By Daithi Harvey
The G3 Burj Nahaar produced a most impressive winner when Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) routed the opposition to give trainer Fawzi Nass and jockey Adrie De Vries another major Middle Eastern win. The winner was having his first start on dirt but that proved no barrier to the 5-year-old, who looked a horse destined for greater things when claiming the one-mile contest.
Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) blasted from the gates but was being harried from the start to maintain a prominent position by both Ambassadorial (Elusive Quality) and the strong-traveling Kimbear (Temple City). The veteran weakened quickly, however, three furlongs from home and his retreat left Kimbear in pole position. Doug Watson's runner then looked like he would put the race to bed at that stage but he was being stalked all the time by Salute The Soldier, who really picked up strongly a furlong from home. Kimbear began to fade badly at that stage as Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) closed from mid-pack. However, the winner was not for catching and it was Axelrod (Warrior's Reward), who was last and at least 12 lengths off the pace at the turn in, who powered home on the rail to grab second five lengths adrift, with Secret Ambition a never-dangerous third.
Successful aboard the Fawzi Nass trained Port Lions (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in Riyadh recently, Adrie De Vries was far from surprised over the manner of Salute The Soldier's victory on Saturday. “I was pretty confident, he had been working well on the dirt and he came here in great form,” he said. “I think he could be an even better horse on dirt. He travelled well into the race and pricked his ears when he got to the front. I'd love to see him in the Godolphin Mile but that will be the trainer's decision.”
Trainer Fawzi Nass added, “He's always shown he likes the surface and it was good to see him perform like that today. Obviously, the only worry was the kickback, but he has enough speed to keep himself out of it. We're learning about him. He has been very good today and his pre-race antics were much better than the first time he was out here. When we purchased him we thought he could be a horse for the dirt and he had been working well on it. He is a nervous type, so we saddle him in a closed box and try and keep him away from the others and crowds. Adrie gave him the perfect ride.”
Salute The Soldier was a progressive horse for Clive Cox in England last year winning two valuable handicaps at Goodwood and Ascot before closing out his British career with a third in a listed race at Newbury in September. Offered at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, he was bought by Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Fawzi Nass for 380,000gns and while that represents a significant outlay, it now looks money well spent. He served notice of that when making a winning Dubai debut in a Meydan handicap at the end of January before running with great credit when a close fourth in the G2 Zabeel Mile just over two weeks ago.
Pedigree Notes
Salute The Soldier's pedigree likely provided some optimism that he could excel on dirt, with his sire Sepoy (Aus) being a son of Elusive Quality and his unraced dam Street Fire (Ire) a daughter of Street Cry (Ire). Bred by his former part-owner Alan Spence, the winner is the best performer of five winners produced by his dam so far and in fact is the only stakes winner in two generations of the family. Further back, Salute The Soldier's third dam Danzante (Danzig) was a Juddmonte bred and raced stakes winner who proved a potent broodmare producing the GI Eddie Read H. winner Monzante (Maria's Mon).
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
BURJ NAHAAR SPONSORED BY EMIRATES HOLIDAYS-G3, $350,000, Meydan, 3-7, NH4yo/up & SH 3yo/up, 8f, 1:37.27, fs.
1–SALUTE THE SOLDIER (GER), 126, g, 5, by Sepoy (Aus)
1st Dam: Street Fire (Ire), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Firedrake, by Kris S.
3rd Dam: Danzante, by Danzig
1ST STAKES WIN. (380,000gns HRA '19 TATAUT). O-Victorious;
B-Alan Spence (GER); T-Fawzi Nass; J-Adrie de Vries. $210,000.
Lifetime Record: 17-6-5-2, $471,913. Werk Nick Rating: C+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Axelrod, 126, h, 5, Warrior's Reward–Volatile Vickie, by
Elusive Quality. ($25,000 Ylg '16 OBSJAN). O-Phoenix
Thoroughbred III & Khalid bin Mishref; B-Hidden Point Farm
Inc (FL); T-Salem bin Ghadayer. $70,000.
3–Secret Ambition (GB), 126, h, 7, Exceed and Excel (Aus)—
Inner Secret, by Singspiel (Ire). O-Nasir Askar; B-Darley (GB);
T-Satish Seemar. $35,000.
Margins: 5HF, 1, 2 1/4.
Also Ran: Moqarrar, Kimbear, All Out Blitz, Ambassadorial, Team Decision (Ire), Prodigal Son, Taamol (Ire), Blitzkrieg, Heavy Metal (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
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