3–Desert Encounter (Ire), 126, g, 7, Halling–La Chicana (Ire), by
Invincible Spirit (Ire). (32,000gns Ylg '13 TATOCT). O-Abdulla Al
Mansoori; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-David Simcock. $30,000.
Margins: SHD, 3, NK.
Also Ran: Prince Of Arran (GB), Sharpalo (Fr), Marinaresco (SAf), Spotify (Fr), Team Talk (GB), Crowned Eagle (GB), Second Summer.
Click for the Emirates Racing chart, the Am West PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.
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