Jack Hobbs, Vivlos Score on the Turf at Meydan

Godolphin’s Jack Hobbs struck the front in midstretch and pulled away to an impressive victory in the $6 million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) March 25 at Meydan Racecourse.

The 5-year-old son of Halling scored by 2 1/4 lengths over Seventh Heaven in the 2,410-meter (about 1 1/2 miles) turf race that was run over soggy conditions. The finishing time was 2:32.39.

Trained by John Gosden and ridden by William Buick, Jack Hobbs scored his most significant win since the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1). The win was his fifth from 10 starts. He made only two starts in 2016, with a third-place finish in Ascot’s QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) to his credit.

Favored Highland Reel went to the front in the Sheema Classic and set a leisurely early tempo, which included an opening quarter mile in :28.7. He was tracked by Postponed early on. After a mile, Postponed went to challenge Highland Reel, but both frontrunners were swallowed up by Jack Hobbs in the select seven-horse cast. Postponed held for third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Seventh Heaven.

Gosden is the first non-retained Godolphin trainer to saddle a Dubai World Cup night winner for the owner.

 

"This is a real family affair for Sheikh Mohammed and I am delighted for everyone," Gosden said. "The horse picked up an injury last year and we couldn't do much with him but his form at Ascot at the back-end was rock solid with Almanzor and Found.

 

"I put semi-blinkers on the horse tonight just to make him concentrate. He has had so much time off that he forgets he is a racehorse and it looking around at who is in the boxes in the stands. He is in no way un-genuine but he was dreaming at Ascot and I just wanted to concentrate his mind."

Godolphin chief executive John Ferguson added: "This is a great credit to John Gosden and his team and two years ago they made a plan to bring this horse here for this race as a 5-year-old, and they have stuck to the plan."

The winner is out of the Swain mare Swain’s Gold and was bred in Great Britian by Minster Stud. He was a $100,498 Tattersalls October yearling in 2013.

In the $6 million Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1), Japan-based filly Vivlos (JPN) rallied outside through the stretch to secure a half-length victory over males.

With the win, Japan-based horses have claimed three of the past four editions of the Dubai Turf.

After group 1 winner Ribchester struck first to take the lead in early stretch, he was passed by longshot group 2 winner Heshem, but Vivlos and jockey Joao Moreira were closing most powerfully outside those two as they claimed victory in the about 1 1/8-mile race. Heshem held second, a half-length better than Ribchester, with favorite Zarak in fourth.

Trained by Yasuo Tomomichi for owner Kazuhiro Sasaki, the lightly raced Vivlos claimed the second stakes win of her career. She closed out 2016 by winning the Shuka Sho (G1) against females in Japan.

Bred in Japan by Northern Racing, Vivlos is a 4-year-old daughter of Deep Impact.

Hong Kong's champion jockey Moreira, enjoying the third win of his career on the world's richest race meeting, was overjoyed with the performance by Vivlos.

"She was brilliant," he said. "From the time that I sat on top of her on Friday, she gave me the feel that she was going to be very competitive. She was probably one of the lightest horses in the race. If the ground was soft, which is probably what the people were thinking about, she wasn't sinking (into the turf) the most. I think that is why she was able to let down and was able to get there.

 

"Good horses make a jockey's life easier. She made the job very easy for me today. We were travelling nice and when I took her out and she had daylight, she was strong to the line." 

 

Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who was saddling his first runner at the meeting, added: "She travelled very well from Japan and she was very relaxed in Dubai. She relaxed again in the back of the field and quickened very well. It kept raining but the ground wasn't too soft, which suited her."

In other turf races on the Dubai World Cup Card:

• Pegase Bloodstock's The Right Man secured the first group 1 victory of his career when he edged Bill Mott-trained Long On Value by a nose in the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint sponsored by Azizi Developments.

A previous group 3 winner, The Right Man came into the race with earnings of $219,693 before securing $600,000 in purse money when guided by Francois-Xavier Bertas to victory in the about six-furlong turf sprint. The final time was 1:09.59 on yielding turf. Bred in England by Mrs. James Wigan, The Right Man is a 5-year-old son of Lope de Vega.

Trained by Didier Guillemin, The Right Man prepped for Saturday's race with a third-place finish in an allowance-type race March 4 at Meydan.

Wachtel Stable, George Kerr, and Gary Barber's Long On Value, under Joel Rosario, just missed his first group/grade 1 win. A grade 2-winning 6-year-old son of Value Plus, Long On Value entered the Al Quoz Sprint off a third-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes Jan. 28.

"I'm kind of speechless," said Mott's assistant, and son, Riley. "For him to come halfway across the world and compete on this stage—it's an absolute thrill. We were just a spec away from getting the win, but we really don't feel like we lost anything. It feels like a win, so to speak. We're just really proud of the horse."

Southern California-based multiple stakes winner Richard's Boy finished fifth for owners Rockingham Ranch and trainer Peter Miller.

• In the $1 million Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors (G2), The Aga Khan homebred Vazirabad edged Beautiful Romance by a neck to win the race a second straight year.

A highweight in France and Dubai, Vazirabad is trained by Alain De Royer-Dupre and he was guided to victory by jockey Christophe Soumillon. A 5-year-old Manduro gelding, Vaziribad completed the 3,200-meter (about two-mile) test in 3:22.52 on yielding turf.