Godolphin quick off mark thanks to Improvisation

Dubai: Godolphin got their 2013 European campaign off to a good start when Improvisation, an Epsom Derby hopeful, became their first UK winner of the season by landing a maiden at Newmarket racecourse on Wednesday evening.

The son of Teofilo, who was an impressive two-and-a-half length winner of the 1,800-metre contest, is now as short as 20/1 for the British Classic on June 1.

Sent off as the 7/4 favourite, Improvisation travelled sweetly under jockey Mickael Barzalona for most of the trip before being ridden out at the two furlong marker to take charge of the race and win as he liked on good ground.

It was the colt’s third career start following his smart debut last July, where he finished a noteworthy second to John Gosden’s Tattersalls Millions 2-year-old Trophy winner, Ghurair, and he also had the beating of Juddmonte Farms’ highly-regarded Dundonnell.

Improvisation is trained by Mahmoud Al Zarouni, who also sent out Godolphin’s first winner in 2012, when Samba King won a handicap at Sandown on April 27.

Meanwhile, Godolphin’s exciting Dubai Duty Free (G1) heroine Sajjhaa is reported to have settled in well at Sha Tin racecourse following her eight-hour flight from Dubai to Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The six-year-old, who is trained by long-serving Godolphin handler Saeed Bin Surour, is set to contest the Group One Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin on April 28.

Sajjhaa is unbeaten in four starts at Meydan this year, including the Group 1 Jebel Hatta.

She will bid to become the first Godolphin-trained winner of the prestigious HK$14 million (Dh6.6 million) contest since Overbury in 1996. The stable’s most recent success at Sha Tin was achieved by Mastery, who won the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase (Group 1) in December 2010.

Sajjhaa saw off some tough rivals to win the Dubai Duty Free, including South Africa’s champion mare Igugu, trained by Mike de Kock.

The South African handler is set to saddle former Group 1 Secretariat Stakes winner Treasure Beach, who was last seen finishing eighth behind Animal Kingdom in the $10 million (Dh36.7 million) Dubai World Cup at Maydan last month.

Sha Tin’s showpiece race has attracted a crack field of 14 runners featuring six Group 1 scorers, headed by Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon.

Also in the mix is Group 1 Japanese Derby winner Eishin Flash, and the Tony Cruz-trained California Memory, a dual winner of the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup.

William A. Nader, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Director of Racing, described the QEII Cup day as “a sparkling uptown social event that showcases the best of Hong Kong to the world”.

“This year’s race has again attracted some of the world’s highest calibre racehorses and it will be intriguing to see how they match up against what is an outstanding home team,” said Nader on the HKJC website.

“The world class standard of Hong Kong horses is apparent in the fact that our home-grown heroes have proved the equal of their international counterparts in winning five of the last ten editions, thanks to the memorable performances of River Dancer, Vengeance Of Rain, Viva Pataca and, of course, our brilliant two-time Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon, who will be tough to beat once again. This renewal will be one of the best ever.”