Super Saturday

Trainer Nigel Tinkler was upbeat after his Group 1-placed Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) finished second to Lazuli (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G2 Blue Point Sprint at Meydan on Friday. Placed in three starts during last year's Dubai World Cup Carnival, including a third-place effort in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, he never factored in York's Listed Westow S. in May. He tired to 10th in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot and was given some time off prior to his reappearance in the UAE. Starts in...

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...

World Pool betting will be available for the Dubai World Cup meeting on Mar. 27, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Tuesday. The 2019 Royal Ascot meeting was the first time World Pool betting was available from the HKJC and resulted in a 60% increase in turnover. During the Mar. 6 Super Saturday card in Dubai, local turnover increased 28.5% and commingled turnover rose 38.7% with World Pool wagering available. Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer, said, "The commingling development in Hong Kong has...

Panadol was an eye-catching 7 3/4-length debut winner going a mile at Meydan on a non-carnival card on Feb. 13, and he employed the same tactics in his second start and stakes debut on Saturday by going to the lead and never looking back. Breaking on terms from the extreme outside barrier, Mickael Barzalona had guided Panadol to the lead by the time they passed under the wire the first time. The advantage down the backstretch was three-quarters of a length while Speight'spercomete (Speightstown) perched three-wide. The stalkers began to...

Salute the Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) found the added real estate of the 2000-metre G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 no problem and earned his first Group 1 win at Meydan in front-running style on Saturday evening. The Fawzi Nass trainee scooted straight to the fence and battled with Tailor's Row (Street Cry {Ire}) and Roman Rosso (Arg) (Roman Ruler) into the clubhouse turn before shaking off those rivals to take command outright. Approaching the far bend, Tailor's Row called it a day and Roman Rosso was left to press...

A packed slate of seven pattern races is set for Meydan's 'Super Saturday' card for aspirants to the Dubai World Cup races on Mar. 27, and headlining the card is the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 over the course and distance of the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup. Last-out group winners Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) and Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) are the headliners, but potential distance limitations for the pair of them perhaps levels the playing field. The 6-year-old Salute The Soldier went the furthest...

There was a surprise result in Super Saturday's opening group race, the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal over six furlongs, when the Satish Seemar-trained Wafy (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) came from way off the pace to deny stablemate and fellow longshot Leading Spirit (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). The Tadhg O'Shea-ridden winner looked a forlorn hope early in the straight but the hectic gallop set by the pacesetters early on began to take its toll as the closers emerged from the pack late in the race. Leading Spirit looked the likely winner...

Meydan's Super Saturday card on Mar. 7 will be staged without spectators, with the Emirates Racing Authority taking preventative action in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday's Al Ain meeting was also held without spectators, and so will Friday's meeting at Jebel Ali and Sunday's meeting at Abu Dhabi. Super Saturday stages seven races intended as preps for the Dubai World Cup card on Mar. 28. Horse connections, sponsors and media will be the only persons permitted to attend.