Promising sophomores to battle in Meydan Racecourse’s six-race card

Racing at Meydan on Saturday may not be a Dubai World Cup Carnival card, but does feature a pair of handicaps and an eye-catching 3-year-old maiden to be contested by horses whose connections will still harbour aspirations of qualifying for the ultra-valuable international showcase for which a handicap mark of 90 is the requisite.

Sophomores still looking to nail down that elusive victory before plunging into DWC Carnival stakes company will clash in perhaps the most intriguing race of the day, a 1600m maiden that has produced the likes of subsequent 2018 Al Bastakiya (Listed) winner Yulong Warrior.

Well-bred and highly regarded American Pharoah daughter Rawwani gets another chance to live up to her pedigree after faltering to a well-beaten debut in December for Doug Watson, while Satish Seemar-trained Buwardy will try to improve upon his pair of placings from three tries. Others worth watching are well-bred Street Sense son Oktalgano, who makes his debut for Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and trainer Salem Bin Ghadayer and Godolphin’s underachieving Kodiac colt Colour Image for Saeed bin Suroor.

A 1200m turf handicap, the Emirates NBD Private Banking, looks particularly competitive with the maximum field allowed of 16 set to face the starter. The weights are headed by the classy Haalick, currently rated 89. Owned by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 7-year-old gelded son of Roderic O’Connor, has only had 13 runs, starting his career as a juvenile with a 1400m debut victory at Haydock in July 2015, following that by finishing second in the 1400m Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster. Then trained by Roger Varian, the following year he made a winning return, over 1400m on the Lingfield all-weather, in the Listed Spring Cup Stakes, but in nine subsequent outings has not won again. He made his local debut, in February 2017, when beaten just over three lengths in the Listed HH The President Cup over 1400m at Abu Dhabi, but has not built on that promising effort and has clearly not been easy to train. Tackling the shortest trip over which he has ever raced, this will be his first start for Satish Seemar, his fourth trainer since arriving locally.

“He is a nice horse and seems in good form at home,” O’Shea said. “It looks very competitive, but we hope the straight track at Meydan will suit him and this looks a good spot to get him back on turf. Hopefully, his career on track.”

Seemar actually saddles four with Harry Bentley riding the same owner’s Yalawin, Zabeel Stables’ apprentice Sean Kirrane aboard Speedy Move and stable jockey Richie Mullen opting to partner Being There.

A 5-year-old Dubawi gelding, Mullen’s choice will be having just his second outing for current connections, having won one of his five British racecourse forays for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, which was over 1400m in a Newmarket maiden as a juvenile in July 2017. Beaten on his first start in the colours of Mohd Khaleel Ahmed in a 1400m dirt handicap four weeks ago, returning from an absence of 583 days, he too has never run over a trip this short.

The following 1600m dirt handicap, for which 15 have been declared, also provides a stepping stone towards the carnival with the versatile Craving among those seeking to take advantage of it. Trained by Simon Crisford for Sultan Ali, the 5-year-old Equiano entire, a winner once in Britain in a 1600m maiden on the Southwell Fibresand in March 2018, made a successful local debut at Jebel Ali over 1600m in January last year. A further victory, over that same course and distance, followed in March his penultimate run of last season and he started this campaign with a narrow victory, again over 1600m, but this time on the Abu Dhabi turf a fortnight ago.

From three UAE Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum runners, Jim Crowley has opted to ride Mayaadeen for Doug Watson. The 5-year-old entire by Invincible Spirit seeking to follow up a 1400m Meydan dirt victory of a month ago. For the same owner, Dane O’Neill, like Crowley retained by Sheikh Hamdan, has chosen Moqarrar, a course and distance winner on just his second start for Erwan Charpy last season.

Course and distance winners among the 15 include Mark of Approval, the mount of Antonio Fresu for Mahmood Hussain and Sayed Hashish, Mohd Khalifa Al Basti’s Trenchard, representing the Doug Watson and Pat Dobbs combination, as well as Mister Parma, who has the benefit of apprentice Sean Kirrane’s 3kgs claim and trained by Seemar for The Parmar Family.

It should be noted that the first race, of six, is scheduled to commence at an earlier than normal start time with the starting stalls due to open at 3pm.