Dubai: South African trainer Mike de Kock saddles three strong contenders in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, including Soft Falling Rain, who is unbeaten in all his six career starts.
De Kock, who last won this race with Grand Emporium in 2005, also runs Master Of Hounds (8th to Monterosso in the Dubai World Cup last year) and Rerouted.
However it will be Soft Falling Rain, a three-year-old National Assembly bay colt owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, who will be starting off as the one to beat.
“This is certainly his toughest task ever and a very big test indeed against his elders but he certainly deserves his chance in this company. He has so much speed, the 1,600 metres is as far as he wants to go but he goes well on the surface,” said de Kock.
Master Of Hounds, headed by Khawlah on the line in the 2011 UAE Derby and 8th in the Dubai World Cup last year, will be hoping it is third time lucky while Rerouted is a two-time winner here at Meydan in the Carnival.
Godolphin’s Moonwalk In Paris, Newmarket Group 2 winner Penitent and Satish Seemar’s Surfer are the ones likely to blot Soft Falling Rain’s unbeaten record. Zazou, fifth in the Dubai World Cup last year and Red Jazz, third in this race in 2011 and 2012, add to that danger.
Second to Gordon Lord Byron in the Group One Prix de la Foret in Paris last October, Penitent has been working under trainer David O’Meara.
“He feels good on the surface — he is really a soft-ground horse but he felt good on the Tapeta,” said O’Meara.
“It is all about the pace of the race. If they go a good pace, it will help Moonlight In Paris overcome any disadvantage from being drawn 15 but a slow pace would make life very difficult from that stall. It is all about luck,” said trainer Mahmoud Al Zarouni while Surfer’s jockey Richard Mullen fancies his chances.
“Look at his form, it is very strong and that run behind Hunter’s Light (Round Two of the Maktoum Challenge) looks even better now,” said Mullen.
Ernst Oertel, poised to take his first trainer’s championship in UAE, will be keen to win on the big night and Capital Attraction could provide a shock.
“His Super Saturday second was a career best. With the winner African Story [contesting] in the Dubai World Cup, Capital Attraction must have a decent chance in an open contest,” Oertel said.
At nine, local hero Barbecue Eddie gets his final chance. “His first two wins of the season both worked out well and he then really stepped up to win Al Maktoum Challenge R1, before an excellent third in the Firebreak Stakes,” said trainer Doug Watson.
GN SELECTIONS
1. Soft Falling Rain
2. Penitent
3. Mufarrh
