NEARLY 150 horses from 16 countries have been accepted to run at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, which gets underway on Friday, January 6th at Meydan Racecourse. Eleven horses, representing seven different trainers, have made the list from Ireland.

Across nine weeks of racing, the Carnival promises excellent action on the turf and dirt at UAE’s flagship racecourse. The action builds up to the Dubai World Cup, which takes place on Saturday, March 25th, for which a separate set of nominations will be received.

Reflecting the success of the 2022 Carnival, which saw winners from Britain, France, Uruguay, Bahrain and the USA, the next renewal sees nine individual Group/Grade 1 winners among the final total of 147 acceptances.

California-based Doug O’Neill saddled four winners in 2022 and has nominated a team of 11, including Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile third Slow Down Andy, as well as Get Back Goldie, winner of the Oud Metha Stakes at Meydan last season. Joining O’Neill could be fellow classic-winning trainer Dallas Stewart, who has nominated Grade 2 winner Long Range Toddy.

South America enjoyed plenty of success at the 2022 Carnival and they are back again, with Grade 1 winners La Validada, Nino Guapo and El Musical nominated by Argentine-based trainer Juan Saldivia, while Ricardo Colombo brings over the exciting Loreley, winner of the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos in Uruguay in September.

Australian trainer Will Clarken made an impact at Meydan last season with He’s A Balter, and he has nominated the gelding again, along with Beau Rossa and Ironclad.

South Korea, successful at the Carnival in the past with the likes of Listed Curlin Stakes winner Dolkong, are set to return after a couple of years.

The Carnival, which began back in 2004 at Nad Al Sheba, often welcomes back returning stars and the Charlie Hills-trained Equilateral is set to visit for a third time, alongside stablemate Khaadem, a Group 2 winner since running at Meydan last season.

Richard Hannon has put forward group winners Chindit and Happy Romance, the latter having run second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint.

Cooley pleased

Stephanie Cooley, international liaison for Dubai Racing Club, said: “To have nations such as South Korea, who have suffered from covid restrictions in recent years, returning is gratifying, and it’s also superb to welcome back many returning equine stars, as well as some new faces from Britain, Ireland and the USA.”

The Irish runners accepted are Freescape (David Marnane), Coachello (Gordon Elliott), Prisoners Dilemma (Johnny Levins), Annerville, Bay Of Plenty, Ladies Church and Lyrical Poetry (Johnny Murtagh), Moss Trucker (Ken Condon), Logo Hunter (Michael Browne) and Michael O’Callaghan’s Fastnet Crown and I Am Superman.

O’Shea makes it look easy

A SEVEN-RACE card at Al Ain on Sunday included just a single race for thoroughbreds.

If Irishman Tadhg O’Shea successfully defends his jockeys’ championship, for which he already has a four-win lead over Antonio Fresu, the chances are he will not partner an easier winner all season than Yurman.

The five-year-old, foaled in Argentina, has done all his racing in the UAE and he was winning for the second time when turning the mile handicap into a racecourse work out for trainer Bhupat Seemar and owner Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed. He finished more than four lengths clear of the three-year-old Flame Talon, and almost nine lengths clear of the third-place finisher. He is a son of Asiatic Boy and out of a daughter of Bernardini. Yurman’s third dam is the influential Height Of Fashion, dam of Nashwan, Nayef and Unfuwain.

Mouheed the highlight of Sheikh Ahmed’s four-timer

THE six-furlong Listed Garhoud Sprint at Meydan was won stylishly by Mouheeb (Flatter), one of four winners on the card for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, partnered by Ray Dawson and handled by the owner’s new salaried trainer, Michael Costa.

Dawson said: “This is a smart horse because we know he stays further, but he has the natural speed and ability to cope with this drop to sprinting. He is exciting and the team have an exciting horse to look forward to.”

The Mirdif Stakes over a furlong further, a conditions race for northern hemisphere juveniles and southern hemisphere three-year-olds, also went to the same owner and trainer combination, Antonio Fresu doing the steering aboard Seyouff, a two-year-old colt by Flatter, the sire of Mouheeb, and having just his second start.

A mile handicap was a landmark occasion for the absent Costa who celebrated his first Meydan win courtesy of Tahdeed (Tamarkuz), Dane O’Neill sporting the iconic silks of Sheikh Ahmed.

The owner was soon celebrating a double, his colours carried to victory in the following nine and a half-furlong maiden by Xavier Ziani aboard Seyaasi (First Samurai) for Salem bin Ghadayer.

Bernardo Pinheiro won the opening race for purebred Arabians, and was soon celebrating a double, combining with Ismail Mohammed who owns and trains the Irish-bred Barq Al Emarat (Mehmas) who made a winning local debut, on just his second career start, in a seven-furlong maiden for three-year-olds.

The fixture concluded with a 10-furlong handicap. Bred in Uruguay, Ajuste Fiscal made the task appear easy under Jose de Silva to provide trainer Julio Olascoagna with a first UAE winner.

O’Shea, Oertel and Al Nabooda double-up

LAST Thursday’s Abu Dhabi meeting featured a mile conditions contest for purebred Arabian four-year-olds, taken in striking style by AF Maqem who was completing doubles on the card for Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel and Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda.

Earlier, O’Shea delivered AF Musannef to lead in the dying strides of a six-furlong handicap to deny stable companion AF Yakhtem, both horses saddled by Oertel for Al Nabooda. The homebred was registering a sixth career success.

The final race on the card, and only one for thoroughbreds, was a mile maiden for two-year-olds. Believed to be the first ever juvenile race staged in the capital, it produced an impressive winner courtesy of Tempesta D’Oro, the mount of Xavier Ziani and one of two in the field of 10 saddled by Salem bin Ghadayer for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.

It was just a second career start for the son of Bolt D’Oro, currently leading the race to be champion first-crop sire in the USA.