charlie hills | Horse Racing Free Tips

Equilateral to Remain in Dubai

Trainer Charlie Hills was very pleased with the recent performance of G1SP Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in the Listed Dubai Dash last Thursday, and the 6-year-old gelding will remain in Dubai for another tilt at the G2 Meydan Sprint on Feb. 18. In 2020, Equilateral ran second in the Sprint.

“I was really delighted with him,” said Hills. “Frankie [Dettori] gave him a great ride and it looked like he was always going to win the race. It's nice to have won the race twice now and he was 5lb worse off than last year. He seems to have come out of the race in great order and we'll train him for the Group 2.”

Another of Hills's pupils, the evergreen stable star Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), is wintering well and currently enjoying a holiday. The MG1SW is likely to make his first start in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot in June. Last term, the bay landed the King's Stand with Equilateral second.

“Battaash is still on his winter break,” he said. “He doesn't normally come in until the beginning of March. They all seem very happy with him. He's enjoying his hols at the moment.

“Last year he would probably have gone to Haydock [for the Temple S.] had that race been on. He's won first time out every year, so I think we'll just save him for Royal Ascot.”

Group 3 winner Tilsit (First Defence) is also being aimed at a Middle Eastern target, in his case the $20-million Saudi Cup on dirt and the Middle Distance Turf Cup both in Riyadh on Feb. 20.

“He's in those two races and we're looking at it,” he said. “Hopefully we'll run him. We'll see how he is in a couple of weeks.”

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Frankie Dettori Doubles On Opening Night Of Dubai World Cup Carnival

The Longines World's Best Jockey Frankie Dettori will be riding in the UAE through March, and recorded victories in the final two of seven races on opening night at the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday.

Dettori piloted Godolphin's Land of Legends to win the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, and Equilateral to win the listed Dubai Dash for trainer Charlie Hills.

“I've been watching this horse for the last three years,” Dettori said of Equilateral. “What he likes is a very fast, slick, five furlong track. Sometimes the English tracks are too demanding for him, but this is tailor-made for him.”

“I'm really enjoying my time here, maybe because I'm running out of years but I'm trying to taking it all in. Most people are locked in their houses doing nothing, and at least I get to do what I love. I am going to stay here in the united Arab Emirates until Super Saturday.”

Thursday's highlight was the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1. Won in inspired fashion by Nasir Askar's Musabbeh Al Mheiri-trained Military Law in a perfectly executed stalk-and-pounce trip, the 1600m (one mile) test set the stage for what could be an exciting season for middle-distance dirt racing in the region.

Piloted by Antonio Fresu, the son of Dubawi broke alertly and settled well on the rail behind favourite Capezzano, who set strong fractions under Mickael Barzalona. Waiting patiently for that rival to show any signs of resignation, the bay 6-year-old pounced on the opportunity when it presented itself at the top of the lane, asserted and then held off late-closing Dubai Creek Mile (Listed) winner Thegreatcollection, as well as Burj Nahaar (G3) winner Salute the Soldier to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:36.42. The same margin separated second and third, with Capezzano capsizing into seventh of 11 starters.

An invitee to the subsequently cancelled 2020 Dubai World Cup (G1), Military Law won for the fifth time in 11 starts and landed his second stakes after The Entisar (Listed) 13 months ago. Bred in England, he is a half-brother to the dam of G1 winner French King and was in the care of John Gosden until mid-2019, winning half his first six starts for breeder Qatar Racing. He was sold to Askar at Tattersalls July 2019 for $144,641.

“He has been training really well in the morning and I got a very good feeling in the last couple of gallops,” Fresu said. “Today he travelled really well, probably because he is fresh, so he travelled very well into the race and when I asked him to go, he really picked up well. Now we need to see after this. He has an entry into Saudi and otherwise the option is going to be (the Al) Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and (Round) 3 and then Dubai World Cup.”

