THURSDAY’S second meeting of the 2020 Dubai World Cup Carnival was sponsored by Longines and officially highlighted by the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 over a mile on dirt and the Group 2 Singspiel Stakes over nine furlongs on turf.

While the latter was turned into a procession by Benbatl, the Maktoum Challenge was an absolute thriller in which three horses, North America, Kimbear and Secret Ambition, were almost inseparable. The photo-finish revealed it was Kimbear, with Pat Dobbs aboard for trainer Doug Watson and owner Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, on top by the slightest of margins.