Thursday, March 3, 2005
CAN IT BE YARD-ARM'S SUPER SATURDAY?
Yard-Arm and Cherry Mix, two of the leading contenders for this year's US$6,000,000 Dubai World Cup (Gr.I), sponsored by Emirates, on March 26th, go head-to-head during the Dubai International Racing Carnival's Super Saturday meeting on March 5th, the Al Tayer Group sponsored lead-in-day to the Dubai World Cup.
Yard-Arm and Cherry Mix line up in the third round of the US$300,000 Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr.II), sponsored by Al Tayer Group, over 2,000 metres at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.
Five time Group One winner and South Africa's Horse-Of-The-Year, Yard-Arm, will be trainer Mike de Kock's Dubai World Cup hope and his impressive win in the Al Fahidi Fort (Gr.III) here on the turf just over three weeks ago suggests he will take all the beating on Saturday.
This will be Yard-Arm's first run on dirt, but the five-year-old's action suggests it will not cause too many problems.
Run over the Dubai World Cup course and distance, the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr.II) has proved to be a useful pointer for the world's richest race. In the past this leg of the challenge has been won by Street Cry and Dubai Millennium prior to their World Cup wins and last year's winner, de Kock's Victory Moon, went on to finish third behind Pleasantly Perfect in the big race.
Cherry Mix, runner-up to Bago in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr.I), is having his first run for Godolphin and stable jockey Frankie Dettori takes the ride. The son of Linamix will also be trying dirt for the first time in his career but he does have a strong dirt pedigree on his dam's side.
One time Kentucky Derby (Gr.I) hope Ruler's Court, now trained by Ismail Mohammed and the mount of Kerrin McEvoy, missed the whole of his three-year-old season due to injury. The four-year-old has not raced since October 2003 when winning the Grade Two Norfolk Stakes by an impressive 14 lengths.
Racing on Super Saturday, sponsored by Al Tayer Group, starts at 6.15pm with the Loro Piana Maiden Trophy for fillies over 1,600 metres with Dettori partnering the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Dubai Escapade.
Clive Brittain runs Excusez Moi in the Azal Maiden Stakes over 1,400 metres on the dirt. Partnered by Ryan Moore, Brittain will be hoping the son of Fusaichi Pegasus will have come on from his first run nine days ago.
Velte, from the stable of leading Carnival trainer Mazin Al Kurdi, is looking for his fourth Carnival win when he lines up in the third round of the US$55,000 Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr.I) for Purebred Arabians, sponsored by the Al Tayer Group, over 2,000 metres on the dirt.
The main danger to Velte in this Dubai Kahayla Classic (Gr.I) prep is his stablemate Van Nistelrooy, the mount of Ted Durcan, who won this race a year ago before finishing third to Kaolino on World Cup day.
Gerald Butler's Jack Sullivan, winner of the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr.III) and de Kock's first round winner Grand Emporium face each other once again, this time in the US$150,000 Maserati Burj Nahaar over 1,600 metres.
Grand Emporium is already a course and distance winner and looks capable of claiming this Godolphin Mile (Gr.II) prep. The Weichong Marwing ridden top weight finished fourth to Jack Sullivan in the 1,800 metres second round and will be better off over this shorter trip.
Another flag is raised at the Dubai International Racing Carnival with the Greek Challenger Athinaios, trained Christos Theodorakis, lining up in the Maserati Burj Nahaar The Filippos Bariamoglou-partnered son of Second Empire is a winner of eight of his nine career starts and looks suited by the 1,600 metre trip.
Other Carnival winners in the field include the Al Kurdi-trained pair of Cherry Pickings and Bo Bid, Godolphin's Qais, the mount of Dettori, and Emerald Beauty, trained by de Kock.
Al Kurdi saddles Parole Board, an impressive winner of a 1,400 metre maiden last week, in the US$150,000 Areej Al Bastakiya, the second leg of the Dubai Triple Crown.
Durcan has the ride on the son of Dynaformer who was a three quarter length second to Stagelight in the UAE 2000 Guineas (Gr.III) on his career debut and is likely to be a leading candidate for the UAE Derby (Gr.II).
Jerry Barton, who trained Petit Paris to win this 1,800 metre race a year ago runs Duque de Enghien, a consistent performer in his native Peru. Duque de Enghien did not settle when finishing seventh in the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr.II) second round on his Nad Al Sheba debut and that run is probably best forgotten.
De Kock's top class Greys Inn looks to have a great chance in the US$200,000 AATI Dubai City of Gold (Gr.III) run over the Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr.I) trip of 2,400 metres on the turf.
Greys Inn, who was conceived in New Zealand and born in Kentucky, is the winner of the Durban July (Gr.I), the South African Derby (Gr.I) and the South African Classic (Gr.I) and is ideally suited by the trip. The son of Zabeel finished fourth to Yard-Arm in the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge, when running on well at the end to be beaten just under two lengths.
Mark Johnston runs his Gran Criterium (Gr.I) winner Pear of Love who has been haunted by injuries and off the track since finishing down the field in the St James's Palace Stakes (Gr.I) at Royal Ascot in June, Kevin Darley takes the ride.
Conroy, trained by Aditiyan Selvaratnam, attempts to win the 1,200 metre US$200,000 Ferrari Mahab al Shimaal (Gr.III) for an incredible fourth consecutive time. The six-year-old reversed the placings on the Al Shindagha Sprint (Listed) winner Estimraar last time when beating him by over three lengths, the pair face each other once again.
Out to spoil the Conroy party are Candidato Roy and Hinterland, both trained by de Kock. Marwing partners Candidato Roy who has impressive South African form, though finished four lengths behind Conroy on his first Nad Al Sheba run.
Hinterland, a group one winner in South Africa, has been racing recently, with success, in Mauritius with his last win coming in October over 1,600 metres.
Last year's Dubai Duty Free (Gr.I) winner Right Approach, when dead-heating with Paolini, begins his title defence with a prep run in the US$250,000 Bulgari Jebel Hatta (Group II) over the Dubai Duty Free trip of 1,777 metres on the turf.
The de Kock trained Right Approach has been off the track since finishing fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr.I) in April. De Kock has a great record in this race having won the last two runnings with Surveyor and Ipi Tombe, who went on to victory in the Dubai Duty Free
(Gr.I).
Others in the race include the Marcus Tregoning-trained Select Stakes (Gr.III) winner Alkaadhem, Robbie Osborne's Latino Magic and Godolphin's Tashkandi, the mount of Dettori.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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