One race prior, the first of three Group 2 races took place in the nine-furlong Singspiel (G2) on turf, named for the only horse to win both the Japan Cup (G1) and Dubai World Cup (G1) and won the past three years by owner Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor. This year, the team started favourite Military March, who had the services of Frankie Dettori, but said charge never appeared to get involved (finishing eighth) as late-running Lord Glitters trounced foes with a rush under Adrie de Vries.

Breaking slowly and sitting near the tail of the field, the veteran Group 1 winner closed resolutely between horses in the lane for trainer David O'Meara, winning going away by three lengths at the end and leaving a sea of Godolphin blue in his wake. Charlie Appleby's 2020 Zabeel Mile (G2) winner Zakouski closed well to be second 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Bin Suroor-trained Dream Castle, winner of this in 2019. The final time was a spritely 1:46.82 for the same nine furlongs over which the Lord Glitters was third to the great Almond Eye in the 2019 Dubai Turf (G1).

The globetrotting 8-year-old winner was victorious for the eighth time in 33 starts and in his third country. A Royal Ascot winner of the Queen Anne (G1) in 2019, the big grey son of Whipper has competed in top company in France, England, America, Canada, Dubai and Bahrain.

“He missed the kick a bit, but I didn't want to push any buttons early, he can be very keen,” De Vries said. “The pace was good enough just to leave him there. He did things so quickly, I thought I had a long way to make up, but half way through the straight I was sure to win. They ran at a good pace, which helped me a lot. After this, I can't see any reason not to go back (to the Dubai Turf) and he is a bit older now and with a little sun on his back, he should return to his old form.”

The post Frankie Dettori Doubles On Opening Night Of Dubai World Cup Carnival appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Racing League Teams Taking Shape

John Gosden, alongside fellow Newmarket trainers Sir Mark Prescott, Robert Cowell and David Simcock, will make up one of the dozen teams of the Racing League tournament which begins next summer. Another Newmarket team is comprised of Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian. Clive Cox, Nicky Henderson, Charlie Hills and Jamie Osborne are representing Lambourn. Another team is Mick Appleby, Michael Dods, David O’Meara and Paul Midgley. Mick Channon has joined Paul and Oliver Cole, Eve Johnson Houghton and Hughie Morrison. France will also send a team combining trainers Philippe Decouz, Gavin Hernon, and Edouard Monfort.

The Racing League will see 12 teams of 30 horses each compete over 36 races during a six-week period at Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield and Windsor. Each event is worth £50,000, with an overall prizemoney of £1.8 million for the series beginning on July 29 and running until Sept. 2.

In November, six previous teams were released: Tim Easterby and Richard Fahey; Charlie Fellowes, Hugo Palmer and George Scott; Andrew Balding and Richard Hannon; George Baker, David Menuisier, Gary Moore and Amanda Perrett; Roger Charlton, Alan King, Martyn Meade and Brian Meehan; and, representing Ireland, Joseph O’Brien and his brother Donnacha.

Jeremy Wray, Racing League Chief Executive said, “We are really pleased to have such an illustrious group of trainers forming the 12 teams and are delighted to be adding an international flavour with the teams from Ireland and France. The next step will be for each team to select their three jockeys.”

The post Racing League Teams Taking Shape appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Top Turf Sprinter Battaash To Skip Breeders’ Cup, Return In 2021

Undefeated in three straight group races this season, Battaash had been under consideration for a trip to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 7. Instead, trainer Charlie Hills told racingpost.com that the 6-year-old son of Dark Angel will be given a break for the winter and return in 2021.

“We don't know what the ground is going to be like in America,” Hills explained. “I know it's quick at the moment, but it can change very quickly there. I'm sure he'd handle everything over there too, but you're asking him to do something very different. It's a shame, but there could always be another time.”

This year, Battaash won the G1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 20, the G2 Qatar Stakes at Goodwood on July 31, and the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Aug. 21. Overall, the gelding has 13 wins from 23 starts to his name.