Dubai Emirati handler Musabah Al Muhairi believes that Muarrab has stamped himself as one of the best sprinters in the country with his resounding Super Saturday victory and now deserves the chance to prove himself at the highest level when he competes for a purse of $2 million (Dh7.34 million) in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup day.
The seven-year-old son of Oasis Dream spreadeagled a classy field to win the Group 3 1200 metre Mahab Al Shimaal, a recognised prep for Meydan’s sprint feature on March 26.
Muarrab, which in Arabic means somebody who will adapt to the situation, is owned Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, who enjoyed remarkable international success last season with Cartier Award winner Muhaarar.
While acknowledging that it will not be fair to compare the two Shaikh Hamdan sprinters, Al Muhairi said: “Muhaarar was an exceptional younger horse, while Muarrab has peaked at the age of seven, which is an achievement in itself.
“He has shown that he not only has the ability, he has the desire to win. I think many people wrote him off following his two earlier races at Meydan when he was beaten by Reynaldothewizard [Dubawi Stakes, Jan 14) and Rich Tapestry (Al Shindagah Sprint, Feb 11 ].
“There is no denying he loves the surface at Jebel Ali, where he has won eight races, but he is a hose with an ability to adapt and don’t forget he won first time up at Meydan in December, before the two defeats,” he added.
“We decided to race him from a prominent position after that, and the way Paul [Hanagan] rode him in the Mahab al Shimaal really suited his style of running and brought out the best in him. He has the pedigree and turn of foot. Now he’s ready to take on anybody in three week’s time. He deserves this chance and perhaps even a chance to go to America, although I’m not sure if Shaikh Hamdan has any plans.
“All I’m really saying is that he is a serious horse and deserves to be respected. We are aware that the test he will face on March 26 will be different to anything he has encountered so far, but we are confident that he will be competitive and I believe that he can win the race,” Al Muhairi added, confidently.
To do so Muarrab will have to outsprint the speedy American raider X Y Jet, winner of the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Decmber where he thumped his rivals by an astonishing 9 ½ lengths and Godolphin’s visually impressive Marking, already a proven performer on the Meydan dirt last month.
X Y Jet races out of the Gulfstream Park-based stables of multiple Graded Stakes winning handler Jorge Navarro who will be hoping to continue American-trained sprinter’s dominance in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Eight speedballs from across the pond have lifted the prestigious trophy on nine occasions since Big Jag became the first North American-trained winner of a race that debuted on the Dubai World Cup card in 1996, having previously been run as the Nad Al Sheba Sprint in 1993-’94.
Other likely runners for this year’s sprint include Hong Kong raider Rich Tapestry, Scandinavia’s Let’s Go For It, Bahrain’s favourite speedball Krypton Factor and Dubai Veteran United Color.