By Heather Anderson
'TDN Rising Star' MANAMA GOLD (f, 3, Star Guitar–Charged Cotton, Dehere) remained perfect with a 1 1/4-length tally in the AED700,000 G3 UAE Oaks over the closing Mizzyaan (Justify) at Meydan Racecourse on Friday. It was the first stakes win for the chestnut, who covered the 1900-metre trip in 2:00.81.
In charge from the bell, as none of her five rivals seemed overly interested in picking up the baton, Manama Gold was always going along at an easy clip while staying fairly close to the rail past the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch. Mizzyaan kept a close eye on the Fawzi Nass trainee the whole way around from second just off Manama Gold's girth, and Lighting Paradise (Congrats) saved every inch of ground in third. Once the real running began, Manama Gold did not open up as readily as in her past two trips to the post, but she still managed to come home without ever being headed, albeit the winning margin was smaller. Adrie de Vries took care with his filly, and did not ask too much of her to secure the victory. Lightning Paradise threatened to take over the place position down the lane, but Mizzyaan found another gear and fought her off to retain second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of that foe.
“I'm very pleased; I have a lot to do with her in the mornings and she's a very special filly,” said De Vries. “At the moment, I think she's not at her best–she's growing a lot–but she has a lot of class.
“I didn't really have a plan to make [the running] but no-one really wanted it. You can see when she gets in front she pricks her ears. I think she'll be a better filly next year, but I'll leave it to Fawzi and [owner] Sheikh Nasser to make a plan.”
A winner of her Meydan debut going 1400 metres on Dec. 12, Manama Gold extended the margin to 9 1/4 in a 1600-metre conditions race where she earned her 'TDN Rising Star badge.
Pedigree Notes
The 15 stakes winner and second Pattern winner for her Louisiana-based sire, Manama Gold is the second stakes winner for her dam, Charged Cotton. Star Guitar was previously represented by GII Honorable Miss H. heroine Minit To Stardom.
She is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Sethamee Street (Street Sense), and a full-sister to multiple stakes winner Ova Charged (Star Guitar), who was second in Belmont's GIII Victory Ride S. A stakes winner at Laurel, Charged Cotton visited Not This time in 2022, and the result was a yearling filly. She was barren to the cover of Star Guitar for this year. GI Philip H. Iselin H. and GI Jerome H. hero Schossberg (Broad Brush) is under the third dam.
Friday, Meydan, Dubai
UAE OAKS PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G3, AE$700,000, Meydan, 2-23, 3yo, f, 9f, 2:00.81, fs.
1–MANAMA GOLD, 126, f, 3, by Star Guitar
1st Dam: Charged Cotton, by Dehere
2nd Dam: Lightning Lydia, by Broad Brush
3rd Dam: Bye The Bye, by Balzac
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. ($100,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP; $200,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Victorious Racing;
B-Brittlyn, Inc (LA); T-Fawzi Nass; J-Adrie de Vries. AED420,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, AED726,000. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mizzyaan, 126, f, 3, Justify–Vale Dori (Arg), by Asiatic Boy
(Arg). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Sheikh
Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum (KY); T-Doug Watson.
AED140,000.
3–Lightning Paradise, 126, f, 3, Congrats–Impossible Tale, by
Tale Of Ekati. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
($20,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; 150,000gns 2yo '23 TATGNS).
O/B-Fawzi Abdulla Nass; B-Charles Fipke (KY). AED70,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 5 1/4.
Also Ran: Kibo Misaki, Fatinah, Sensatiable. Click for the ERA chart and video.
1-9 favorite #4 MANAMA GOLD, by @StarGuitarLA, wins the G3 UAE Oaks. Adrie De Vries in the irons on the unbeaten filly, who is now three for three. pic.twitter.com/MFMnas52P7
— TVG (@TVG) February 23, 2024
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