Old favorite Lord Glitters resplendent in victory as the fifth meeting of the Carnival Dubai World Cup takes place on 11 February at Meydan Racecourse.
For the second week in a row, American coach Doug O’Neill started a race in preparation for the Emirates Dubai World Cup (G1). A Russian student who graduated from the Keeneland sales round won the UAE’s Two Thousand Guineas (G3). And trained locally Meraas gave a preview of the group 1 sprint on World Cup night.
Horses raised in Turkey, Argentina, Germany and Brazil also featured in the matches while the Godolphin home team weathered a storm of invaders with two winners on the field—Global storm and Storm damage both by Thunder Night .
Nine-year-old Lord Glitters, the pale gray son of Whipper was a familiar and popular presence at the Carnival and it seemed to have lost nothing from his earlier successes as he rallied from the end with a smooth move across the long run to landing Singspiel Stakes presented by Race Of UAE Innovations (G2) for the second year in a row.
Favorite, Royal Fleet seems to have a better Godolphin mate Zakowski in the middle of the lane but those two could only finish second and third on the 1,800 meter (about 1/8 mile) turf test.
“Whenever you’re riding it, you need a little luck,” said rider Daniel Tudhope of the British-trained veteran’s ultimate tactic. “There’s a steady gallop, with no stops and starts, so I can keep him going with no problems.”
Lord Glitters won the Bahrain International Cup (G3) at Sakhir in November but finished fourth in his 2022 debut in Meydan on January 21, a race Tudhope thinks he needs.
“He took it one step further,” said the driver. “There is still some room for improvement.”
A natural step up from Singspiel would be Emirates Airline-sponsored Jebbel Hatta (G1) on Super Saturday March 5, which Lord Glitters also won last season, and the $5 million Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World (G1), where he placed sixth.
O’Neill’s eight-horse invasion of Dubai has yielded unexpected results on the Curlin Stocks Listed List Presented by World Cup Ambition Race — though not the speed it can. run on March 26. Jockey Fernando Jara, who is expected to get the final slot winner, Appreciate out a striker position instead found himself surviving through early times and facing the prospect of closing in on an icy tempo.
Overcoming all that, Jara has a 6-year-old baby Welcome end the final 200 meter head-to-head battle with Sanad Libya before being dominated by a leader. Godolphin’s Big Team completed a trio of long-range, American-bred shots. Ugurtay and favorite, Hello soldier is Wednesday and Thursday.
“It’s not a plan to go back there,” Jara said. “We were squeezed so we went to Plan B.” Finally, he added, “I thought the other horse might come back and get me but my horse just kept going.”
Curlin was designed as a step towards the World Cup but the timing of the race — 2:08.12 — did not suggest that Appreciated could compete with the expected heavyweights there, including athletes. Trained by O’Neill Hot Rod Charlie winner of Round 2 of Al Maktoum Challenge presented by Longines Record (G2) a week earlier.
O’Neill chose to skip the UAE’s Two Thousand Guineas, winning on February 4 Get Goldie back beneficial for a potential run when Gold Coins Colt owners are expected to watch Al Bastakiya Stakes on Super Saturday.
That opened the way for Azure Coast One Street Sense Colt rallied from last in the Guineas field of 13 horses under Antonio Fresu, to win the long run and win the two lengths. The international theme of the evening was highlighted by hybrid South American runners Kiefer and Quality Boone second and third.
Azure Coast, outside the Empire Maker Mare’s Divine Rule, sold for $65,000 to Vladimir Kazakov at the Keeneland 2020 Sale in September. Kazakov brought the foal home to Moscow, where he won the first time with a one-mile claim. In his only other start, December 16 at Meydan, he won very quickly.
The Guineas naturally took the lead in the UAE Derby (G2) on World Cup night, a race that, in turn, gave the winner 100 points in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series. Kazakov told Dubai Racing Channel host Laura Martin through an interpreter that he plans to keep Azure Coast in Dubai, “see how he does it and then make a decision.
“This is the best hippodrome in the world. I’m happy to race here,” Kazakov said.
Fresu completed the double of the night, riding Meraas to a decisive victory in the Al Shindagha Run by Sustainability (G3) at 1,200 meters above ground — preparing for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on the night of the World Cup. Meraas, a 5 year old child by Oasis dream seems to have perfected his form after throat surgery and is soldered in 2021. He finished the season with a 3/4-length win at Meydan in December and Al Shindagha was his 2022 debut. he.
Godolphin’s wins came in a match that spanned the seven listed games and 1 1/2 mile handicap. The latter could push Global Storm into the race to stay in the World Cup program.
