MEYDAN (UAE), DIRT, Flat 8 races, GOING DIRT: FAST; TURF: GOOD
Cross Counter & Divine Image head G2 contenders on Dubai World Cup night
G1 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter and exciting three-year-old filly Divine Image spearhead a powerful Godolphin squad for the supporting G2 races on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan, UAE, on Saturday, 30 March.
Four-year-old Cross Counter features among a four-strong Godolphin challenge for the 10-runner G2 Dubai Gold Cup over two miles on turf, with the four-old son of Teofilo making his first appearance since storming to a famous length success in the G1 Melbourne Cup over the same trip at Flemington, Australia, in November.
Cross Counter (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) has made the frame on all eight of his starts, with five victories including an impressive display in the G3 Gordon Stakes over a mile and a half at Goodwood, UK, in August.
He is joined by another progressive four-year-old in Ispolini (Charlie Appleby/Brett Doyle) and the son of Dubawi steps up to two miles following a couple of emphatic wins over 14 furlongs at Meydan this season, most recently when beating another Godolphin contender (Red Galileo) by 10 and a half lengths in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy on Thursday, 28 February.
Lightly raced Team Talk (Saeed bin Suroor/Christophe Soumillon) also tries two miles for the first time, with the six-year-old by Teofilo finishing a fair eighth over a mile and a half on his latest start in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold on Super Saturday, 9 March.
Red Galileo (Saeed bin Suroor/Pat Cosgrave) came home sixth in the 2018 Dubai Gold Cup and the eight-year-old by Dubawi has been placed on all four of his Dubai World Cup Carnival starts this year, with a third and pair of seconds in handicaps in addition to chasing home Ispolini last time out.
Charlie Appleby said: “We are looking forward to getting Cross Counter’s campaign underway following his Melbourne Cup success.
“His preparation has gone well – he is a clean-winded horse, so he is quite easy to get fit for his first start of the year – and we are hoping that this can be a step for some of the major staying prizes throughout 2019.
“Ispolini is a progressive stayer and we have seen marked improvement since stepping him up in distance. He has the course experience and racing over two miles could see him progress again.”
Saeed bin Suroor added: “I am looking forward to seeing how Team Talk gets on over this distance, as I think the step up might suit him, while Red Galileo is proven over two miles and has been going well in the staying races this season. I am hoping for a good run from both horses.”
Divine Image (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) and Swift Rose (Saeed bin Suroor/Pat Cosgrave) finished first and second, separated by a neck, in the extended nine-furlong G3 UAE Oaks on Thursday, 21 February and the two fillies re-oppose over the same course and trip in the 14-strong field for the G2 UAE Derby.
Divine Image, by Scat Daddy, is bidding for a unique UAE Triple Crown, having also captured the Listed Al Bastakiya Sponsored By emirates.com, also over nine and a half furlongs, on Super Saturday, when she quickened strongly for a runaway victory.
Both Divine Image and Invincible Spirit filly Swift Rose are out to emulate Khawlah, the dam of Godolphin’s 2018 G1 Epsom Derby hero Masar, who became the first filly to win the UAE Derby in 2011.
Charlie Appleby explained: “We were very pleased with Divine Image in the Al Bastakiya and she is a filly who is improving all the time.
“I think it was important to run her on Super Saturday to give her a bit more experience, mentally more than anything else.
“She is coming up against a couple of different rivals compared to her latest start, but we feel that she is going to be a major player again.”
Saeed bin Suroor added: “Swift Rose ran a very good race to finish second in the UAE Oaks, when she showed that she enjoyed racing over this distance, but she will need to be ridden handy again to show her best.”
Major Partnership (Saeed bin Suroor/Oisin Murphy) gained a cosy success in a mile handicap on turf in week eight of the Dubai World Cup Carnival and the four-year-old Iffraaj colt switches to dirt for the first time in the G2 Godolphin Mile in which he has 12 rivals.
Saeed bin Suroor remarked: “Major Partnership has been showing plenty of speed in his races and should be fine racing on the dirt.
“It’s a tough race, but we want to see how he performs on the surface.”
Super Saturday winners go for further glory on Dubai World Cup night
Blue Point, Dream Castle and Old Persian, all impressive Super Saturday victors for Godolphin, take on some of the world’s top turf performers on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan, UAE, on Saturday, 30 March.
