Dubai

by Alan Carasso Shahama (Munnings), who bolted up by nine lengths on her 1400-metre debut at Meydan Dec. 9, endured a much more troubled passage in Saturday's UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, a conditions event over the same course and distance, but exhibited her considerable class in the final stages to score by 2 1/2 lengths en route to 'TDN Rising Star'-dom. She is the eighth 'Rising Star' for her sire. Off slowly and ridden along from gate five racing over a rare sloppy main track in this jurisdiction, the $425,000...

1ST-Meydan, AED82,500, Mdn., 12-9, 2yo & SH 3yo, f, 1400m, 1:25.70. SHAHAMA (f, 2, Munnings--Private Feeling, by Belong to Me), a half-sister to two-time Eclipse Award winner and five-time Grade I-winning Coolmore stallion Lookin At Lucky (Ch. 2yo/3yo Colt-US, $3,307,278), ran them off their feet to break her maiden in exceptionally impressive fashion Thursday at Meydan. Drawn out in gate nine, Shahama was away fairly beneath Adrie de Vries, but slowly made her way forward and raced right on the pace while four wide in the breeze down the backstretch....

A host of international Group or Grade 1 winners have been extended invites to the upcoming Dubai World Cup Carnival, including Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper), who enjoyed a pair of group victories during last year's event. The popular grey gelding captured the G1 Jebel Hatta and more recently added the G3 Bahrain International Trophy to his haul from the David O'Meara yard, who has also received an invite for Escobar (Ire) (Famous Name {GB}). A strong Irish challenge will be led by dual G1 Irish St Leger heroine Search For...

The late Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) turned in arguably the most impressive effort in a G1 Dubai World Cup by a horse not named Dubai Millennium (GB), dropping back to last after being roughed up at the break, rallying wide on the turn and galloping past none other than Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) to win the 2017 renewal in jaw-dropping fashion. Taking Names became the first starter in Dubai for his GI Breeders' Cup Classic-winning stallion in Thursday's second race at Meydan, and while much more straight-forward, was similarly impressive...

Trainer Satish Seemar has had his license temporarily suspended by the Emirates Racing Authority Stewards due to circumstances surrounding his association with owner Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic, was added to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office Of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)'s list for his record of serious human rights abuses in 2017. Seemar, who trained the 2018 G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 victor North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Kadyrov, was put on the list due to his connection with Kadyrov on Dec....

Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) will return in the Betway Churchill S. at Lingfield next weekend before an intended start in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase in December. The 4-year-old, who claimed the G2 King Edward VII S. and G2 Great Voltigeur S. at three, had an abbreviated two-start campaign this season. Second by 2 1/4 length in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket making his 4-year-old bow, Pyledriver clawed his way to a neck victory in Epsom's G1 Coronation Cup over Al Aasy (Ire)...

Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, daughter of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will continue her father's legacy at Shadwell Estate, with Angus Gold, Shadwell's longtime racing manager, telling Racing Post that Sheikha Hissa will take over as head of the powerful racing and breeding operation. The news comes on the heels of Monday's announcement that Shadwell Stud Director Richard Lancaster would step down. "We've been communicating with Sheikha Hissa over the past couple of months since Sheikh Hamdan sadly died and I'm currently on my way back...

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), winner of last Saturday's G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, is scheduled to return home this week, according to trainer Brendan Walsh. "He will quarantine in Chicago for 48 hours and then should be down [at Keeneland] Sunday or Monday," Walsh confirmed Thursday morning. An astute $75,000 claim by the current connections in January 2018, the 8-year-old gelding landed his first graded stakes score of his career in Dubai, as Walsh looked on flying from Miami to New Orleans. "I was trying to...

Morning action at Meydan continued apace on Tuesday, with several Dubai World Cup night contenders stretching their legs just a few days before the blockbuster nine-race card on Saturday. Last year's JRA Champion Dirt Horse and G1 Champions Cup hero Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), who goes for the $12-million Dubai World Cup, galloped over the dirt track on Tuesday morning with regular pilot Keita Tosaki in the irons. He was ninth in the Saudi Cup in February. "He has trained well so far," said Tosaki. "The trainer told...

Less than a week remains before the $26.5-million Dubai World Cup card, split between eight Thoroughbred races and one for Purebred Arabians. Horses were out in force over the Meydan track on Monday morning, with several turning in final works prior to the big night. Most of the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup hopefuls completed maintenance works on Monday, but one of the American contenders-Jesus' Team (Tapiture), runner-up in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. on Jan. 23--galloped 1 1/2 circuits. "We went to the track with him very...

Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is in good form ahead of a start in the $5-million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Mar. 27. Last seen in action taking the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin in December, the Coolmore partners-owned 4-year-old also saluted in the 2020 G3 Gordon S. at Goodwood in July, ran second in the Aug. 19 Great Voltigeur S. and returned to the winner's circle in the G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp in September. Fifth in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup...

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), who recently passed the $1-million mark in career earnings, will make his next start in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200 meters on the straight) on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 27, trainer Brendan Walsh confirmed Wednesday. A six-time stakes winner and second in the GI Highlander S. in 2019, the 8-year-old ran home gamely to be a close fourth off a very wide trip in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and has since rounded out the...