UAE | Horse Racing Free Tips

Star Safari Swoops in Dubai Millennium

Star Safari (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) gave trainer Charlie Appleby his third and final win on the card in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. after the earlier success of Bright Melody (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the second race and Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Listed Meydan Classic.

Removed from the early cavalry charge, Star Safari raced last bar two as Halimi (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) motored along at the head of affairs. He began to slowly take closer order 500 metres from home and launched a four-wide bid at the quarter-pole. Star Safari collared new leader Mailshot (Hard Spun) in upper stretch and then fended off the tardy rush of Bedouin's Story (GB) (Farhh {GB}) to his outside for a first black-type score. The winning margin was 1 1/4 lengths, with Halimi staying on for third another length behind.

“He is a pretty lightly raced horse and I really liked what he did tonight,” said William Buick. “It was a very straightforward win for him and he kept fighting all the way to the line. It might not be the best Group 3 around, but they are pretty well-seasoned horses and it was a good performance. He has had three runs this winter here, so I guess they might have one eye on the carnival next winter.”

A winner at Nottingham at two, he only made a single start at three finishing uplaced in a Deauville listed affair that November. Gelded and wwitched to Meydan, a handicap went his way last February, but he was benched once more until taking third in the Listed Zabeel Turf on Jan. 28. He returned to form with an 3/4-length win in another handicap going 2410 metres on Feb. 11.

Pedigree Notes

Star Safari is his sire's 74th black-type winner and broodmare sire Muhtathir (GB) (Elmaamul)'s 11th. His dam, who won twice in France at two and three, produced Star Safari as her first foal, and followed him with the New Approach (Ire) 4-year-old filly Invincible (Ger). Intimhir is a half-sister to German and Italian highweight Sortilege (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire})and French Group 3 winner Soudania (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), making her granddam the hugely influential Broodmare of the Year Sacarina (GB) (Old Vic {GB}). Other foals of Sacarina include the Monsun (Ger) trio of outstanding German and Italian champion and G1 Derman Derby hero Schiaparelli (Ger), his full-brother and fellow German Derby winner Samum (Ger) and their G1 German Oaks-winning sister Salve Regina (Ger). Another full-sister to that trio, the unraced Sanwa (Ger), has already thrown another German Derby winner and promising young sire in Sea The Moon (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Thursday, Meydan, Middle East
DUBAI MILLENNIUM S. (SPONSORED BY GULFNEWS.COM)-G3, $130,000, Meydan, 2-25, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:04.01, gd.
1–STAR SAFARI (GB), 126, g, 5, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Intimhir (Ire), by Muhtathir (GB)
2nd Dam: Sahel (Ger), by Monsun (Ger)
3rd Dam: Sacarina (GB), by Old Vic (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (€200,000 Ylg '17
BBASEP). O-Godolphin; B-Gestut Brummerhof (GB); T-Charlie
Appleby; J-William Buick. $78,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-0-1,
$238,302. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Bedouin's Story (GB), 126, g, 6, Farhh (GB)–Time Crystal
(Ire), by Sadler's Wells. (90,000gns Wlg '15 TATNOV).
O-Godolphin; B-Dukes Stud & Overbury Stallions Ltd (GB);
T-Saeed bin Suroor. $26,000.
3–Halimi (Ire), 126, g, 5, Teofilo (Ire)–Vincennes (GB), by King's
Best. O-Rabbah Racing; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Simon Crisford.
$13,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 3/4.
Also Ran: Dream Castle (GB), Mailshot, Red Cactus, Lucius Tiberius (Ire). Scratched: Royal Marine (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.

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Grass-Centric Carnival Card at Meydan

Turf races rule the day in Thursday's Dubai World Cup Carnival card at Meydan. Each of the quintet of races for Thoroughbreds take place on the grass, with the $195,000 G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy Sponsored by Gulf News the crown jewel.

