What the sixth meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival lacks in group race action, it more than makes up with an intriguing international cast including a top Breeders’ Cup competitor based in England.
The marquee race on the Jan. 12 program is the Al Wasl Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) on the Meydan Racecourse grass. And the marquee name in that is Starlust , a Zoustar colt trained by Ralph Beckett for owners Jim and Fitri Hay.
The colt won on both turf and all-weather surfaces in England in 2023 and came to Santa Anita Park for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) off a good effort in the Middle Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket Sept. 30.
In the Middle Park, Starlust was on the engine through the first half of the six furlongs, fading late to finish fifth. At Santa Anita, he made a big inside move at mid-stretch under Frankie Dettori and looked set to finish second, only giving up that spot late to settle for show money.
“It’s very much his first run of the year but he has done plenty at home,” said Alex Cole, racing manager to the Hays. “The draw (13) isn’t great but he is the class horse and should run well.”
Sign up for BloodHorse Daily
The Breeder’s Cup winner, Big Evs , is a son of Godolphin’s superstar sprinter Blue Point , who is represented in the Al Wasl by Thunder Blue. Thunder Blue, like many coming to Dubai from England, kept the engine revving during what’s otherwise off-season with a run on the all-weather course at Lingfield and trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis said his hopes are up.
“He’s settled in quickly and done everything we asked of him,” Ffrench Davis said of Thunder Blue. “I think it’s a tough race but he’ll run a big one and we think he’s better than his rating (95 versus Starlust’s 108).”
England also is represented by Zoulu Chief, another Zoustar colt, who posted three wins at home as a 2-year-old. Zorken , French-trained and racing for owners from the Czech Republic, adds further global intrigue for the fifth race on a nine-race card.
Things get even more international in the following heat, the Dubai Islands Handicap at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). In that, local powerhouse trainer Doug Watson fields Hero Mo and Kabirkhan, who between them won eight of their nine starts in Russia, and Simjangui Godong, winner of 11 races in Korea, makes his local debut for trainer Seung Tae Shim.
“They’re both very nice horses,” Watson said of his new charges. “You don’t know what to expect when they arrive but they’re both big and strong-looking and have been over to Meydan a couple of times. They both work like they’re very nice horses so it will be interesting to see how they stack up against the locals.”
Both originally hail from Kentucky and both were bargain buys at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Hero Mo, a $27,000 yearling by Mo Town , was bred by Mercedes Stables. Kabirkhan, by 2016 Dubai World Cup (G1) winner California Chrome , was bred by Kehner Thoroughbreds and sold for $12,000.
Later on the slate, group 1 winner Hypothetical might find himself in unfamiliar surroundings when he lines up for the 2,200-meter (about 1 5/8 miles) Lord North Handicap. This will be the 7-year-old’s first start on the green course since he departed the John Gosden yard in England in 2020.
“We tried to find a suitable dirt race before the Maktoum Challenge or Firebreak Stakes in two weeks’ time, but this was our only option,” trainer Salem Bin Ghadayer said of the surface switch. “He needs a run before his main goal. But if we could choose, he’d be running on dirt.”
Despite the presence of five Godolphin runners, the Lord North also has an international presence. Good Fortune runs for Danish-based trainer Soren Jensen. And Silent Film, based at Ian Williams’ yard in England, was last seen winning in Hungary in September.
Leave feedback about this