Godolphin bidding for Dubai glory
Godolphin are set to have their first runners of the year during the second week of the Dubai International Racing Carnival at Nad Al Sheba.
There are two meetings this week with the Thursday night card featuring the Listed Al Shindagha Sprint and UAE 2000 Guineas while Saturday’s highlights are the Group Three Al Fahidi Fort and the UAE 1000 Guineas.
Saeed bin Suroor saddles his first runners of the season in the UAE 2000 Guineas on the dirt, with Frankie Dettori electing to ride Rosencrans and Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle on Sutter’s Fort.
Dettori’s mount, a three-year-old son of Forest Wildcat, won his only start at Arlington Park last year, while his stable companion won three times for David Loder last year.
Brittain runs Forthright (Seb Sanders) while Gerard Butler’s Jack Sullivan (Eddie Ahern) takes his chance along with the Mazin Al Kurdi-trained trio of Prince of Denmark, Clifden and Cupola.
The field also contains the highly-rated Argentinian import Little Jim and the South African pair of Ice Cube and Lundy’s Liability.
Brittain saddles Membership, last year’s Jersey Stakes winner, in the Al Shindagha Sprint but Ahern’s mount faces a stiff task in the six-furlong dirt event.
Aramram, third in the St James’s Palace Stakes for Mick Channon two years ago and now trained locally by Allan Smith is another familiar name in the 13-horse field, along with Three Points, the ex-Godolphin sprinter making his debut for Paddy Rudkin.
Butler saddles his first Carnival runner in the nine-furlong dirt handicap which opens the card in the shape of Camelot (Ahern).
The five-year-old was bought out of Luca Cumani’s yard at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale and his six rivals include Jeremy Noseda’s Adiemus (Michael Kinane), the winner of the 2002 Winter Derby.
Noseda told his official website: “He seems to have settled in very well in Dubai and appears to be well suited by the dirt surface.
“My assistant Dave Bradley tells me that he feels Adiemus has acclimatised the best of the three horses. As long as he handles the kickback on Thursday night, we would be hopeful of a bold show.”
Brittain’s Santando (Ahern) and Mark Johnston’s Jebal Suraaj (Stanley Chin) look up against it in the following 10-furlong handicap, also on the dirt which has attracted a strong ‘home team’.
Not surprisingly there is a strong European representation in the turf races with Butler legging up Ahern on Boston Lodge and Mick Channon having his first Carnival representative in the shape of Londonnetdotcom, the mount of Ted Durcan, in the mile handicap.
Noseda saddles Wizard Of Noz, who will be ridden by Dettori in the same race, and he is hopeful of a good run on his first start.
“I feel he will most probably improve for this run. He hasn’t got an ideal draw (14 of 16) and will definitely need some luck in running,” he added.
“But I would hope that he will put up a decent effort to set him up for the rest of his stay in Dubai.”
The concluding twelve-furlong handicap sees Johnston’s Arabie (Chin), Loder’s Shami (Dettori) and the Swedish-trained Halfsong (Manuel Santos) bidding for their slice of the big prize money on offer.
Godolphin will also be represented in Saturday’s UAE 1000 Guineas with Catstar taking her chance under Dettori.
The daughter of Storm Cat was second to Attraction in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot for Loder last year but she will face some competition from Brittain’s Menhoubah.
Saeed Manana’s filly was third in the Group One Moyglare Stakes and fourth in the Fillies’ Mile last season and she could give Ahern a realistic chance of landing the spoils.
The Al Fahidi Fort, a mile race on the turf, has attracted a strong field of 10, although three of these are due to run on Thursday as well.
European interest is headed by Johnston’s Gateman who was second on the opening night of the Carnival.
The seven-year-old will be joined in the field by Dermot Weld’s One More Round and John Oxx’s D’Anjou, the mounts of Pat Smullen and Kinane respectively.
Elsewhere on the card, Johnston and Chin combine with West Country in the maiden race and the pair are represented by Scott’s View in the concluding 10-furlong turf handicap.
They are joined by Oxx’s Mkuzi, Loder’s Razkalla (Jamie Spencer) and Noseda’s Courageous Duke (Ahern), who was third over course and distance last week.
Noseda, who made a flying visit to Dubai last week, is expecting a bold show from the five-year-old.
He said: “I was thrilled with his first race and felt that it would put him spot-on for his next start. He returns to Nad Al Sheba on Saturday and would have a good, solid chance.”
