Dubai: Thursday night’s Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting served up quite a few big-race clues led by the exciting Russian Soul who, it would appear, has emerged as a serious contender for the $2m (Dh7.35 million) Dubai Golden Shaheen.
The six-year-old Irish-trained sprinter showcased his remarkable turn off foot to nail an ultra-competitive Al Shindagha Sprint (G3), a long-range trial for the 1200m Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup day, March 29.
His breakthrough win on the Meydan all-weather track after five disappointments, has put Michael Halford’s stable star on course for a shot at the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal on Super Saturday (March 8), a race that Reynaldothewizard won en route to capturing the Golden Shaheen.
Halford, a Group 1 winning trainer who is based in County Kildare, Ireland, was present at Meydan to watch his protégé pull off one the biggest wins of his career where he out-sprinted the likes of fellow Irish stars Jamesie and Balmont Mast, Australian speedball Bello and Krypton Factor, winner of both the Mahab Al Shimaal and Golden Shaheen in 2012.
“It was a very good performance from a wide draw and carrying a kilo more than the others,” said Halford. “He’s as tough as nails, he improves with his racing and he is certainly going the right way. He’ll run on Super Saturday and then he’ll go for the Golden Shaheen.”
The Al Shindagha Sprinter showcased a collection of top candidates for the big sprint prizes during the Carnival and Jamesie, who finished just a length in arrears to Russian Soul, also looks destined for greater things to come after running an absolute blinder under Fergal Lynch.
Godolphin have never saddled the winner of the Golden Shaheen but both their contenders on Thursday, the Saeed Bin Surour-trained Complicate and Charlie Appleby’s Bello put themselves into contention for a shot at sprint glory on Dubai World Cup day with strong performances.
Complicate narrowly missed snatching second place from Jamesie while Bello was only a length and quarter back in fourth.
Bin Suroor was full of praise for his charge and even offered excuses for his third-place effort.
“Complicate finished well but I thought he was unlucky in the race. He tried very hard in the straight,” said the long-serving handler.
With many of the trainers hoping to evaluate the potential of their runners in view of the Dubai World Cup trainer Joey Ramsden was mighty pleased with the way his dual horse of the Year winner Variety Club handled his first test outside his native South Africa.
With just seven weeks until the world’s richest day of racing, South African jockey, Anton Marcus was last seen in Dubai when he won the 2008 Dubai Duty Free on Jay Peg rode a confident race aboard Variety Club to win the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes over 1600m.
Marcus can fully expect to be in action on another Dubai World Cup night following the eye-catching performance of his mount.
“This is great for me and South African racing and it’s a relief as well,” he said.
“He is a superstar at home and well done to connections for bringing him here. There was a vision for this horse and it’s fantastic that the first leg of this plan has come to fruition.
“Hopefully he will turn out to be a serious Dubai World Cup horse — though we could always go back to turf if need be. He is versatile, classy and has a big heart.”
Barzalona may have gone too early on Long John to win the UAE 2000 Guineas but he said: “I was happy to commit for home as this horse will certainly stay further and he has proved himself a Group 1 horse in Australia.
“We were hopeful but I do not think we expected a win quite like that. ”
