Yet another finale for the horse lovers

The final meeting before the Dubai World Cup was dominated by Richard Hills as he rode a winner, a second and a third.

Aaron Gryder, who won the final Nad Al Sheba Dubai World Cup on Well Armed last March, won the opening leg of the Meydan Masters on Alazeyab, trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe. Gryder was then third in the 1,400-metre handicap on Consul General who led 300 metres out but had no answer to the late challenge of Richard Hills on Sirocco Breeze who was virtually last turning for home but flew home to win cosily.

It was the turn of Kent Desormeaux in the 2,200-metre handicap but it was another winner for Godolphin as Once More Dubai flew down the centre of the track to land the spoils.

Christophe Lemaire was in the saddle in the concluding leg, a 2,000-metre handicap, on the Dhruba Selvaratnam-trained Kal Barg whom he produced late on the far rail to lead close home. Richard Hills was third on Monte Alto to clinch the title.

The other three races were on the turf, including the featured Group 2 Zabeel Mile, over 1,600 metres and won by the Mike De Kock-trained Imbongi under Chrsitophe Soumillon. He led close home to deny Kalahari Gold, trained by Doug Watson, in a tight finish to the delight of De Kock.

The first ever race on the 1,200-metre straight turf course was won by Judd Street, ridden by Kieren Fallon for Eve Johnson Houghton. He prevailed in a desperately tight finish to deny Star Crowned.

Ahmad Ajtebi was in the saddle on Frozen Power who ran out the comfortable winner of the night's first grass race, the 1,600-metre Meydan Classic. Carrying the Godolphin blue, he was produced with a sustained challenge 200 metres out to win going away to the delight of Ajtebi who saluted those watching from the Meydan Hotel.

Jockeys

Ist 2nd 3rd 4th Winnings

L Dettori 13 17 5 4 1,624,450

C Soumillon 8 2 1 2 915,700

R Hills 7 13 3 3 723,900

A Ajtebi 7 9 8 4 900,050

K Shea 5 11 3 3 620,950

R Moore 4 14 0 2 679,200

T O'Shea 4 6 3 7 444,450

O Peslier 4 4 5 1 692,650

K Fallon 3 4 4 5 489,900

T Durcan 2 13 5 7 421,500

Trainers

S bin Suroor 24 12 16 10 2,988,700

M de Kock 12 7 6 4 1,472,150

D Watson 6 5 1 10 596,300

L Cumani 3 3 2 1 398,400

A R Al Raihe 2 6 6 4 371,750

M Al Muhairi 2 4 4 2 391,400

D J Selvaratnam 2 2 3 3 283,300

J Barton 2 2 2 0 295,000

J Noseda 2 2 0 1 227,900

G Duffield 2 0 0 1 68,000

 Surour and de Kock dominate

Mike de Kock and Saeed Bin Surour continued their excellent performance with the South African winning the UAE Oaks with Raihana while the Godolphin trainer saddled a treble with Sabotage springing a surprise in the 3,200-metre DRC Gold Cup under Mickael Barzalona and defeated Frankie Dettori on stable companion Age of Reason in the process.

The previous race, the 2,000-metre Tapeta handicap, had gone the way of De Kock's Mr Brock who ran on strongly under Kevin Shea having hit the front 400-metre out. Shea and De Kock then combined to win the concluding 1,600-metre handicap, on Tapeta, with Lucky Find.

The other feature was the Group Three Balanchine Stakes, for fillies and mares over 1,800-metre on turf and it went to Saudi Arabia and Deem, trained by Jerry Barton and ridden by Olivier Peslier. They led right on the line to the delight of Barton. The opening 2,200-metre Tapeta handicap went to Bin Surour with Ajtebi performing the steering on Antinori. Dettori was in the saddle on Midshipman who returned to winning ways in the 1,400-metre conditions race, also on Tapeta. Rashed Bouresly's Star Crowned won the 1,200-metre Tapeta handicap in a thrilling finish under Royston Ffrench.

