‘Golden’ Start To Dubai World Cup Carnival For Watson?

by Heather Anderson and J.N. Campbell

With New Year's celebrations firmly in the rearview, racing eyes turn to Dubai, as the $7.5-million Dubai World Cup Carnival kicks off at Meydan Racecourse. The DWCC culminates on Super Saturday, Mar. 4, the warmup for the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup card slated for Mar. 26. Of the seven races carded, five are black-type level and there are a quartet of stakes contests set to be decided in the desert on Friday.

Anchoring the action is the $250,000 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 Presented by Zabeel Feed, where Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), one of five in the race for American ex-pat trainer Doug Watson, attempts to become the second owner of consecutive victories in the 1,600-metre affair after Le Bernardin (Bernardini) in 2016/17.

Also rated 105 is Watson's Everfast (Take Charge Indy), who was third in both the 2022 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3. G3 Burj Nahaar hero Midnight Sands (Speightstown), rated 107, will take part as is Thegreatcollection (Saint Anddan), who won a listed and two other events in Dubai over the years.

Watson, who is aiming for his fourth victory in the race, said, “We have a cast of characters for the mile races. We're still hopeful with Midnight Sands and Golden Goal ran a great race last time. He only got beaten by four lengths and he always needs his first run for us. He's having a really nice season training and he'll be tough on the night.”

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Prince Eiji (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is another entry who appears poised for a big year for Watson, and he ran out a 1 1/4-length victor in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile over track and trip on December 1.

“What we liked about it most was that he was vying for the lead with Danyah, took back a little bit and then really grabbed the bit,” said Watson of Prince Eiji. “So we know he can come from off the pace and we learned a lot that night, plus he's strengthened up a lot this year.”

The quintet will not have an easy time of it, however, with Bhupat Seemar sending out Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) to build on his 2021 G2 Godolphin Mile heroics among others.

Sire Dubawi On Global Stakes Cusp In Al Fahidi Fort

The internationally successful Charlie Appleby comes into the Dubai World Cup Carnival looking to win his fifth Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort S. in six years. He enters Godolphin's Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) and Al Suhail (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a well-bred four-year-old and six-year-old, respectively.

Both members of the home team are coming off of lay-offs with the former last seen winning impressively at Royal Ascot in the G3 Jersey S., while the latter ended up seventh at Ascot in the G3 Bengough S. in October. Darley's Dubawi, also represented in this race by Dubai Mirage (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), is one shy of 250 individual global stakes winners.

Not to be outdone, Shadwell looks to make its presence known with six-year-old Alfareeq (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). This experienced turf specialist knows Meydan well, especially since he won last year's G1 Jebel Hatta S. in fine style. He prepped for this spot with a second place finish in Abu Dhabi in a listed race December 4.

Other notable runners include French trainer Yann Barberot's Bouttemont (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and Fast Raaj (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). The latter will be making the surface switch from the Polytrack to the turf after he won his second consecutive race in Deauville on December 10, after being gelded earlier in the month.

Classy Switzerland Begins Shaheen Title Defense

Taking to the dirt for the G3 Dubawi S., the prep that offers automatic entry into the G1 Golden Shaheen on World Cup night, we find nine-year-old stalwart sprinter Switzerland (Speightstown) poised to turn back time in his search for more Dubai World Cup night glory as the defending champion. “Hopefully he's still got the spark; I think I can see it on the track in the mornings,” said his trainer Bhupat Seemar. “We got to know him better last season, we'd had him for a year by then, so we got to know his habits and his quirks which really helped.”

Ready to face him are a number of worthy challengers which includes Shadwell Stable's Mubakker (Speightstown), who has not been seen since last year's G2 Godolphin Mile, a race in which he finished fifth. His dam, Ready To Act, produced Prouver in 2020, a filly that sold for $310,000 as a Keeneland September yearling one year later; and a filly by Omaha Beach that brought $250,000 at the same sale in 2022.