Held over 2810 metres, the contest drew 2019 race winner and G3 Deutsches St Leger hero Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who anchors the Godolphin brigade. Charlie Appleby's bay has been seen on the racecourse only sparingly, and he was in action only twice last year with a staying on fourth in the Listed Tapster S. at Haydock his best run. Off the board in the Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic when in need of a run on Jan. 21, Ispolini completed the superfecta in the Feb. 4 Listed Meydan Cup over course and distance.

Appleby said of Ispolini,”He needed his first run and ran well second time. They were both handicaps when he has big weights, so on level weights here, he should be thereabouts in a competitive race.”

In front of him that day were Saeed bin Suroor barnmates Volcanic Sky (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}) and Global Heat (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}) in second and third, respectively.

Ismail Mohammed's Away He Goes (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) has given every indication that he is maturing into a force to be reckoned with in the staying division later on in the Carnival. A 2400-metre handicap at Doncaster went his way in September, and the 5-year-old gelding-equal to Ispolini on official ratings of 107–has filled the frame in his two latest runs. Third in the Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic locally going a quarter mile shorter on Jan. 21, he went one better over that trip in a local handicap on Feb. 11.

Mohammed said, “He has run very well both times this year over 2400m and, we hope, the extra 400m is going to be in his favour.”

The G3 Dubai Millennium S. is conducted over 2000 metres, and, although light on experience, the three-time winner Star Safari (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) looms one of the main protagonists. Listed placed two back in the Zabeel Turf on Jan. 28, the Charlie Appleby trainee stalked and pounced to win a local handicap over 2410 metres on this course on Feb. 11.

“He ran well on his comeback after 11 months off and won nicely last time,” said Appleby, who is seeking a fourth consecutive winner and a fifth edition in six years. “That was only his sixth career start and returning to 2000m should not be an issue.”

Three more Godolphin runners hail from the Saeed bin Suroor barn, with recent G2 Singspiel S. third and 2019 G1 Jebel Hatta victor Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) booked in stall seven and stablemate Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven's Pass), who won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in 2018, next to him in gate eight.

Simon Crisford's Halimi (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) returns off of three weeks' rest. The SP Rabbah Racing colourbearer was fourth in the Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic on Jan. 21 and was outfooted throughout the Listed Meydan Cup going a half-mile longer on Feb. 4.

Meydan's third race is the 1600-metre Listed Meydan Classic on grass. Top of the heap on ratings at 112 is the well-hyped Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the Godolphin/Charlie Appleby axis. The colt, who holds Classic entries in the Irish 2000 Guineas/Irish Derby, overcame a rough break to win the G2 Superlative S. last summer. Stepped up to Group 1 company, the son of G1 French 1000 Guineas bridesmaid Firth of Lorne (Ire) (Danehill) was fourth in the National S. at The Curragh when last seen on Sept. 13.

“Master of the Seas is the class horse in the race, but as I said to the whole team, the focus is very much on Europe and pointing him toward the Guineas,” said Appleby. “He's had a long time off and he's going out there to hopefully get a nice experience, but whatever he does, he'll improve a lot for it. He was very keen in the National S. and did it the wrong way around, so I'd like to see him get into a nice rhythm and see the race out, doing it the right way around, with very much an eye on Europe.”

His stablemate, MGSP Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), has finished third in three consecutive Group 3 races, including in the Feb. 4 G3 UAE 2000 Guineas and should come forward from that effort.

Fawzi Nass saddles first-out winner Mayehaab (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Successful by a length over Yurman (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) in a 1700-metre Meydan maiden affair on Feb. 13, the chestnut breaks from the rail.

The evening's nightcap is the over-subscribed Listed Meydan Challenge over 1400 metres also on grass, with Godolphin's Well of Wisdom (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) signed on to tote a field-leading 136 pounds. The MGSP Charlie Appleby trainee captured the 2020 Listed Meydan Classic last February, as well as a June 13 Sandown handicap in successive starts. Off the board in the G1 Prix Jean Prat after making the early running in July, he rebounded with a listed win at Deauville in August. After an unplaced finish in the G3 Prix Daphnis there on Aug. 22, he was gelded and Feb. 25 is his first start back.

