The Group 2 Zabeel Mile was the official feature at the eighth meeting of the 2015 Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday and the 1600m turf feature was won by Godolphin’s Safety Check, ridden by William Buick for Charlie Appleby.

Buick and Safety Check had won the 1400m Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort on their previous outing and were penalised here for that success but followed up in good style, setting a new track record in the process.

Always travelling well in midfield, Buick asked his mount to close 600m from home and the pair made smooth progress to hit the front inside the final 200m and win going away.

“This horse has just really thrived since arriving in Dubai,” said Appleby. “I still feel he is better over 1400m but he has certainly seen out the trip well tonight. William gave him a perfect ride and that will be him finished for the Carnival

“He deserves a break so we will get him back to England and probably aim him at Glorious Goodwood where the Lennox Stakes looks a suitable target.”

Buick was completing a turf feature double having already won the Listed Meydan Classic, a 1600m turf contest restricted to the three-year-old generation. The victory went to Scandinavia, more specifically Sweden with Volatile providing trainer Jessica Long with her first UAE winner.

In a contest where those who raced prominently dominated, William Buick tracked Dane O’Neill and Mastermind on the winner and was forced to get serious with his mount throughout the final 500m.
 

Mastermind found plenty for O’Neill’s urgings and it was only about 100m from the line that Buick was able to get his mount’s head in front.

Wychwood Warrior was third, just holding on to a position he held throughout the majority of the race.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said wining trainer Long. “We were hopeful of a big run as he ran really well behind Mastermind in the 1400m trial for this race and we hoped the extra 200m was in our favour.

“William has given him a great ride and this is a massive result for our yard and Sweden.”

Godolphn stalwart Saeed bin Suroor strengthened his domination of the 1900m Group 3 UAE Oaks, saddling Local Time to win comfortably and provide the trainer with his tenth victory in the dirt feature.

Ridden by James Doyle, she also became the fifth filly to complete the UAE 1,000 Guineas/Oaks double.

Only five went to post and Doyle was content to take a lead from Paul Hanagan on Shahrasal with Local Time always travelling well within herself. As the runners turned for home it was clear Local Time had the measure of Shahrasal, with no obvious dangers in behind.

The jockey waited until the 400m pole before easing his mount to the front and they stormed clear to win easily.

“I was always confident,” said Doyle. “She has thrived this year in Dubai and that is her third win of the season and second Classic.
“She is uncomplicated and a joy to ride. She makes my job easy.”

The meeting opened with a 1200m dirt handicap and, with stable jockey Richard Mullen in action in Qatar, apprentice Marc Monaghan took full advantage of the opportunity aboard Price Is Truth, trained by Satish Seemar.

Having lost his race with tardy starts in each of his two previous outings, he was well away on this occasion and stalked early leader Nawwaar until halfway up the straight. It was at this stage Monaghan asked his mount to win his race and he found the response he wanted.

“He broke well today,” said Monaghan. “He was always travelling strongly and quickened nicely when I asked him. He can improve on his.”

They lowered the track record in the process.

With 15 runners, the 1600m dirt handicap attracted the biggest field of the evening and it produced a great finish with Mickael Barzalona delivering Pit Stop to lead in the dying strides, denying Not A Given who only led briefly having passed Muhtaram about 100m out.

Trained by Salem bin Ghadayer, Pit Stop was making it third time lucky in the UAE having been off the track for almost a month.

“They went a really good gallop,” said Barzalona. “That fast pace has really helped him and he was running on well in the final 300m and we hit the front where it mattered.”

He too broke the previous track record.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum was responsible for four of the nine runners in the 1400m dirt handicap and supplied the 1-2-3 with Silvestre De Sousa making all on Mashaaref for Musabah Al Muhairi.

De Sousa sent his mount for home at the top of the straight and the pair soon had a healthy and insurmountable lead with Muaanid snatching second from Shaishee close home.

Continuing the evening’s theme on the dirt track, it was another track record.

“He broke very well and I was able to get straight to the front,” said De Sousa. “He enjoyed himself and quickened nicely to settle matters in style.”

