Dubai: Mike de Kock and Saeed bin Suroor continued their excellent 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival campaigns on Thursday evening but the big race of the night fell to Saudi Arabia-based trainer Jerry Barton.
The American, who enjoyed plenty of success at last year’s Carnival including a victory in the $2million Dubai golden Shaheen with Big City Man, sent out Deem to land the Group 3 Balanchine an eight furlong contest on turf for fillies and mares.
The five-year-old by Arc de Triomphe winner Dalakhani scored by a shorthead from Godolphin’s Aspectoflove with South African Grade 1 scorer Zirconeum a length and a half back in third.
French ace Olivier Peslier had Deem in front in the last three or four strides and though Frankie Dettori went for home on Aspectoflove he could not hold off the winner.
A delighted Barton said: “She is a nice filly and one we have always held in some regard. Hopefully we can get her to [Dubai] World Cup night as we did last year when she ran a great race in defeat.”
South African De Kock won the UAE Oaks, the other big race over evening, for the first time with Raihana.
Bred in Australia by owner Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Raihana was given a confident ride by Belgian rider Christophe Soumillon to pass Kieren Fallon on Bikini Babe well inside the final 100m.
De Kock said: “She is a lovely filly and we thought she would nearly win the UAE 1000 Guineas but nothing really went right in that race. She has done it well tonight and will probably be back for the UAE Derby.”
The previous race, the 2000m Tapeta handicap, had gone the way of De Kock’s Mr Brock who ran on strongly under Kevin Shea having hit the front 400m out. Shea was impressed: “He has quickened really nicely and settled matters in a few strides. He loves this new surface and can perhaps go up in class.”
Shea and De Kock then combined to win the concluding 1600m handicap, on Tapeta, with Lucky Find.
Godolphin-trained Bin Suroor saddled a treble to take his tally for the Carnival to 18 wins, seven more than de Kock.
Among his win was Sabotage who sprung a surprise in the 3200m DRC Gold Cup under Mickael Barzalona to defeat Frankie Dettori on stable companion Age of Reason in the process.
Bin Suroor said: “We knew they both had a big chance and have to be pleased with the result.”
The opening 2200m Tapeta handicap went to bin Suroor with Ahmad Ajtebi aboard Antinori who was last turning for home but made smooth progress to win comfortably.
Dettori was in the saddle on big-race hopeful Midshipman who returned to his winning ways in the 1400m conditions race, also on Tapeta.
A Group One winner as a juvenile and placed at last year’s Breeders’ Cup, he is clearly a horse bin Suroor likes: “We think he is a [Dubai] World Cup night horse so we needed to get him back to winning ways. He ran well enough in the Al Maktoum Challenge and hopefully he can progress from this.”
Rashed Bouresly’s Star Crowned won the 1200m Tapeta handicap in a thrilling finish under Royston Ffrench.
