LAST Friday’s third meeting of the 2022 Dubai World Cup Carnival was packed with quality racing. The turf feature was the Group 2 Zabeel Mile, and it was won in great style by Real World.

Danny Tudhope took the ride in place of Frankie Dettori who was unwell. Real World is trained by Saeed bin Suroor and was one of four winners on the evening for Godolphin. The homebred Dark Angel five-year-old entire had the race in safekeeping a furlong out, maintaining his unbeaten record on turf in five starts, including all four runs in Europe last year.

Last time out he won the Group 2 Prix Wildenstein at the beginning of October. As a consequence of that success he had to concede weight to all his 12 rivals. Class prevailed and he won comfortably.

Bin Suroor said: “We were expecting a big run because he had been in good form at home and improved all last year back in Europe.

“We started him over a mile to get him going again and we have lots of options for him here and in Saudi Arabia. We might stick to turf, but there are dirt options also. We will talk with Sheikh Mohammed and make a plan.”

Fillies’ classic

The first classic of 2022, also over a mile but on dirt, was the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas. It attracted a field of just six but only one mattered, Shahama and Adrie de Vries maintaining their unbeaten record when registering a third consecutive success for Fawzi Nass and KHK Racing. Twice successful over seven furlongs on the Meydan dirt, the daughter of Munnings put the race to bed in a few strides two furlongs from home.

De Vries said: “That was pretty straightforward. She is a smart filly and I guess will be aimed at the UAE Oaks now, and hopefully then the Derby.”

A 14-furong turf race, the Listed Al Khail Trophy, was turned into a procession by Godolphin’s homebred four-year-old Dubawi gelding Siskany who registered a clear cut success for Charlie Appleby and jockey James Doyle. This was his UAE debut and his fifth win in 10 starts. The winning rider said: “They went slowly in front and he quickened well. The extra trip seemed to suit him.”

Safari stars

Run over a mile and a quarter, the Listed Zabeel Turf also went to Godolphin and Appleby, this time William Buick performing the steering aboard Star Safari who was conceding weight to all of his 13 rivals.

Bred by Gestüt Brümmerhof, the six-year-old son of Sea The Stars was collecting his fifth career success, fourth in carnival races and third over the course and distance. He won the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes last February.

The concluding race and the fourth listed contest on the card was the six-furlong Dubai Sprint. It was won for the second year running by Man Of Promise, Buick in the saddle as he was 12 months ago and it was another winner at the meeting for Appleby and Godolphin.

French win

The opening six-furlong turf conditions race was for horses who failed to get into the Dubai Sprint, and it went to France with Mickael Barzalona producing Batwan to lead close home for trainer Nicolas Caullery and owner Oliver Lodge.

A seven-year-old gelded son of Kendargent was posting a fourth career success on his first start for current connections. He last visited the winners’ enclosure in May 2020 with a Group 3 victory in his native country.

Caullery said: “We love bringing horses and racing here in Dubai, and that is our third winner. We hope he will be good enough for the Al Quoz Sprint.”

The Graduate Stakes, a mile dirt conditions contest for horses sold at sales conducted by the ERA, provided the ideal opportunity for Discovery Island to double his career tally, leading close home under Tadhg O’Shea for Bhupat Seemar and Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed. The winner is a five-year-old Dubawi gelding.

Also on dirt but over seven furlongs, the Downtown Dubai Gold Cup, a rated condition stakes, was won stylishly by the seven-year-old Speightstown gelding Mubakker, Dane O’Neill riding for Shadwell and Doug Watson.

RACING at Jebel Ali last Saturday was highlighted by victory in a mile conditions race for Down On Da Bayou, the only filly in the race. She proved far too good for her five rivals, taking full advantage of bottom weight.

The five-year-old daughter of Super Saver was soon in front under Royston Ffrench, the pair never appearing in any danger. It was her fourth career success, saddled by Salem bin Ghadayer for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Previous wins include the recent Group 2 Cape Verdi and the Group 3 UAE Oaks at Meydan in February 2020. She may now contest the Jebel Ali Mile.

Thirty minutes later and the trainer and jockey were celebrating a double, combining to land the mile handicap with the six-year-old Exchange Rate gelding Lahmoom for owners Alqemmah Racing Team.

A near 10-furlong rated conditions stakes produced a fine winner as Andrea Atzeni, riding for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum and recording his first Jebel Ali win, delivered the Doug Watson-trained Lost Eden to lead entering the final furlong and ran on strongly to score cosily. Bred in Ireland at Mogeely Stud, the five-year-old gelded son of Sea The Stars was winning for a third time, having scored twice for Richard Hannon.

Watson said: “We hope he could be our Jebel Ali Stakes horse over this trip which he has stayed very well.”

O’Neill’s pick

Class prevailed in the five-furlong handicap with Alkaraama, winner of the 2020 Listed Jebel Ali Sprint over the same course and distance for Musabbeh Al Mheiri, successfully conceding weight to his five rivals. Dane O’Neill picked the right one from three Shadwell runners and they were chased home by the same owner’s Fanaar. The six-year-old entire son of War Front was gaining a fifth career win and the second in the UAE. O’Neill said: “Another crack at the Jebel Ali Sprint is the obvious one.”

The generous gallop in the nine-furlong handicap suited Lady Snazz, who ran on from a long way back to land the spoils under Omani apprentice Saif Al Balushi for Bhupat Seemar and owners Michael Hilary Burke and Negar Burke. The six-year-old daughter of Curlin won here in November.

Riding in the colours of the Bouresly Racing Syndicate for trainer Rashed Bouresly, Antonio Fresu enjoyed a relatively straightforward ride aboard El Baareq in the six-furlong maiden, the pair always in control after halfway. The Munnings four-year-old was having just his fourth career start.

The only purebred Arabian contest on the card, the opening six-furlong maiden for runners foaled in the UAE, was dominated by horses trained by Ernst Oertel for Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, the pair supplying the first four home with the owner’s retained jockey Tadhg O’Shea just prevailing aboard AF Mutakafel.

Al Alawi captures the feature race

FOUR handicaps and two maidens comprised the thoroughbred action at Meydan on Sunday. The feature was the mile and a half turf handicap, dominated by Helal Al Alawi who saddled the first two home, with the six-year-old Teofilo entire Autumn Pride and Bernardo Pinheiro winning for the National Stables.

Sporting the silks of Abdulmagid Ekout, Antonio Fresu always looked confident aboard the six-year-old Heeraat gelding Dahawi in a five-furlong turf handicap, the pair running out a fairly comfortable winner for Musabbeh Al Mheiri. The trainer also won the only race on the card for purebred Arabians.

The concluding mile dirt handicap went to More Than Ready’s five-year-old son Scabbard, never far off the pace under Sam Hitchcott for Doug Watson and David A Bernsen LLC.

Second up was a seven-furlong dirt maiden for three-year-old fillies, Bred by Nafferty Stud, Shadzad was sent straight into the lead by Tadhg O’Shea and never looked in any danger for Bhupat Seemar and Naser Askar.

Nicholas Bachalard then saddled first and third for Sheikh Ahmed in a mile turf maiden, Fernando Jara landing the spoils on Tahdeed, a four-year-old Tamarkuz gelding. Then Rashed Bouresly and the Bouresly Racing Syndicate supplied the 1-2 in a seven-furlong dirt handicap, the prize going to Richard Mullen on Shanty Star, a six-year-old son of Hard Spun.