The concluding 1600m turf handicap was won by Flying The Flag, leading in the dying strides with Johnny Geroudis riding for Mike De Kock.

Safety Check is too strong, winning the Zabeel Mile for Godolphin trainer, Charlie Appleby and jockey, William Buick

Click here to download the hi-res version of the above image
Credit: Dubai Racing Club//Andrew Watkins

Local Time sets a course for the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup day following her win in the UAE Oaks

Click here to download the hi-res version of the above image
Credit: Dubai Racing Club//Andrew Watkins

SAFETY CHECK COMPLETES HAT-TRICK IN ZABEEL MILE

Posted 26 February 2015, 19:15 GMT

Safety Check extended his winning sequence this year to three in the Group Two Zabeel Mile Sponsored by Al Naboodah Construction Group on turf at Meydan, UAE, on Thursday, February 26.

Local Time completed a Classic double on the dirt of Meydan, UAE, with a facile victory in the UAE Oaks Sponsored By Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah on Thursday, February 26.

GOING: DIRT: FAST; TURF: GOOD.

Meydan, day 8: Safety Check nello Zabeel Mile e Local Time nelle Uae Oaks: Fattore 3 per Godolphin..

 

 

A tutto Dubai. Ieri a Meydan indicazioni interessanti soprattutto in prospettiva europea, più che in vista della notte della Dubai World Cup. Nello Zabeel Mile G2 (VIDEO QUI) il progressivo Safety Check (Dubawi) ha ottenuto la sua seconda vittoria a livello di G2 dopo quella ottenuta ad inizio stagione, e la terza in assoluto da quando ha cominciato la stagione a Meydan. Il figlio di Dubawi, con in sella William Buick , ha completato il miglio in 1m 35.53s (fast by 0.47s), nonostante un aumento di metraggio rispetto alle prime. Safety Check ha battuto Dark Emerald (Dark Angel), Earnshaw (Medaglia D’Oro) e Darwin (Big Brown) per Mick De Kock. Charlie Appleby ha parlato di un cavallo miglioratissimo in stagione che non correrà più a Meydan ma osserverà un periodo di riposo con prospettiva Glorious Goodwood ed un tentativo plausibile nelle Lennox Stakes G2, anche se lo vedremmo bene nelle Jersey Stakes G3 nella giornata inaugurale del prossimo Royal Ascot. Godolphin l’ha fatta da padrone nella giornata, come spesso accade, riportanto in grande stile anche le UAE Oaks G3 (VIDEO QUI) con Local Time (Invincible Spirit) che è imbattuta ed è reduce da 6 affermazioni consecutive su 7 uscite in carriera….. Dopo la vittoria nelle UAE 1,000 Guineas di 3 settimane fa, la figlia di Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) ha dato un’altra dimostrazione di forza sul dirt contro avversarie che onestamente non l’hanno mai valsa. Battuta di 4 e mezzo Shahrasal(Shamardal), esponente dell’emisfero sud, e Runner Runner (Dark Angel). Per Local Time era la seconda vittoria di G3 in carriera, mentre per Saed Bin Suroor è la decima in questa corsa. 

Il fattore 3 è stato dominante nella giornata dove il Jessica Long-trained Volatile (Strategic Prince) ha vinto alla terza uscita stagionale il Meydan Classic (VIDEO QUI) sui 1400m in erba. Il castrone da Strategic Prince (Dansili) ha vinto con stile dopo un inizio di carriera molto promettente in Svezia a Jagersro.

 

A Doha in Qatar ieri è stata una giornata importante, con la conclusione dell’Equestrian Sword Festival con l’Al Shaqab Dubday (Dubawi) ha vinto ancora, sopravvivendo anche sui 2400 metri e faticando comunque per vincere il G1 locale dell’HH Emir’s Trophy e partendo da uno steccato larghissimo, con Frankie Dettori in sella che ha piegato nelle fasi finali Ponfeigh (Teofilo). Dubday è al momento imbattuto in 6 uscite in Qatar tra cui Qatar Derby, Gr.1d Qatar Gold Trophy per 2 volte e il HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy G2. VIDEO E RISULTATI DELLE CORSE IN QATAR QUI.