Last season’s G1 King’s Stand Stakes winner Blue Point (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) aims to add a second G1 victory to his record in the Al Quoz Sprint over six furlongs on turf following two easy wins at Meydan during the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
The five-year-old Shamardal horse sauntered to success in the G2 Meydan Sprint over five furlongs on Thursday, 14 February, and also impressed at a furlong further when victorious by three lengths in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Super Saturday, 9 March. His 12 rivals in the Al Quoz Sprint include G1 British Champions Sprint victor Sands Of Mali and Stormy Liberal, winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2017 & 2018.
Charlie Appleby reported: “Blue Point has been foot perfect in both his starts so far this year, winning over five and six furlongs, and came out of his victory on Super Saturday in good shape.
“Last year, we missed out the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, but I feel that he has definitely benefitted from the extra run.
“He can be hard on himself sometimes at home, but giving him another race has certainly helped get to where we want him to be for the Al Quoz Sprint.
“If he turns up on his A-game, he is the one they all have to beat.”
Dream Castle (Saeed bin Suroor/Christophe Soumillon) heads three Godolphin contenders for the G1 Dubai Turf and the five-year-old is seeking a fourth straight victory over nine furlongs at Meydan following a flawless start to his 2019 campaign.
After readily winning both the G3 Singspiel Stakes and G2 Al Rashidiya in January, the son of Frankel gained a first G1 success with a comfortable victory over fellow Godolphin horse Wootton in the Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday.
Five-year-old Mountain Hunter (Saeed bin Suroor/Pat Cosgrave) heads into the Dubai Turf in excellent form after Dubai World Cup Carnival handicap wins over 10 and 12 furlongs in February.
The aforementioned Wootton (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) went down by a length and quarter to Dream Castle in the Jebel Hatta and the four-year-old ran on well to take fourth on his seasonal return in the G2 Zabeel Mile on Thursday, 21 February.
The 13-strong Dubai Turf field is dominated by Almond Eye, a four-time G1 winner in her native Japan.
Saeed bin Suroor said: “Dream Castle has really thrived over nine furlongs this year and is unbeaten in three starts at Meydan, including a very good win in the Jebel Hatta on his latest appearance.
“He worked well on Saturday and is in good form at the moment.
“This is a very tough race, but Dream Castle has improved with each run this year and I think he is nearly at the same level as Benbatl, who won this race for us 12 months ago.
“Mountain Hunter has also enjoyed his racing at the Carnival this season, and I think the drop down to nine furlongs will suit him.
“We wanted to give Mountain Hunter a chance in a big G1 like this and he heads into it in good order.”
Charlie Appleby remarked: “It looked as though Wootton enjoyed the step up to nine furlongs in the Jebel Hatta and he won’t look out of place in this line-up.
“He seems more relaxed in his races – he travels well and is doing everything the right way round.
“We all have Almond Eye to beat but, if Wootton puts up another solid run, it should give him a great chance of making the frame.”
Old Persian and Racing History fought out a thrilling finish to the 12-furlong G2 Dubai City Of Gold on Super Saturday and the duo reoppose over the same distance in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Four-year-old Old Persian (Charlie Appleby/William Buick), having his first start of the year in the 9 March contest, got up on the line to beat Racing History by a short head and the Dubawi colt showed a high level of form in Europe last year, including G2 victories over 12 furlongs at York and Royal Ascot.
Racing History (Saeed bin Suroor/Christophe Soumillon) has been placed at Group level on all four of his appearances during this year’s Dubai World Cup Carnival and the seven-year-old Pivotal horse has also run well in G1 company, most notably when second in the Grosser Preis Von Bayern at Munich, Germany, in November, 2016.
The eight participants in the Dubai Sheema Classic also include Japanese challengers Rey De Oro, Cheval Grand and Suave Richard.
Charlie Appleby said: “I was delighted with Old Persian on Super Saturday.
“It was great to get some course and distance experience ahead of the Dubai Sheema Classic, while he has definitely come forward for the run.
“This is a stiffer test compared to last time, but he needs to be bang there in a big race like this if he is going to be a nice mile and a half horse this year, which we hope he is.”
Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Racing History has been narrowly beaten on his last two starts and he showed in the Dubai City Of Gold that a mile and a half is a good trip for him.
“He is in excellent form and worked well on Saturday.
“I am hoping for a better result in the Dubai Sheema Classic, although this will be a tougher race.”
fonte : Godolphin
