$6 million Dubai Turf (G1) sponsored by DP World
Majestic Mambo—Majestic Mambo, trained by South African Mike de Kock, is having just his second start for the yard. Last out, he finished sixth to Dream Castle in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta over the Dubai Turf’s 1800m turf trip.
“That was a very good run,” De Kock said. “He needed that race badly and had a really good blow afterwards. Three weeks on, he is now much straighter, but it is a very strong race.”
In the same race, De Kock also saddles Yulong Prince who will be having his first start for the trainer.
He added: “He actually beat Majestic Mambo when he last ran, but that was in June, so he has been off 300 days, which is certainly not ideal.”
Mountain Hunter—Godolphin’s Mountain Hunter, a dual handicap winner at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, steps up markedly in class to join stablemate Dream Castle. Both are trained by Saeed bin Suroor, whose six victories in the race is a record.
Bin Suroor said: “Dream Castle won the Group 1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday and has progressed throughout the Carnival. Mountain Hunter has also been doing well and we were keen to step him up to a big race like this to see how he gets on.”
Without Parole—As a mist descended over Meydan racecourse at 5:20 a.m. on Friday, Frankie Dettori and Royal Ascot winner Without Parole disappeared from view on the grass track.
Five minutes later, the partnership reappeared to make their way to the stable exit. Dettori said: “That was challenging. At least I got round, although I had to drop my goggles because they misted over.”
Dettori was renewing his acquaintance with Without Parole for the first time since the 4-year-old completed his final piece of strong work in the United Kingdom a fortnight ago with an away-day to Chelmsford racecourse.
“I’m very happy with him and the ground is riding good, which will suit him,” said Dettori, who remains the most successful jockey at the world’s richest single race day with 19 winners to his name.
Trainer John Gosden, who was joined for the first time this week by Without Parole’s two owners John and Tanya Gunther, joked: “Thank goodness Frankie knows his way round this racecourse or we might not have seen him again!”
On a more serious note, Gosden reflected on Without Parole’s dip in form after winning the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
“He wasn’t happy on the ground at Goodwood on his next outing and was over the top when he ran at Longchamp in September,” Gosden said. “We’ve given him a good break. He runs well fresh. Although we’re taking on probably the best filly in the world, I’m sure he’s back to his best.”
$2.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) sponsored by Gulf News
Nine Below Zero—British import Nine Below Zero won the Al Naboodah Handicap in January and went down by just a neck on his latest start behind Drafted.
“He is a gutsy little fellow and I think he’ll run his heart out again,” said trainer Fawzi Nass. “Roy H coming out is obviously a help and it also gets us one closer to the inside as well.”
Roy H—Trainer Peter Miller happily reported that champion Sprinter Roy H, whom he had to withdraw from the Dubai Golden Shaheen on Thursday because of an abscess in the gelding’s left front foot, was much improved by Friday morning and now will be well enough to board the scheduled flight home to the USA with the rest of the California-based contingent of horses next week.
“I was very, very worried about him,” Miller said. “Since we were able to treat him after the decision was made not to run and get corrective shoes on him, he’s so much better. I’m very relieved. Now he’ll be able to make that flight and we’re very happy to be able to fly him home with our other three horses who are running Saturday. The plane leaves April 4.”
$2.5 million UAE Derby (G2) sponsored by The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group
Jahbath—William Haggas has made every possible effort to get Jahbath ready for his big engagement, fitting in four consecutive wins in lower-key events on artificial surfaces during the British winter. The colt has stretched his legs on the dirt track every day this week, having another light canter on Friday after a stronger stretch on Thursday, but the event itself is an unknown.
“It’s an impossible race for a European horse to win,” Haggas said. “He has shown good form on the all-weather at home and he has at least won at Southwell, which is as close a surface to dirt as we have at home, but it all depends on how he jumps from the gate, and whether he can travel well for Jim Crowley.”
Swift Rose—Godolphin’s Swift Rose caught close home when second in the UAE Oaks (G3) five weeks ago, takes her chance in the UAE Derby sponsored by Saeed and Mohammed Al Nabooda Group over the same 1900m on dirt.
Her trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, said: “We were very pleased with Swift Rose’s second in the UAE Oaks when the trip suited her. Hopefully she can get a good position early on, as she did on that occasion.”
$1.5 million Godolphin Mile (G2) sponsored by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City—District One
Ibn Malik—Trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri has just one runner on the card, Ibn Malik in the Godolphin Mile sponsored by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City—District One and one of two in the race owned by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. His retained jockey, Jim Crowley, opts to ride Muntazah for Doug Watson.
Al Mheiri said: “He is working nicely, has shown he goes on the dirt and that he stays 1600m. Hopefully he can go well. Obviously, it is a tough race.”
Major Partnership—Godolphin’s Major Partnership will be making his dirt debut. Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said: “He won on turf during the carnival and shows plenty of speed in his races, so we hope he will cope with the dirt. It is a tough race, but a chance to see how he goes on the surface.”
Musawaat—A two-time winner, Musawaat is still seeking a first success since joining Fawzi Nass from Charlie Hills, but showed some promise on his first start of the year to finish third in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar earlier this month. Last year, he finished fourth behind Heavy Metal, Muntazah and Adirato and will face the first two again.
Nass said: “Musawaat is drawn very wide, but that didn’t stop him the last time from having a good run after a long break. Hopefully he’ll be sharper this time. We brought him to Meydan on Tuesday morning to do their fast piece of work and he has just been doing slow canters here in Al Quoz since then.”
$1.5 million Dubai Gold Cup (G2) sponsored Al Tayer Motors
Marinaresco—Mike de Kock runs Group 1 winner Marinaresco in the 3200m Dubai Gold Cup, stepping up intensely in trip.
“We are stepping him up in distance, but he was staying on well over 2400m last time, so we are hopeful he will stay,” De Kock said.
Team Talk and Red Galileo—The longest and newest race on the Dubai World Cup card, the 3200m Dubai Gold Cup, has been won four times by horses trained by Saeed bin Suroor and he saddles both Team Talk and Red Galileo this year.
“We are happy with both,” Bin Suroor said. “It is a new trip for Team Talk, but we think it will suit him, whereas Red Galileo is a regular in these races and has been running well.”
$1 million Dubai Kahayla Classic (G1) sponsored by Mubadala
AF Maher and AF Al Sajanjle—A dual UAE champion trainer already and leading the way this season, Ernst Oertel saddles both AF Maher and AF Al Sajanjle in the only Purebred Arabian race on the card, the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic sponsored by Mubadala. Both are homebred by Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, virtually guaranteed to be champion owner locally this season.
“It was great to give Mr. Al Nabooda a first Group 1 winner when AF Maher landed the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge,” Oertel said: “Tadhg O’Shea has stuck with AF Maher, but both, we hope, can run big races and seem in great form. We are looking forward to Saturday.”