Firebreak Stakes and UAE 2000 Guineas highlight carnival meet

The third meeting of the 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival (DWCC) at Meydan on Thursday evening, six races sponsored by Pillar Partners DP World, is highlighted by the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes and the second Classic of the season, the UAE 2000 Guineas.

A select field of six has been declared for the Group 3 $130,000 Firebreak Stakes 1600m, sponsored by DP World UAE region, and Secret Ambition will be hoping to go one better in a race he has finished second in both the two most recent renewals.

Trained by Satish Seemar for Nasir Askar, the 8-year Exceed And Excel entire has been a model of consistency throughout the vast majority of his UAE career. Victories in the January 2019 Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile and Listed Dubai Creek Mile of the same year are obvious highlights, but as well as twice finishing second in this race, he has also filled the same berth in this season’s renewals of both the aforementioned races when seeking repeat victories.

Assistant trainer Bhupat Seemar said: “He is in good form and training well. The Jebel Ali Mile was only 13 days ago, but he seems to have recovered well.

“Drawn widest of all in six is probably not ideal, but he has run well in this before and never has a bad race. With luck, he is going to at least go close.”

For Doug Watson, Kimbear is an old adversary for Secret Ambition; when the latter won the 2019 Dubai Creek Mile Watson’s charge chased him home before Kimbear exacted revenge in the 2020 Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1, over the same 1600m.

The pair have actually clashed seven times with Kimbear finishing ahead of Secret Ambition in four of those meetings. A son of Temple City, Watson’s 7-year-old entire, representing RRR Racing, was well beaten on his seasonal return, attempting to defend his Al Maktoum Challenge R1 crown, but better is expected from Pat Dobbs’ mount.

Watson said: “He needed that first run, probably more than we realised, but is training very well and seems in great form.

“We have put a visor on him so, being drawn one, I guess we will have to be quite positive and go forward. We are expecting him to run a big race.” The Uruguayan team assembled by Antonio Cintra Pereira has performed admirably thus far at the 2021 carnival, highlighted by last week’s victory of El Patriota, so the trainer’s Trancaferro cannot be safely ignored. The mount of Bernardo Pinheiro, the 4-year-old has won five times but not above Listed company.

Cintra Pereira said: “He is a very nice horse, but this is a strong race over a trip probably short of his optimum. He has settled in very well though and should run a nice race.” However, Salem bin Ghadayer, who won the race last year with Capezzano and in 2018 with Heavy Metal, looks to have a very strong hand with two runners for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, also owner of Heavy Metal.

That owner/trainer combination are represented this time by Hypothetical, a course and distance handicap winner on his UAE debut, and Matterhorn, the choice of Mickael Barzalona.

Barzalona’s mount, third in this last year on his UAE bow, has not been seen in public since, on his only subsequent start, slamming Saudi Cup hopeful, Military Law in the 2000m Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 on Super Saturday 2020.

The main support race, the second Classic of the season, the 1600m Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas, sponsored by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, has also attracted a field of six.

Interestingly, Charlie Appleby has not aimed the course and distance trial winner, Rebel’s Romance at this, but does run dirt debutant Naval Crown.

Highest rated of the sextet, the 3-year-old homebred Dubawi colt has a 1400m York maiden victory, on his third start, to his name after five outings. However, after that success, he was twice placed in Group Three company in France, his two most recent outings.