Heart of Honor, Rebel's Romance on Super Saturday Card

Super Saturday Feb. 28 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai is the final local proving ground for Dubai World Cup (G1) night a month later, and some of the heavyweights in training for that extravaganza will be on display, notably Heart of Honor  and Rebel's Romance , both familiar to American racing fans.

Case in point: The Al Maktoum Classic (G2), a 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) test for the World Cup itself, featuring Heart of Honor against nine rivals with varied sets of credentials.

Heart of Honor, a 4-year-old Honor A. P.   gelding, had a heartbreaking 2025 Dubai campaign for owners Jim and Claire Bryce and the father-daughter, trainer-jockey team of Jamie and Saffie Osborne. After a pair of early wins, he finished second in three straight races, culminating in a loss, by a nose, to Admire Daytona  in the UAE Derby (G2). While Admire Daytona went to Louisville, Ky., to finish last in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Heart of Honor passed that race, then finished fifth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and sixth in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Returning in Dubai as a gelding for the 2025-26 Carnival, Heart of Honor was an easy winner in his first two starts at Meydan but then came up short in the Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) Jan. 23, reporting third. He'll have to improve on that against the likes of Mendelssohn Bay , one of three entered by trainer Bhupat Seemar. A few of the rivals, however, could dial back in distance for the Godolphin Mile (G2) on World Cup night.

"It's a fascinating contest for sure," Jamie Osborne said. "Almost certainly a pivotal race for us. I believe he (Heart of Honor) marginally underperformed last time and I'm looking forward to seeing a sharper effort from him this week. ... On all known evidence, the return to 2,000 meters can only be in our favor. We are realistically hopeful."

The Burj Nahar, at 1,600 meters (about 1 mile), would seem a more obvious prep for the Godolphin Mile. Commissioner King , formerly Saudi-based, looks to have the edge in an otherwise competitive field.

Dubai's top dirt sprinters line up for the Mahab Al Shimaal (G3) at 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), a prep for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). Tuz  capped a five-race winning streak in this event in 2025, then got home third in the Golden Shaheen, won by Dark Saffron , who also figures in this field. The latter, however, has failed to hit the board in any of his last four starts during this season's Carnival.

"Tuz is great. I'm happier more than anyone to have him back," said regular rider Tadhg O'Shea. "He's like a catapult at the moment. He's ready to go and is going around the track like a 2-year-old."

World Record , a United States graded stakes winner for Rodolphe Brisset in 2025, makes his 2026 debut, now running out of Seemar's yard. This is his first start following his sale at the 2025 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale, where RRR Racing purchased him for $900,000 out of the ELiTE consignment.

On the turf

Rebel's Romance, last seen finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, makes his 8-year-old debut in the Dubai City of Gold (G2T) at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles). The Godolphin stalwart started 2025 by winning the H.H. The Amir Trophy (G3) in Doha, then finished fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T). He went on to win four of six subsequent starts, including the Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1) at Hoppegarten and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) before the Breeders' Cup.

If Rebel's Romance is ready to fire off the bench at his advanced age, he should find this race eminently winnable. The Sheema Classic, as always, will be a tougher assignment.

"Rebel's Romance returns to Dubai in great shape," trainer Charlie Appleby told Dubai Racing Club. "He is 8 now but you couldn't knock his performances last season and he appears to have retained all his enthusiasm throughout the winter. I'm hoping that he can show us once again what he can do and everyone can appreciate what a great racehorse he is."

The return of Dubai horses from Saudi Arabia commences with Burdett Road , who tackles the City of Gold off a ninth-place finish in the Red Sea Turf Handicap (G2T) in Riyadh Feb. 14.

The Singspiel Stakes (G2T) is run at 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) and previews the Dubai Turf (G1T) on World Cup night. The latter usually is one of the most hotly contested races on the global schedule.

The Singspiel should be a contentious little event in its own right. The eight declarations include consistent graded stakes performer Alakazi , returning from a four-month layoff after a third-place finish in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) on Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse; Holloway Boy , second in this race last year; Quddwah , winner of the Zabeel Mile (G2T) in January; and Dividend, stepping up after two straight wins at Meydan.

Sixteen turf sprinters are entered for the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint at 1,200 meters—a straight run down the long Meydan Racecourse chute into the stretch. This race used to favor horses on the stands side of the course but that bias seems to have diminished.