Meydan

Certain Lad provided the UK with a victory during the third night of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday when taking the Listed Zabeel Turf H. over 2000 metres for trainer Mick Channon. It was in fact a European one-two, with Mick Halford's Simsir closing late for second. Certain Lad flashed promise at two, winning his first two starts before finishing third in G2 Railway S. at The Curragh. He picked up a listed win in the fall going a mile Lyon Parilly, and was gelded after finishing sixth...

Magic Lily (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), third in the G1 Fillies' Mile as a juvenile, made good on her early promise with a narrow victory over Team Valor International's Nisreen (Ire) (Raven's Pass) in the G2 Cape Verde at Meydan on Thursday. The Charlie Appleby runner bore the Godolphin blue silks in the one-mile contest under pilot James Doyle, who, along with Appleby, were winning their third Cape Verde. The 5-year-old completed the Cape Verde in a new stakes and track record-setting time of 1:34.84. Sent straight to the head...

Mick Halford is a familiar face at Meydan, with a victory in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in 2014 with Paul Rooney's Certerach (Ire) (Halling) being among his highlights, and the Kildare-based trainer gets his 2020 carnival season underway on Thursday with a pair of stakes runners at Meydan. The lightly raced 4-year-old Simsir (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) lines up with a shot in the Listed Zabeel Turf, although he will have to see off last season's G1 Jebel Hatta winner Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) among 10 rivals. The Aga...

The G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1, run over a mile on the Meydan main track was a nailbiter, but Kimbear (Temple City) got his head down on the line where it counted, winning a three-way photo over GSW Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Group 1 winner North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Racing in the rear of the main pack against the fence as Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) showed the way initially, the Doug Watson colourbearer began to improve as North America took over, with...

After winning a trio of Group 1s internationally in 2018, Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) left his followers wondering as a 5-year-old last year. Sure, he won his belated seasonal debut, the G2 Joel S. at Newmarket on Sept. 27, by five lengths, but he was last seen trailing home last of 16 over the heavy ground in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 19. The Godolphin colourbearer displayed nothing but brilliance, however, on return on Thursday in Meydan's G2 Singspiel S., taking the...

Godolphin Group 1 winners Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) square off in Thursday's grassy 1800-metre G2 Singspiel S., as the Dubai World Cup Carnival enters its second week. Eight races (seven Thoroughbred) are on tap at Meydan. Bearing the coveted blue cap and with Christophe Soumillon in the irons, the former won the 2018 edition of this contest during a profitable Meydan campaign that season, including the G1 Dubai Turf that March. He also took his show on the road with other Group 1 wins...

2019 GIII Hutcheson S. hero Gladiator King (Curlin) made his first appearance at Meydan a winning one, stalking the pace and grinding home to win the G3 Dubawi S. by a neck in Dubai on Thursday. He defeated MSW & MGSP Ibn Malik (Ire) (Raven's Pass), who was another 1 1/2 lengths in advance of last year's runner-up and dual Group 3 winner Drafted (Field Commission). Away in alert fashion, the chestnut stayed well off the inside and pressed the pace in fourth four deep on the backstretch as Lavaspin...

Three-year-old filly Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) got Saeed bin Suroor's Dubai World Cup Carnival off to a winning start on Thursday when taking Meydan's card-opening UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, a conditions race over seven furlongs on the dirt, by an eye-catching 1 3/4 lengths. Final Song was the highest-rated filly in the race on a mark of 103 and ran to her form, quickening late to deny a pair of recent impressive Meydan maiden winners in Down On Da Bayou (Super Saver) and 'TDN Rising Star' Rio Angie...

The Dubai World Cup Carnival kicks off on Thursday and as could be expected with horses trained in 16 countries among the acceptances for the 10-week carnival, opening night at Meydan is an international affair. Evergreen 9-year-old gelding Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) has been a mainstay in top sprinting contests globally for the better part of five seasons. A career-best year came in 2017 when he won the GI Shadwell Turf Mile and the G2 Boomerang S., and the David O'Meara trainee proved he was still at the top...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The countdown to next year's inaugural Saudi Cup officially began Wednesday evening with a gala organized by the race's officials in the walking ring at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds in Saratoga. The race, scheduled to be run next Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, will be run over 1800 meters of the dirt track and will be worth $20 million--making it the world's richest race. The field will have a maximum of 14 runners, with $10 million going to the winner. Hosted by television...

Not seen since winning the G2 Prix Foy in mid-September, Postponed (Ire) looked every bit the class act when posting a hands-and-heels victory in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold under Andrea Atzeni. His facile three-length victory provided the perfect prep race for his major early-season target on Dubai World Cup night, the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. Making his first appearance since switching to Roger Varian from former trainer Luca Cumani along with the rest of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's horses last autumn, the 5-year-old settled comfortably into third place in...