Benbatl Shines in Dirt Debut at Meydan

Dirt debutant Benbatl oozed class to record a smooth victory Feb. 6 in the Al Maktoum Challenge R2 Sponsored By Mubadala (G2) at Meydan.

It was a 12th win in the race for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, whose previous winners Moon Ballad and Thunder Snow went on to land the Dubai World Cup Presented by Emirates Airline (G1).

With the retirement of the latter—the only two-time World Cup winner—Godolphin was seeking a new contender, and in Benbatl they appear to have found one.

A three-time group 1 winner on turf, the 6-year-old son of Dubawi was always going well before powering clear early in the straight, winning the race in a matter of strides under Christophe Soumillon.

"I was keen to educate him about dirt racing and, apart from having to make him change leads, he's done everything naturally," Soumillon said. "I was always traveling strongly. He seemed happy on the surface and then really quickened when I asked. We knew he was a very good horse and now we know he can handle the dirt so it gives the owners and trainer a lot of exciting options."

The UAE Two Thousand Guineas Sponsored By Masdar (G3) went to the U.S. with William Buick and trainer Doug O'Neill combining to land the classic with Reddam Racing's impressive Fore Left. Despite being drawn in stall 14 of the 16 runners, Buick was able to get to the front on Fore Left, and it was apparent the pair would take some catching. 

It was a first 2020 carnival winner for O'Neill, who has a sizeable team based at Meydan this year and won the 2007 Etisalat Godolphin Mile (G1) with Spring At Last.

O'Neill was denied a quick double in the following listed Dubai Sprint when R3 Racing and Calara Farms' Blitzkrieg was unable to get past Rusumaat, trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri for Sheikh Hamdan and completing a double for the owner's second jockey, Dane O'Neill.

The Meydan Classic Trial Sponsored by Sanad Aerotech Stakes was earlier won by Dane O'Neill aboard Bella Fever. It was a welcome winner for South African Mike de Kock, who remains the carnival's most successful international trainer despite a few quiet seasons.

Woven landed the first division of the seven-furlong turf handicap for trainer David Simcock, shooting up the rail to lead just over a furlong out under Harry Bentley and having enough to deny Godolphin's Yattwee. It was just a second career win for Simcock's runner and a first since September 2018 at York.