Doug Watson

by Christina Bossinakis & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY-Up until its final moments, the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale unfolded much like last year's edition of the summer auction. Consistent trade throughout, but with the majority of the bidding action leaning toward the more accomplished offerings. That was until Informed Patriot (Hard Spun), a last-minute supplement to the sale, blew the doors off proceedings when drawing a $1.55-million final bid from agent Ibrahim Rachid, acting on behalf of HRH Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz. "Quite a way to...

Kabirkhan (California Chrome), who won his first three starts in Kazakhstan on his way to winning the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge in Dubai, has been sent to the U.S. and will be trained by Brad Cox. Kabirkhan was purchased at the 2021 Keeneland September sale for $12,000 by agent Nadir Khassanov and was then shipped to Kazakhstan, which has just one racetrack and a horse population of about 300. Running at Almaty Hippodrome, he broke his maiden in a three-horse race after breaking slowly. For owner Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev, the chestnut...

Five returning champions and one previous champion highlight the prospective fields for the Dubai World Cup meeting to be held at sprawling Meydan Racecourse in Dubai Saturday, Mar. 30. The connections of 106 horses from no fewer than 12 racing jurisdictions have accepted invitations to the eight Thoroughbred races on a $30.5-million program that begins with the $1-million Dubai Kahayla Classic for the Purebred Arabians and concludes with the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup. The main event has attracted a field of 15 that is led by its defending champion...

Kabirkhan (California Chrome) continued a most improbable fairy-tale run at the Dubai Racing Carnival, as he raced prominently following a bit of a sluggish dispatch and powered home late to easily take out Friday's US$1-million G1 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan. The chestnut with a big white blaze--eerily reminiscent of his G1 Dubai World Cup-winning sire--was returning just a fortnight after annexing a 2000-metre handicap, and for all intents and purposes forced the hand of trainer Doug Watson. After racing for next to no prize-money while winning eight of nine...

The immaculately bred MIZZYAAN becomes the first starter in the Emirates for the all-conquering Justify and can make her presence felt at first asking in Friday's Cocoa Beach S. (allowance), a 1600-meter event restricted to 3-year-old fillies at Meydan Racecourse. The Mar. 5 foal, a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum, is the first foal out of Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}), a Group 1 winner in her native Argentina, whose two local starts for trainer Mike de Kock included a runner-up effort to Polar River (Congrats)...

The Dubai Racing Carnival continues at Meydan on Friday, with a pair of group races on tap for the turf milers and main-track sprinters, with the G2 Zabeel Mile the highlight of the nine-race card. Godolphin's Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is the clear standout on ratings, and won this contest in 2022 before placing second in both the G1 Lockinge S. and G1 Queen Anne S. back on UK soil for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Now seven, the gelding is aiming at a return to form after running...

Making just his third start in Dubai and stretching out to a mile for the first time in over two years, RRR Racing's Isolate (Mark Valeski) never gave his 13 rivals a chance in Saturday's G2 Godolphin Mile Sponsored by One Zaabeel as he put on a powerful front-running display to carry visiting jockey Tyler Gaffalione to an easy 5 1/2-length victory. Not the fastest away from the stalls in the mile chute, the $70,000 Keeneland November weanling speared through from between horses to take up the running linking up...

The 2022 G2 Blue Point Sprint hero Lazuli (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is back to defend his title for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby over this minimum trip on grass. Worth $180,000, the Blue Point is the 6-year-old gelding's second run of the season after defeating Man Of Promise (Into Mischief) in the Listed Ertijaal Dubai Dash on opening day of the 2023 Dubai World Cup Carnival. "Lazuli is tried and tested over five furlongs at Meydan and this is his optimum trip," said Appleby. "He is in great form and, even...

by Heather Anderson and J.N. Campbell With New Year's celebrations firmly in the rearview, racing eyes turn to Dubai, as the $7.5-million Dubai World Cup Carnival kicks off at Meydan Racecourse. The DWCC culminates on Super Saturday, Mar. 4, the warmup for the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup card slated for Mar. 26. Of the seven races carded, five are black-type level and there are a quartet of stakes contests set to be decided in the desert on Friday. Anchoring the action is the $250,000 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1...

7th-Meydan, AED82,500, Maiden, 2yo, 1600m, 1:38.92, ft. SHIRL'S BEE (c, 2, Bee Jersey--Shirl's Soul, by Perfect Soul {Ire}) was the subject of some pre-race buzz and turned in a tough debut effort to stamp himself one to watch in next year's 3-year-old events in Dubai. Nicely into stride from gate two, the homebred colt appeared set to challenge for the lead at the rail, but was taken hold of by Pat Dobbs and immediately began to overrace. More settled as they raced past the half-mile marker, Shirl's Bee faced a...

Friday marks the second week of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan in Dubai, and three group races are slated to go ahead, as well as two G2 UAE Derby preps on the seven-race card. Godolphin fields a typically strong hand in the 1800-metre G2 Al Rashidiya Presented By Riviera Beachfront By Azizi on grass, which is an early pointer to the G1 Dubai Turf at the end of March. Aiming for a sixth consecutive renewal, the royal blue silks will be carried by a quintet from trainers-Charlie Appleby...

Dale Brennan's Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) indicated he could be rounding into his best form at age seven last year with a second-place finish in the G2 Godolphin Mile. Making his second start since in Friday's G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1, he fulfilled that prophecy with a near gate-to-wire, 1 1/2-length victory. Joining Doug Watson after winning twice in Britain at three for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, the £240,000 yearling Golden Goal made just two starts in both 2019 and 2020, winning once the former season and...