Super Thursday

The Super Thursday card, the dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup meeting that was sponsored by the Derrinstown Stud, was highlighted by the concluding rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

The featured Thoroughbred Group 2 Maktoum Challenge III, over 2,000-metre on the Tapeta, was won by Japanese challenger Red Desire who finished fast and late under Olivier Peslier to lead in the dying strides and deny the gallant Gloria De Campeao, while Mike De Kock's Mr Brock was just behind in third.

The first turf race on the night, the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold over 2,485 metres, was won by Godolphin's Campanologist under Dettori, while last year's Dubai Duty Free runner-up Presvis took an impressive victory in the Group 2 Jebel Hatta despite carrying a Group 1 penalty much to the delight of trainer Luca Cumani. The first Thoroughbred race was the Group 3 Al Bastakiya was won by Godolphin with Dettori partnering Mendip, while the following Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal, over 1,200 metres and the same trainer/jockey combination won again, this time with Desert Party.

The opening race was the Group 1 Purebred Arabian version of the Al Maktoum Challenge, over the same 2,000-metre Tapeta course and distance as the Dubai Kahayla Classic and it was won easily by No Risk Al Maury with Kandar Du Falgas and Paris Gagner in second and third, while the Group 3 Burj Nahaar, over 1,600 metres on Tapeta, was won by Cat Junior with Hills on board.

The choices are aplenty, but the race card at this year's Dubai World Cup will see a handpicked few dominate and win based on the form they have shown during the 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival held as a run-up to today's meeting. There are names aplenty including No Risk Al Maury or Santhal or Kandar Du Falgas or Raihana or Liard's Desire or Soneva or Snaafy. Given the opportunity during the nine weekends of racing at the impressive Meydan, these horses have given their best.Alaric Gomes looks back at the Carnival.

Meydan race

No Risk Al Maury, owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, will go down in the annals of racing history as the winner of the first-ever race held at Meydan. That win netted trainer Gill Duffield a double as Santhal came in second best while Kandar Du Falgas — also owned by Shaikh Hamdan - ended fourth.

The Thoroughbred equivalent race was won by Dubai International Racing Carnival regular Gloria De Campeao who battled bravely to land the spoils in the 1,600-metre feature. Never far off the pace, he had to fight off several challenges, and was actually headed turning for home, but fought back to regain the advantage inside the final 100 metres It was a momentous personal achievement for jockey Richard Hills as he notched his 450th career win in the process.

The first two Thoroughbred races on the opening night of the 2010 Carnival went the way of the Mike De Kock/Christophe Soumillon/Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum combination with Raihana winning the 1,400-metre UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, before Lizard's Desire landed the 1,950-metre handicap, from stable companion King of Rome.

Treble for Godolphin

The second race meeting, sponsored by Dubal, belonged to the Godolphin team and South African trainer Mike de Kock as both clinched a treble as Meydan hosted its first turf race of the 2010 season.

The Godolphin trio was headed by Alexandros who won the 1,800-metre Group Three Al Rashidiya, with Frankie Dettori on board. The jockey then partnered their Age of Reason to win the 2,800-metre turf handicap in which he produced the horse to lead right on the line and maintain their unbeaten record on grass races at Meydan.

Earlier Ted Durcan had initiated Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Surour's treble by winning the 1,200-metre Tapeta handicap on Global City who, like Age of Reason, only led on the line.

Equally dominant on the night was Mike de Kock-trained Musir, who defied a Group One penalty to win the 1,400-metre trial race for the first colt's classic under Christophe Soumillon.

Soneva to the fore

Trainer Marco Botti's Soneva with Christopher Soumillon on board was the highlight for third meeting of the 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival at Meydan as it won the Group Three Cape Verdi Stakes, a 1,600-metre turf contest for fillies and mares.

The second grass race, a 1,600-metre handicap, was won in style by Snaafy under Richard Hills for Musabah Al Muhairi and the UAE trainer had all reason to be pleased to see the horse in good form following his first run since the 2009 Dubai World Cup.

