Barney Roy (pictured), Dream Castle and Royal Meeting feature among a powerful Godolphin challenge for Super Saturday, 7 March, the culmination of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan, UAE. All three horses go in search of a second G1 victory on turf in the nine-furlong Jebel Hatta Sponsored By Emirates Airline.

The 2017 G1 St James’s Palace Stakes hero Barney Roy (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) looks to follow up an exciting course and distance success in the G2 Al Rashidiya on his seasonal return in January.

Dream Castle (Saeed bin Suroor/Christophe Soumillon) captured the Jebel Hatta in 2019 and the six-year-old goes back into the race after two good G2 efforts at Meydan, having chased home Barney Roy in the Al Rashidiya and finished a close third in the Zabeel Mile.

Royal Meeting (Saeed bin Suroor/Harry Bentley) took the G1 Criterium International at Chantilly, France, in 2018 and the Invincible Spirit colt drops back down a furlong after coming home last of six behind Ghaiyyath in the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes on week eight of the Carnival.

Further Godolphin representation in the Jebel Hatta is provided by Magic Lily (Mickael Barzalona) and Spotify (James Doyle), who are both trained by Charlie Appleby.

New Approach mare Magic Lily bids to emulate Sajjhaa, who took the 2013 Jebel Hatta having previously won the G2 Cape Verdi and G2 Balanchine earlier in the Carnival.

Spotify has also performed well at Meydan, with the six-year-old making all to score in the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes in 2019 and chased home Ghaiyyath in the same 10-furlong contest this season.

Charlie Appleby said: “We have been delighted with the way Barney Roy has come out of the Al Rashidiya and he has improved for the run. His preparation has gone well and the only negative is that he is drawn wide in stall 12, but we feel that his class can overcome it. He can hopefully book his ticket in the G1 Dubai Turf by winning here.

“Magic Lily has put in two good back-to-back performances in the Cape Verdi and under a penalty in the Balanchine. She is a filly that we have always held in high regard and is now repaying us for the time we have given her. She deserves a crack at this and she certainly doesn’t look out of place in the field.

“Spotify ran into an on-song Ghaiyyath in the Dubai Millennium Stakes and has bounced out of that race well. He has earned his chance in a race like this and heads into it in good order.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Dream Castle won the Jebel Hatta last year but was disappointing for the latter part of the season. He has improved a lot during the Carnival and started to run well again. We know this is a good distance for him and he goes into the race in good form.

“Royal Meeting has had a problem with his wind and has been disappointing so far this year. I am hoping for a better effort this time before we look at taking him back to Europe.”

Super Saturday’s other G1 feature is the 10-furlong Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Sponsored By Emirates Airline on dirt, in which Desert Fire (Christophe Soumillon) lines up for Saeed bin Suroor.

The five-year-old Cape Cross entire beat subsequent G3 winner Dubai Warrior in a Polytrack handicap at Chelmsford City, UK, in September and makes his dirt debut following two turf handicap outings at the Carnival so far.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Desert Fire tries hard in his races, although this will be his first time racing on the dirt. He has been working well and won nicely on the All-Weather last season, when he gave weight to a good horse. We wanted to give him a chance on the dirt to see how he gets on.”

Four Godolphin contenders for the G2 Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo over a mile and a half on turf include Loxley (Charlie Appleby/Mickael Barzalona) and Mountain Hunter (Saeed bin Suroor/Pat Cosgrave).

A nose separated the duo in a Newmarket Listed race over the same distance in September, when Loxley came out on top, although Mountain Hunter reversed the form when they finished third and fourth behind Barney Roy in the G2 Al Rashidiya.

Charlie Appleby is also responsible for Dubai City Of Gold runners First Nation (William Buick), who has finished fourth in turf handicaps at the Carnival on all three of his starts this year, and last season’s G1 Grand Prix de Paris third Jalmoud (James Doyle).

Charlie Appleby said: “First Nation is very consistent and has run some solid races at the Carnival without winning. He comes into this race in rude health. On the book, Jalmoud and Loxley have better form, but William Buick picked First Nation as he has been so consistent this year.

“If Jalmoud can return to the form that saw him finish third in the Grand Prix de Paris, it would make him a very serious player. He didn’t really enjoy racing amongst horses in a handicap last time but has definitely come forward for that run.

“Loxley is a G2 winner and will be very competitive if he can rekindle that form. All three horses are interesting runners, although it looks like we are probably running for a place, with Defoe and Desert Encounter also in the field.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Mountain Hunter ran well over shorter earlier in the Carnival but we feel that a mile and a half suits him well. This looks a nice race for him and I am hoping that he can get a good trip round.”

Space Blues (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) headlines four Godolphin contenders for the turf G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint Sponsored By Arabian Adventures. The four-year-old Dubawi colt drops down to six furlongs for the first time following an excellent 2019 European campaign that yielded G1 placings in the Prix Jean Prat and the Prix Maurice de Gheest.

He is joined by Tribal Quest (Charlie Appleby/James Doyle), who returns to turf after failing to get competitive on dirt earlier in the Carnival.

Listed Meydan Challenge victor Major Partnership (Pat Cosgrave) and Land Of Legends (Christophe Soumillon), who has twice finished second over a mile at the Carnival, also go for Saeed bin Suroor in the same race.

Charlie Appleby said: “Space Blues has put up three very good Group performances over slightly further on his last three starts, including when second to Too Darn Hot in the Prix Jean Prat. He has some very good form in the book and we have been itching to try him over six furlongs. He has strengthened from three to four and looks to have got a bit quicker based on his homework. He really needs to be winning this to book his ticket for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint.

“Tribal Quest didn’t enjoy racing on the dirt and this is the last opportunity for him to run on the turf out in Dubai. He looks to have come on for that run, which was his first in a while, and showed some decent form over this distance in the early part of his three-year-old campaign.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Major Partnership won over seven furlongs at the start of the Carnival and ran another good race over a mile last time out. We want to see how he gets on over this trip so that we can decide on future targets. Land Of Legends has done well during the Carnival. He ran some good races over six and seven furlongs in the UK last season and is in good form.”

Ya Hayati (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) races on dirt for the first time in the Listed Al Bastakiya Sponsored By emirates.com for three-year-olds over nine and a half furlongs.

The Dubawi colt, who is out of dual US dirt G1 winner Wedding Toast, quickened strongly to win the Meydan Trophy over the same distance on turf on Thursday, 13 February.

He faces stiff opposition from two Saeed bin Suroor-trained horses who have already excelled on the dirt at Meydan this year. Night Of Thunder filly Dubai Love (Pat Cosgrave) stormed to victory in the Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas before finishing second in the G3 UAE Oaks, while New Approach colt Laser Show (Christophe Soumillon) was a convincing winner of the Al Bastakiya Trial.

Charlie Appleby said: “Ya Hayati has put up two pleasing efforts on his last two starts – on Polytrack at Kempton Park and on turf at Meydan. He has a very strong dirt pedigree on his dam’s side and his work has been very good. We feel that he has come on mentally for his last run but being drawn in stall 14 is going to prove a challenge.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Dubai Love has taken to the dirt well out in Dubai and this looks the right race for her. I am hopeful of another good performance. Laser Show won the trial well and will appreciate the step back up in distance after finding a mile too sharp in the UAE 2,000 Guineas.” (fonte : Godolphin)