Saeed bin Suroor sends out Light and Dark (GB) (Shamardal), who won a Kempton all-weather handicap going this trip on Oct. 7. Listed winner Escobar (Ire) (Famous Name {GB}) has not enjoyed the best luck of late, and, although he ran third in both the G2 Lennox S. and G3 Supreme S. both at Goodwood last summer, the David O'Meara trainee has posted three successive off the board finishes, including the Feb. 18 G2 Zabeel Mile.

Charlie Hills's Fleeting Prince (Ire) (No Nay Never) appears to be improving at the right time and made up some late ground to take third in the Listed Dubai Sprint on Feb. 4 for a career best, one better than Could Be King (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) for Ken Condon.

Click here to view the group fields.

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Secret Ambition, Kimbear Renew Rivalry In Dubai This Thursday

Old rivals Secret Ambition and Kimbear spark anew their competitive relationship this Thursday in the Group 3 $130,000 Firebreak Stakes at Meydan Racecourse. Rated 109 and 108, respectively, the pair have faced off seven times, dating back to the 2018 Burj Nahaar (G3) when RRR Racing's (HH Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi) Kimbear defeated Nasir Askar's runner-up Secret Ambition.

In four of their seven meetings, they have finished adjacent on the results chart, including three one-two finishes. All in all, Kimbear has a 4-3 lead on his friendly foe.

“He's a nice horse and has always been great to train,” trainer Doug Watson said of Kimbear. “He drew the rail and we are putting the visor on him for the first time, so we'll likely go forward with him. He doesn't need the lead, but having the visor and the one-hole definitely gives away that we have to be up there. He needed that last race and that should have set him up for this. I'd like to think he will run well if all goes to plan and I hope he runs a good race.”

Overall, Kimbear has a record of 24-4-7-4 and has not won since the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 13 months ago—a race in which he defeated Secret Ambition and North America by a pair of noses. He exits his first race in 10.5 months when an uninspired eighth of 11 in a defense attempt. Pat Dobbs will be aboard, as he has been in all 14 of his UAE starts.

Satish Seemar-trained Secret Ambition enters off a respectable second in the Jebel Ali Mile (G3) as the market favorite and wheels back on just 13 days. He must shake off his 'seconditis' to win on Thursday, as he has finished thus in four of his past five tries. Overall, the 8-year-old son of Exceed and Excel seeks his 10th victory in what will be his 40th start and breaks from the outside post in the sextet with leading rider Tadhg O'Shea.

“Secret Ambition is in good form,” said Bhupat Seemar, assistant trainer. “Hopefully he's recovered well from the Jebel Ali Mile. He doesn't have the best of draws in six out of six, but he was second in this last year (to Capezzano) and Secret Ambition never runs a bad race. With a bit of luck, he should win or be right there.”

Capezzano's trainer Salem bin Ghadayer starts Matterhorn, unraced since romping in the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 in March. The son of Raven's Pass has won nine of 22 and was third in this last year. Mickael Barzalona has the mount once again, with their only partnering being his last-out career-best performance. He leads the ratings at 113.

Multiple G3 winner Trancaferro (rated 106) will hope to continue the top form of Uruguayan trainer Antonio Cintra, who won last week's Al Bastakiya Trial with El Patriota. A stakes winner from 1800m to 2400m, Trancaferro will be traversing a trip below his optimal under Bernardo Pinheiro.

Hypothetical (97) has a great deal to find on ratings for the same Fazza Racing team as Matterhorn and exits a disappointing fourth in the Jebel Ali Mile. Oasis Charm (100) makes his dirt debut and appears to be using the race as a fitness builder for a turf return.

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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.”

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