A couple of local runners have been drawn in for this Group 3 opportunity, among them Mouheeb (Flatter), who won the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint on December 9 and he returns for Michael Costa. “He's quite a strong, robust horse and he showed he was quite sharp in his trackwork,” the trainer said about the five-year-old, who won G3 UAE 2000 Guineas in 2021. “It was so good to see him at Meydan; he really put his ears back and was determined to win.”

Listed Races Dot Carnival Card on Friday

The 2,410-metre Dubai Racing Club Classic, a turf handicap with $100,000 on the line, includes a trio of Charlie Appleby runners, namely, the group-placed Walk Of Stars (GB), who is another striving to give his sire Dubawi (Ire) 250 individual black-type winners.

Rounding out the Friday card is the 1,000-metre Listed Ertijaal Dubai Dash on the turf, that brings together a strong group of sprinters, including Godolphin's Man Of Promise (Into Mischief), who was third behind A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) in last year's G1 Al Quoz Sprint.

The post ‘Golden’ Start To Dubai World Cup Carnival For Watson? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Appleby Wins Second Consecutive Flat Trainers’ Championship

For the second straight year, Newmarket-based trainer Charlie Appleby was honored with the Derby Award as 2022's champion flat trainer by the Horserace Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA).

The 47-year-old Appleby so far this year has been represented by 150 winners and 225 seconds from 478 starters-a 31 percent win rate-and his runners have earned £6,225,397. Among those victories were 18 European Group winners-three Group 1s-including a one-two finish in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas with Coroebus (Dubawi [Ire]) and Native Trail (Oasis Dream {GB}), a first victory for the conditioner in the prestigious Classic.

The HWPA award completes a clean sweep of the 2022 jockeys', trainers' and owners' championships for Godolphin, who in addition to Appleby also employs jockey William Buick.

“I'm hugely proud of what myself and the team have achieved in backing the Trainers' Championship up for a second consecutive year,” Appleby said. “I'm very lucky to have the team at Moulton Paddocks and Godolphin and I'm extremely appreciative of their dedication.

“Winning the QIPCO 2000 Guineas was the highlight. It's something that personally I hadn't done before and had finished close on a few occasions. It's one of those races that I was very keen to get on the board. That was a very proud day.”

Appleby-trained runners collected three victories at Royal Ascot in the shape of Coroebus (G1 St James's Palace S.), Naval Crown (Dubawi {Ire}) (G1 Platinum Jubilee S.) and Noble Truth (Kingman {GB}) (G3 Jersey S.). He also took the leading trainer title at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and tightened the girth on three winners in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland-Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf), Mischief Magic (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint) and Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf).

“On behalf of all of us at Godolphin, I want to offer huge congratulations to Charlie Appleby on winning the trainers' championship for the second year in a row,” Hugh Anderson, managing director of Godolphin (UK & Dubai), said. “It's a great achievement and testament to his own skill as a trainer – the high points of this season are almost too many to mention but I would point to the three 2000 Guineas with 3 different colts and the Breeders' Cup hat-trick as being particular standouts.”

Appleby received his award on Monday night at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London.

The post Appleby Wins Second Consecutive Flat Trainers’ Championship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Major Talking Points From Day Five At Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot 2022 had everything and from Ryan Moore playing with his rivals like a cat does with a mouse, to Charlie Appleby revealing he is eyeing a tilt at the A$10-million Golden Eagle with Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) after the gelding won the G3 Jersey S., the fifth and final day generated many more talking points.

Brian Sheerin has been digesting the action for the week and is back once again to flesh out the major takeaways from Saturday's action.

 

Appleby Bidding To Snare The Eagle With Noble Truth

The Aussies spent the week frightening the daylights out of anyone with a top-class sprinter in their stable. Everyone bar Charlie Appleby that is.

Chris Waller's Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) made the opposition look ordinary when winning the G1 King's Stand S. on Tuesday and, prior to Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) disappointing in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S., Appleby revealed that he would like to run G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth in Australia later this year.

