Dubai: No one has won this race more often than Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and once again this worldwide champion of Purebred Arabian racing arrives with three horses aiming to keep up his super record in this race. His challenge is led by the 2016 winner in AF Mathmoon, who looks the one to beat again in this thrilling renewal. Unbeaten in all three starts at Meydan this season, these include wide margin successes in the Maktoum Challenge Round 1 and the Mazrat Al Ruwayah. Newly retained by the owner, jockey Jim Crowley has made a perfect start and will be looking forward to this ride in particular. He has subsequently switched yards to the classy trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and he is very much the one to beat.
In the same ownership Handassa is also a serious player having taken the Maktoum Challenge Round 3 here on Super Saturday. He will be in the wings hoping to bag another big prize for second jockey Dane O’Neill and french trainer Francois Rohaut. Fourth in that race (Round 3 Maktoum Challenge) and representing the same ownership is Bon Baiser De Faust for Doug Watson and Pat Dobbs. The team look a strong one and do not be surprised to see the familiar blue and white silks in the number one spot again.
One of the rising stars of the Purebred Arabian training ranks in the UAE is the young French lady Elise Jeanne who has always managed to get the best out of all her horses. In the Maktoum Challenge Round 2 she enjoyed her biggest triumph so far when Faucon Du Loup put in a stunning performance to rout the field. Richard Mullen unsurprisingly keeps the ride on Mansour Khalifa Sultan Bin Habtoor’s seven-year old and they will attempt to win an even bigger prize tonight.
Khalid Khalifa Al Naboodah is the leading owner of the season with 34 wins to date and his team of two is headed by the Ernst Oertel trained AF Al Hazer, who is progressing nicely but will need to step up again following his fourth place finish behind Handassa last time. AF Maqayes has a similar profile and was second to RB Burn last time in a Group 1 at Abu Dhabi and it would be no shock to see him as a player again.
The aforementioned RB Burn looks to be the pick of trainer Eric Lemartinel’s two. He beat AF Mathmoon on the Abu Dhabi turf but here on the dirt he looks held. RB Dixie Burning also looks to have a chance but on turf would be more fancied.
The Qatari entry have enjoyed success in this event in the past and you must take their challenge seriously. Legendary jockey Olivier Peslier takes the prize for the ever successful Alban de Mieulle on what looks to be their top chance in TM Thunder Struck who scored in a Group 1 Qatar International Cup at Doha last time out. He is sure to be a big danger. Another Qatari challenger sees the popular Harry Bentley teaming up with Julian Smart with the progressive Reda and no one would be surprised if they were in the frame.
RB Madymaoiselle has her first start for Ernst Oertel and should be respected. Loraa won the HH The President’s Cup and just saw off the progressive Sniper De Monlau.
This year sees a very hot field of horses assembled for a vintage renewal. AF Mathmoon is fancied to just beat Falcon Du Loup with TM Thunder Struck to complete the first three.
The author is a racing journalist, broadcaster and Managing Partner of Tregoning Properties.
