Ruling Court, Raging Torrent, Choisya and Soul Rush (pictured) are just four of the Meydan Racecourse winners going for Group 1 glory on a huge weekend of international racing.
In the UK, the two-day Derby Festival gets underway on at Epsom on Friday, with the Coronation Cup the first of two Group 1 races on the card. Three Meydan graduates take their chance, headed by the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up Calandagan, who looks for his first G1 success for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.
Another familiar name in the line-up is the Marco Bott-trained Giavellotto, who has run at three Dubai World Cup meetings, finishing fifth in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic on his latest attempt, while Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous joins the fray after a disappointing run in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
“I thought he ran well in Dubai, even though I was too far back,” said Oisin Murphy, who rides Giavellotto. “I really like his chances as I think that track will suit him, although I hope we don’t get too much rain.”
On Saturday, Epsom stages the highly prestigious G1 Derby, in which Ruling Court will attempt to become the first 2000 Guineas winner to follow up in this race since Camelot in 2012. The Charlie Appleby-trained colt burst onto the scene with an emphatic win in the Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas at Meydan in March and held off some smart rivals when winning the Newmarket equivalent last month. He must step up 400metres in trip from Newmarket, but Appleby believes he is now a more mature individual.
“Ruling Court was a different horse at Newmarket with his temperament around the paddock compared to when he ran in the UAE [Jumeirah] Guineas,” he said. “I believe that when you’ve got good horses like that, sometimes they haven’t really got to stay a true mile and a half. At Epsom you’ve got to be able to travel.”
Over in America, Saratoga stages the Belmont Stakes Festival. Choisya, winner of the G2 Cape Verdi and Balanchine for the Simon and Ed Crisford team, goes for her second G1 in the Just A Game Stakes, having won the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April.
“She travelled over really well and has been doing super since she arrived.” said Ed Crisford from New York. “In terms of the race, it’s high quality again and the fillies who finished second and third to her [in the Jenny Wiley] have an allowance, so [runner-up] Excellent Truth gets 6lbs. That is quite significant for a race like this, but nevertheless we’ve seen her improve all winter in Dubai and Keeneland. If she improves again, she’ll be right there.
“She’s drawn nine, so hopefully she can jump and get a good position and we’ll see how we go.”
The Belmont Stakes itself has attracted a field of eight. Heart Of Honor somewhat flies the UAE flag, having spent five months based at Meydan, a spell which culminated in second in the G2 UAE Derby. Jamie Osborne’s colt followed that up with a fifth in the G1 Preakness and now takes on Journalism, winner of that race, and Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in the big one.
The Jim and Claire Bryce-owned colt will be ridden by Saffie Osborne, who hasn’t lost faith in her mount.
“It’s a very tough field with top-class horses, but I think he’s a very good horse,” she said. “He kind of fluffed his lines a little bit in the Preakness and I hope he can take a step forward from that.”
Also on Saturday, a five-strong line-up for the G1 Metropolitan Handicap includes Raging Torrent, winner of the G2 Godolphin Mile last turned out. Doug O’Neill’s four-year-old takes on fellow G1 winners Fierceness and White Abarrio in what looks a fascinating contest.
Later, a field of nine for the G1 Manhattan Handicap contains Highland Robber, who bounced back from a disappointing run in the G2 Dubai City of Gold on Emirates Super Saturday with a third to the reopposing Spirit Of St Louis in the G1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs last time out.
In Japan on Sunday, G1 Dubai Turf winner Soul Rush runs in the G1 Yasuda Kinen, which was won a year ago by Romantic Warrior, second to Soul Rush in the Turf.
It will be the Yasutoshi Ikee-trained seven-year-old’s fourth run in this race but he is in the form of his life, according to Hashiguchi, assistant to Ikee, who oversees his training.
“His finishing kick has improved with age,” he told NetKeiba. “He was a bit soft when he came back [from Dubai], but he’s been training well and is in great shape.”