Appleby deservedly carries a reputation for being one of the best in the business at travelling horses across the globe and hinted at an audacious tilt at the A$10-million Golden Eagle for Noble Truth on Oct. 29.

“I've been trying to find a horse for the Golden Eagle in Australia and he might just be ticking a few boxes for that,” he said after the race.

We have become accustomed to Australian sprinters landing big-race riches in Europe but few trainers would entertain the idea of taking on monsters like Nature Strip in their own back garden.

Luckily for us, Appleby is not like most trainers. It will be some spectacle if he can get Noble Truth to the Golden Eagle.

 

O'Donoghue Does A Sterling Job With Pearling Path

Imagine being brave enough to bring a horse to Royal Ascot in your first season holding a trainer's licence and, despite the market underestimating your judgment by sending it off a rank outsider at odds of 80-1, he goes on to run a cracker to finish second.

It would be an achievement worthy of some acknowledgement, wouldn't you think? Well ITV Racing didn't feel any need to cast any spotlight towards John O'Donoghue, who achieved just that, when Pearling Path (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) ran a fine second in the Listed Chesham S.

O'Donoghue, who took up residency at John Oxx's legendary Currabeg Stables this year, has enjoyed a respectable start as a trainer, sending out a couple of winners domestically, of which, Pearling Path was one.

Pearling Path looked home for all money in the Chesham but possibly downed tools a little when he was left in front a little longer than ideal.

In many ways, Pearling Path snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and, while the defeat would have been painful for connections, O'Donoghue can hold his head high in defeat and is sure to be grabbing headlines before long.

Given the winner, Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), was winning the race on debut, it may go some way in explaining why O'Donoghue got no love in the press.

Interestingly, Holloway Boy's sister, Oppressive (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) (lot 173), who failed to win in four starts last year, will be on offer at the July Sale at Tattersalls next month. Talk about a timely boost.

 

The Good, Bad And Ugly

Jockey form was one of the major talking points of the week and Ryan Moore confirmed himself the undisputed top dog in the weighroom by giving Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) a masterclass to win the G2 Hardwicke S. before delivering Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) with a well-timed run to bag the Wokingham S. on Saturday.

Both rides were absolutely top drawer and a lot of people will argue that Moore made the difference aboard Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Gold Cup on Thursday as well.

His ride aboard Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), albeit there was an element of luck involved given the runner-up wandered across the track, was also sublime.

It is not the first big meeting this season where Moore has been flawless, either, given that he bossed Chester and was also excellent aboard Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Oaks.

Frankie Dettori and Cieren Fallon endured contrasting fortunes this week, which generated just as much chatter as Moore's brilliance did, possibly driven by their respective trainers' reaction to the mishaps.

John Gosden criticised the legendary jockey for an “overcomplicated ride” on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the Gold Cup and added that Dettori “should have won”.

Meanwhile, William Haggas defended Fallon for his ride aboard Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) in the G1 St James's Palace S., saying, “we must not lambast him.”

Dettori is obviously one of the most experienced practitioners of his craft while Fallon has many years ahead of him but it was fascinating to see the contrasting reactions from Gosden and Haggas to the hands that they were dealt this week.

 

Ascot Eye-Catchers

There were a number of eye-catchers this week, none more so than Maljoom in the St. James's Palace S., and he will need to be respected in all of the top mile races going forward. An unlucky fourth on Tuesday, he could be an interesting horse with a view towards the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood.

Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) may not have been able to land a glove on Nature Strip when chasing that rival home in the G1 King's Stand S., but he enhanced his reputation in defeat and will be interesting in some of the top sprints as well.

Burning Victory (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has been held back by her jumping in the National Hunt sphere but showed she has a pretty big engine when finishing fourth, beaten a little over a length, in the G1 Gold Cup.

That represented a major step forward on all known form and, given that Willie Mullins does exceptionally well with these dual-purpose horses, she could be interesting with a view towards the G1 Irish St Leger, a race he won with Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}).

