CHAMPIONSHIP was an appropriately-named winner of the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort over seven furlongs at Meydan on Thursday. Trained by Ahmed Bin Harmash and ridden by Colm O’Donoghue, Championship landed the spoils in the $250,000 seven-furlong contest, the first major turf contest of the season.
“Ahmad and his team deserve all the credit,” said O’Donoghue after the race. “Championship had a tough race two weeks ago but they have freshened him up and he was in great form tonight.”
Championship was bred by Natalie Cleary and is a six-year-old son of Exceed And Excel.
The night belonged to Korea which became the 21st country to win a race in the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Trainer Young-Kwan Kim saddled his country’s first Carnival winner when Main Stay, under Irish jockey Pat Cosgrave, dominated the six-furlong dirt handicap.
Cosgrave finished second earlier in a 10-furlong handicap aboard the 2016 South Korea Horse of the Year Triple Nine, also trained by Young-Kwan Kim.
The main support race on the card was the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial run over seven furlongs on dirt and won in style by Godolphin’s Shamardal filly Really Special.
Unbeaten in two starts in England, including a listed success at Newmarket, she has now won on turf, the all-weather and dirt for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who was saddling his 198th Carnival winner. She was ridden by Christophe Soumillon.
“She is a nice filly but still learning as she was very green going to post and then at the stalls,” said Soumillon. “She handles the dirt but will certainly be as good back on turf and will stay further.”
That was the first of two victories for Godolphin on the night with Charlie Appleby saddling a winner in the concluding 10-furlong handicap on the turf with Artigiano, who was back into the winners’ enclosure for the first time since May 2012.
English-based trainers monopolised the five-furlong turf handicap, supplying the first four home. The winner was the Jeremy Gask-trained Medicean Man, who was given a confident ride by apprentice David Parkes. The opening mile dirt handicap, was won easily by the Doug Watson-trained Nathr, with Jim Crowley wearing the silks of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. Mickael Barzalona was seen at his best aboard the Salem bin Ghadayer-trained Hunting Ground who was never headed in the 10-furlong dirt handicap.
ABU DHABI – January 15th
From their powerful base at Al Asayl Stables, the team of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, trainer Eric Lemartinel and jockey Tadhg O’Shea combined to win half of the six races on Sunday evening, with O’Shea going one better with four.
O’Shea’s quartet included the Ali Rashid Al Rayhi-trained Najm Suhail in the only thoroughbred race, a seven-furlong handicap. The winner is a son of Proclamation.
MEYDAN – January 14th
Racing at Meydan last Saturday featured the six-furlong Al Naboodah Travel Trophy on turf, won emphatically by Godolphin’s Irish-bred Acclamation gelding Acolyte.
Making his first start for Saeed Bin Suroor, Acolyte was purchased at last October’s horses-in-training sale at Newmarket for 88,000gns, having previously been trained by Roger Charlton for whom he won three times. This victory now opens up opportunities for him at the 2017 Dubai World Cup Carnival and he impressed winning jockey Harry Bentley.
Pat Cosgrave won three times in the space of three meetings for owner Fathi Esaed Mohd Egziama. The first two came at successive Al Ain meetings while the third was on the progressive-looking Shoreditch in the Al Naboodah Lighting and Electricals Trophy over 1200m on the dirt. This was the Dubawi four-year-old’s second win in three starts since he was bought for just £2,500 at Goffs UK last May. He is trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri who was completing a double on the night.
Cosgrave was back in the winner’s enclosure for the closing mile turf handicap. This time he was riding the Dubawi gelding Baroot for Mike de Kock.
Eight went to post for the opening seven-furlong turf maiden restricted to three-year-olds. Victory went to Dark Angel’s Deer Forest Stud-bred son Kahrab, given a confident ride by Bruno Reis for trainer Rashad Boursley.
The Street Cry four-year-old Vivernus won the nine and a half-furlong dirt maiden for Musabbeh Al Mheiri and jockey Fernando Jara. Trained by Ahmad bin Harmash, Ormindo landed the 11-furlong dirt handicap under Colm O’Donoghue. The son of Discreet Cat enjoyed a smooth success at Jebel Ali on his previous outing.
The 10-furlong dirt handicap was dominated by Salem bin Ghadayer who saddled the Irish-bred Shamardal gelding Fraserburgh to thwart stable companion Aslan in a driving finish. Xavier Ziani was aboard the winner.
AL AIN – January 13th
The only thoroughbred race on the card was a highly-competitive five-furlong Darley Flying Start Trophy Handicap on the dirt. Pat Cosgrave rode the winner Outrank, a four-year-old Darley-bred son of Exceed And Excel, for Musabbeh Al Mheiri. Cosgrave said: “He won nicely and I would think he can build on this as I was quite impressed.” Outrank won at two years for Mark Johnston.