Pair of Guineas Trials on Tap at Meydan
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Horses with classic aspirations will be tested Jan. 16 at Meydan Racecourse in a pair of trials for United Arab Emirates One and Two Thousand Guineas next month.
Dubai Duty Free sponsors the six-race card worth combined purses of $640,000 at second meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, which also features the listed $150,000 Dubawi Stakes for sprinters.
Kentucky-based AmWest Entertainment will deliver the card for wagering to North and South America, and HRTV will broadcast the card live, starting at 9:30 a.m. EST.
The $75,000 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas Trial at 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) drew a full field of 14 and four also-eligible entrants.
Godolphin is well-represented with three experienced runners. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor sends out highly regarded Emirates Flyer and trainer Charlie Appleby saddles Figure of Speech and Safety Check.
Emirates Flyer, a British-bred son of Acclamation, is a winner of two of six career starts and has placed second in a trio of stakes, including the 2013 Solario Stakes (Eng-III), in which he was two lengths behind early English Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) favorite Kingman last summer at Sandown.
Figure of Speech, a Darley-bred son of Invincible Spirit, has one win from eight starts but has finished second twice in two group races in England: on the turf in the July Stakes (Eng-II) at Newmarket and the Siriena Stakes (Eng-III) in September on the all-weather track at Kempton.
Safety Check, a son of Dubawi, has a 3-2-0 record from nine starts and finished second on heavy turf in the Silver Tankard Stakes in October at Pontefract in his previous start.
Trainer Mike de Kock hopes to have candidates for this year's U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas in trial entrants Full Combat and Journeyman.
Wilgerbosdrift Ltd.'s Journeyman, a son of former leading Florida sire Trippi , is lightly raced. From two career outings, he owns a debut win and a third-place finish in a group II stakes April 28 in his native South Africa.
"Journeyman is probably only going to be ready in time for the Two Thousand Guineas, but we are hoping to have him ready earlier," de Kock told Gulf News.
Full Combat, a Go Deputy colt owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Matoum, has a 1-1-1 record from four starts and will race for the first time since finishing seventh in the Durban Golden Horseshoe (SAf-I) last July at Greyville in his stakes debut.
"Full Combat is a real hard-knocker and we think he'll stay nine to 10 furlongs," de Kock told Gulf News.
Trainer Patrick Shanahan is represented by Thistle Bloodstock's highly rated maiden Dolce N Karama, a son of The Carbon Unit, who was fourth in the Racing Post Trophy (Eng-I) Oct. 26 last time out.
The $250,000 U.A.E Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-III) is set for Feb. 13.
Download the past performances for the U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas Trial.
Appleby and de Kock each have a pair of fillies in the 10-horse field for the $75,000 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas Trial, also at 1,400 meters ahead of the listed main event, which offers a $250,000 purse Feb. 6.
De Kock sends out a pair of Dubawi fillies in Magrooma and Magroora, both maiden winners owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum.
Appleby has three-time winner Autumn Lilly, a Street Cry filly, for Godolphin as well as three-time winner Wedding Ring, a daughter of Oasis Dream who is twice stakes-placed, including her third in the Sweet Solera Stakes (Eng-III) last summer at Newmarket. She comes into the trial with two successive wins at Newmarket last fall.
Download the past performances for the U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas Trial.
Last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-I) winner Reynaldothewizard takes on 2012 winner Krypton Factor in the $150,000 Dubawi Stakes.
Run at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) on the all-weather, the event is prep for the $200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint (UAE-III), a Jan. 30 race that serves as a springboard to $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-I) on the Dubai World Cup card March. 29.
A Kentucky-bred son of Speightstown , Reynaldothewizard is set to race for the first time since taking the Golden Shaheen by a neck from Balmont Mast last March, 290 days ago.
"He is not a horse you can race too much and only had three runs before the Golden Shaheen last year and that could well be the case again," jockey Richard Mullen said of Satish Seemar-trained Reynaldothewizard. "He seems in great form at home and I am looking forward to getting him back on the track."
Locally trained Krypton Factor, a Kyllachy gelding trained by Bahraini Fazwi Nass, was third in that race in seeking back-to-back wins. He is without a victory in eight starts since capturing the 2012 edition by 2 1/4 lengths from Singapore star Rocket Man.
Derek Iceton and trainer Edward Lynam's Balmont Mast, by Balmont, also is among the 10-horse field.
Download the past performances for the Dubawi Stakes.
Download Pat's Picks for Dubai World Cup Carnival Thursday, January 16, 2014.
More information on the Dubai World Cup Carnival, including entries, past performance data, selections, videos, and more, is available at www.amwestentertainment.com.