Also celebrating on the night was Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Surour with a double with Ahmad Ajtebi in the saddle on both Allybar (over 2000m) and Anmar (over 2,200 metres). Both handicaps were run on the Tapeta. Also in double form was Doug Watson whose Force Freeze won the 1,200-metre Tapeta conditions race under Tadhg O'Shea half an hour before stable companion Barbecue Eddie routed his opponents in a 1400m Tapeta handicap under an inspired ride by William Supple.

War Artist carves his name

War Artist was the major winner of the featured Group Three Al Shindagha Sprint on the fourth night sponsored by Gulf News. The 1200m feature looked competitive but once Olivier Peslier kicked his mount clear, trained by James Eustace just inside the straight, there was no way anyone was going to catch him.

Saeed Bin Surour and Godolphin celebrated yet another treble as they won three of the first four races, highlighted by the victory of Siyaadh in the UAE 1000 Guineas. Ahmad Ajtebi was in the saddle on the filly who was virtually last turning for home in the 1600m classic but flew home to snatch the spoils.

The opening 1400m conditions race, the 4Men, was won by the Bin Surour-trained Mendip who was given a confident ride by Frankie Dettori. The Godolphin team then doubled up with the easy victory of Highland Glen in the InsideOut, a 2200m handicap.

A rapid treble was denied when their Soy Libriano was denied by Lizard's Desire, representing the Mike De Kock/Christophe Soumillon combination. Richard Mullen was in the saddle on Satish Seemar's Escape Route who battled on bravely to land the Aquarius, a 1400m handicap.

The night's first turf race was the 2485m GNAds4U handicap in which Alan Munro made all on the Mick Channon-trained Halicarnassus who was a previous Carnival winner at Nad Al Sheba, while Pan River chased home Halicarnassus in Turkey in September and the Turkish-trained horse then won the concluding 1800m Gulf News Broadcasting handicap, also on turf, in a driving finish.

Allybar gives Godolphin another win

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Nirwan took the opening 2,200-metre Group One Purebred Arabian version of the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge on the sixth race meeting sponsored by Shadwell at Meydan.

Tadhg O'Shea was in the saddle on the Doug Watson-trained Nirwan but consolidating their success this season was Godolphin as they won another feature race with Allybar and Ahmad Ajtebi landing the Thoroughbred version of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round II, a Group Three contest over 1,900 metres.

The same trainer-jockey combination then won the concluding 1,600-metre handicap with Calming Influence, who was actually a fourth winner on the night for Bin Surour and Godolphin. Dettori was then in the saddle on Emirates Champion who won the 2,200-metre handicap, and the same jockey was back in the winner's enclosure after the 1,400-metre handicap having partnered Sirocco Breeze to a comfortable success.

The UAE 2000 Guineas was won for a fourth time by South African Mike De Kock with Christophe Soumillon performing the steering on Musir who was always travelling strongly in mid division.

The first Thoroughbred race of the night, a 1,200-metre handicap, was won by Kevin Shea on the De Kock-trained Frosty Secret.

Bankable to the fore

Bankable, trained by South African Herman Brown and ridden by Ryan Moore, was the game winner of a thrilling Group Two Al Fahidi Fort, the feature and only turf race at Meydan's sixth meeting. Sponsored by Commercial Bank of Dubai, the race produced a three way photo with Bankable defeating Imbongi and Ibn Battuta.

Earlier, Godolphin's Skysurfers had impressively defeated a quality field in a 1m conditions race on Tapeta under Frankie Dettori despite being chased home by Group 1 winner Eagle Mountain.

Trainer and jockey were completing a double having earlier won the 1,200-metre handicap with Global City who was recording a second course and distance Carnival win, as was Luca Cumani's Drunken Sailor who won the 2,200-metre handicap under Kieren Fallon.

Doug Watson made the perfect start to the night with Quaolina and Richard Hills winning the opening Group Two Bani Yas, a 1,200-metre race and the only Purebred Arabian race on the card. He then saddled Green Coast to win the 1,400-metre handicap under Tadhg O'Shea.