Meydan

One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), once considered a leading Classic contender for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, looks to get his career back on track when he steps out in Friday's Zabeel Trophy, a one-mile conditions race on the turf, at Meydan. One Ruler, a homebred out of the former Andre Fabre-trained triple group-winning miler Fintry (Ire) (Shamardal), won the G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket in 2020 and was three-quarters of a length second to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy. He managed only sixth,...

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....

Group 1 winner Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) is targeting the G1 Dubai Turf on Mar. 26. Trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam, the chestnut won both her starts at two, including the G3 Oh So Sharp S. She resumed last April with a second in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. and was runner-up to Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the G1 1000 Guineas on May 2. Off the board in the G1 Oaks and G1 Falmouth S. in June and July, respectively, the Sangster family and J. Wigan colourbearer...

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...

South African Alistair Cohen has been appointed English language racecaller for the 2021/22 racing season in the United Arab Emirates. Thirty-year-old Cohen has been calling races for more than a decade in his native country, including the South African Triple Crown and Triple Tiara series'. He has also called races at Musselburgh Racecourse in Scotland. Cohen will commentate at all five ERA racetracks: Meydan, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. His calls will also be used on Dubai Racing Channel and the international feed. Commenting on the appointment,...

Following the announcement last week of a purse increase to $30.5 million for Dubai World Cup night, a new four-race Jumeirah Series on turf for the Classic generation at the Dubai World Cup Carnival was revealed on Thursday. In addition, a new race has been added to the Mar. 5 Super Saturday card-the $300,000 Ras Al Khor over 1400 metres on grass. Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, said, "The introduction of new races within the framework of the Dubai World Cup Carnival is part of His...

Breeze-up consignors shopping at this season's yearling sales will have a new and innovative target to aim at with the news late last month that the Dubai Racing Club will host the first-ever Dubai World Cup Breeze-Up Sale in association with Goffs next Mar. 24, two days prior to Dubai World Cup day at Meydan. The sale will have a maximum 69 2-year-olds catalogued. Horses in training are offered twice a year in Dubai through the Emirates Racing Authority Racing in Dubai sales, but the Dubai World Cup sale will...

On paper, the 25th running of the G1 Dubai World Cup looked a wide-open affair. At the end of a mile and a quarter on the Meydan dirt, however, it was the international favourite Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) who posted a straightforward and convincing victory for owner/breeder Godolphin and trainer Mike Stidham. It was a ninth win in the Dubai World Cup for Godolphin-and a first trained from the U.S.-and the 12th American-trained winner overall. The $12-million race with not without its drama, with two horses-Great Scot (GB) (Requinto {Ire}) and...

Any discussion of the world's leading turf sires must include Darley in Europe's Dubawi (Ire), but for all the success he has had with his runners on the grass, his strike rate on the dirt--particularly in Dubai--is nothing short of stunning. The sire of World Cup winner Prince Bishop (Ire) (and Monterosso {GB} on the Tapeta), Dubawi has also accounted for such horses as Hunter's Light (Ire), Benbatl (GB) and Mubtaahij (Ire). The latter took out the 2015 UAE Derby, and as the sun began to set Saturday at Meydan,...

Evergreen 8-year-old Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) was hustled from the barriers by Tadhg O'Shea in Saturday's G2 Godolphin Mile and never looked back, lengthening in the lane to post a sparkling six length score over the Doug Watson-trained Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), with American shipper Avant Garde (Tonalist) grabbing third. The first horse bought by Libyan owner Nasir Askar when plucked out of the 2016 Racing In Dubai Sale for AED150,000 (£29,612/€34,537) having formerly raced for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Secret Ambition plied his trade...

Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid) broke his group duck and became the first American-trained winner of the $1-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Saturday. As soon as the gates flew, the field split into two groups--one in the centre of the course and one against the far rail--as favoured Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) got squeezed out of the back of the latter bunch. Under Ryan Moore, Extravagant Kid enjoyed clear sailing and shifted back toward the centre of the course with several rivals to make it three...