Saga (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was an unlucky loser in the Britannia and remains an interesting horse while Sun King (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks extremely well-handicapped off 89 and ran well from a bad draw to finish third in the Golden Gates S.

 

Poor Prize-Money 

Few will have sympathy for anyone wealthy enough to own racehorses running at Royal Ascot but the fact that there was only £11,190 on offer for finishing third in the Chesham S. does not make sense.

Royal Ascot is meant to be the biggest stage and connections of Lakota Sioux (Ire) (Sioux Nation), who filled the third spot, deserved more for that effort than what they'd pick up for winning a nursery.

The prize-money in Ireland is not much better, and it couldn't be better illustrated through the former Ger Lyons-trained Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who duly won the $250,000 GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park Stateside on Saturday afternoon.

Masen was a good horse for Lyons, and won a €125,000 premier handicap on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown before picking up just €22,500 for landing the Listed Knockaire S. at that track on his final start in Ireland last term.

Compare that to the $137,500 Masen picked up when successful at Belmont on Saturday, it simply doesn't make sense to keep horses of his standard in training in Ireland where the opportunity to run for big money is elsewhere.

The lure of having runners at these meetings is obviously huge but, when owners are lucky enough to come across horses to run at meetings like Royal Ascot, the prize-money should at least be adequate.

The post The Major Talking Points From Day Five At Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Appleby Quartet Lined Up For Saudi

Trainer Charlie Appleby is preparing a team of four for next weekend's Saudi Cup card: 3-year-olds Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) and Sovereign Prince (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the G3 Saudi Derby, Siskany (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the Red Sea Turf H. and Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the Turf Sprint.

Noble Truth and Sovereign Prince will be trying the dirt for the first time, and Appleby said, “they have never raced on dirt before but judging by what we have seen in their gallops at home, they will have no problems handling it. They have been training on the Marmoom track in Dubai, which has a surface very similar to what they will experience in Saudi. I'm very happy the way they have been training on it.”

Noble Truth, winner of the Listed Flying Scotsman S. in September, has not raced since finishing fourth in the G3 Horris Hill S. in October. He was previously second in the G1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere.

“He was slightly disappointing in the Horris Hill on very soft ground, but he put up such a great performance in the Lagardere [on heavy], it took the edge off him for Newbury,” said Appleby. “He was sent to Dubai in November purposely to be aimed at the Saudi Derby, and if he brings his best 2-year-old form to the race, he'll be a very live contender. He's adapted well since embarking on a more American-style training programme in Dubai since travelling over.”

Sovereign Prince, who broke his maiden at Epsom in September, is two-for-two this season at Meydan, including a most recent win in the Listed Jumeirah Classic going a mile on the turf on Feb. 4.

“He has earned his stripes following two creditable performances at Meydan,” said Appleby. “He's a typical Dubawi in strengthening and moving forward at a rate of knots as he gets more mature. He's had plenty of racing experience in the UK and Dubai.”

The 4-year-old Siskany was likewise a listed winner at Meydan last out, taking the Al Khail Trophy going a mile and six on Jan. 28.

“Siskany was a progressive middle-distance handicapper who showed marked improvement at 2800 metres,” said Appleby. “We are hoping that in stepping up to extreme trips he can take it to another level. He has come out of his last race really well, and the second and third have franked the form by being placed subsequently behind Global Storm at Meydan. We are looking to him to run a big race.”

The 4-year-old Naval Crown, who was fourth in last year's G1 2000 Guineas, looks to give his trainer back-to-back wins in the Turf Sprint, following on from Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) last year. Naval Crown returned from almost six months on the sidelines with a win in the G2 Al Fahidi Fort on Jan. 21.

“We deliberately finished his season early last year to get ready for this,” said Appleby. “He was a model of consistency as a 3-year-old and he has come back in great form. It was a nice performance to win the Al Fahidi Fort and he has come forward for that run.”

The post Appleby Quartet Lined Up For Saudi appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights