Meydan Racecourse stages the sixth meeting of the 2018 Dubai World Cup Carnival, featuring the US$250,000 Gr3 UAE 2000 Guineas and the Gr2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah for Purebred Arabians, this evening.
Frankie Dettori -back at Meydan
All-time leading Carnival jockey – with 92 victories, excluding Dubai World Cup night – Frankie Dettori returns and rides Carnival winner Dutch Masterpiece in the $125,000 Range Rover Velar (Race 4) over 1200m down the turf chute. T
welve were entered, with many hoping a breakout performance punches their ticket to the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint sponsored by Azizi Developments (G1) on March 31st over the same course and distance.
Mike de Kock saddles two turf runners in Suyoof and Icy Trail in the final event on the programme.
The duo run in the $125 000 Jaguar E – Pace Handicap over a mile.
Flashback to Suyoof winning Tony Ruffel
Both horses are likely to come on from their first run this term and De Kock will be hoping that the Secretariat Stakes winner Suyoof can repeat his powerful finish for jockey Jim Crowley in the 2017 Al Naboodah Kaeser Compressor Trophy run over 1400m on turf, which he won by a neck from Bravo Zolo with stablemate Tahanee a short-head back in third.
The 2016 Premier Trophy winner Icy Trail will need to improve on what was a slightly disappointing effort at his first run here on 18 January, where he finished over 11 lengths behind Salsabeel.
Both evening highlights are over 1600m on the dirt track with the UAE 2000 Guineas Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, restricted to three-year-olds, having originally attracted the maximum field allowed of 16.
This was reduced by one when Waqqad was declared a non-runner. The 15 remaining include both winners of the 1400m trials staged three weeks ago.
Gold Town put on a platinum performance last out. (Picture credit: Dubai Racing Club/ Andrew Watkins)
The first of those trials was won in scintillating fashion by Godolphin’s Gold Town (post 4, William Buick), trained by Charlie Appleby. The son of Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Street Cry was a dominant winner by four lengths over Roland Rocks (post 10, Gerald Mosse) with a similar distance back to Roy Orbison (post 11, Tadhg O’Shea) in third. Both are in opposition again, as are several others who finished well in arrears.
Gold Town won twice in England and looks certain to be suited by this step up to 1600m. Appleby also saddles local debutant Last Voyage (post 7, Mickael Barzalona), winner on his racecourse bow at Windsor in May, but beaten twice since. Appleby is seeking a second win in the race, having saddled Long John to victory in 2014.
“We were both delighted and impressed with Gold Town’s dirt debut and we are very hopeful the extra 200m in the Guineas will suit him,” Appleby said. “If he can run to the same level as when winning the trial, he will hopefully be hard to beat.
“We know Last Voyage can run well fresh because he won on his debut, so his absence since October is not a concern,” Appleby continued. “Judged on pedigree, he should handle the dirt and he has trained well on it. His form in Europe was pretty decent and we think the trip will suit on his first try over 1600m.”
Fellow Godolphin handler Saeed bin Suroor has the best record in the race, first contested in 2000, and is seeking his seventh victory. He relies on Racing Country (post 8, Patrick Cosgrave), second in the other trial three weeks ago before finishing well beaten in last week’s Meydan Classic Trial.
Bin Suroor said: “He disappointed on the turf last week, but back on dirt he should run much better and the 1600m will be in his favour.”
