There’s a lot riding on the eight races that make up the Fashion Friday program Jan. 24 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, including future plans for Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior , who looks to add the richest Middle Eastern targets to earlier conquests in Japan and Australia.
Fashion Friday arguably has taken over from Super Saturday as the most important lead-in to the rich Dubai World Cup (G1) program.
With World Cup night pushed back a week to April 5 and the Saudi Cup (G1) program slotted for Feb. 22, the Jan. 25 date this season made the most sense for Dubai-based runners to test their strength. And that was before the Romantic Warrior’s connections opted to use Fashion Friday as a steppingstone for the $20 million Saudi Cup.
Romantic Warrior, already a nine-time group 1 winner, is set to contest the Jebel Hatta (G1T) at 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles). It’s not strictly a prep for Riyadh as the Dubai heat is conducted on the turf and the Saudi Cup is run on the highly regarded King Abdulaziz Racecourse dirt.
But it will give trainer Danny Shum some indication of how Romantic Warrior is adapting to the desert as he lines up against some tough competition.
Romantic Warrior has been idle since posting a record third consecutive win in the Hong Kong Cup (G1) on the Sha Tin Racecourse turf Dec. 8 and Shum said after drawing post 1 for the Jebel Hatta he believes the 7-year-old will benefit from a run.
“I believe he’s at 80 to 90 percent of his best condition,” Shum told the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“In fact, he doesn’t need to be in top form right now, because our main goals are the following two races. For his next race, we don’t need to push him too hard. This race is mainly to prepare him for the next two bigger targets.”
In addition to the Saudi Cup, that dance card would include either the Dubai World Cup or the Dubai Turf (G1T) back at Meydan April 5, likely depending on the outcome of the Riyadh tilt.
James McDonald, the reigning Longines World’s Best Jockey, is in town to ride Romantic Warrior. It’s McDonald’s first visit to Meydan and Shum said both horse and rider are benefitting from a bit of acclimation.
“The main thing is to let Romantic Warrior get used to the track here,” Shum said. “Although James McDonald is the world’s best jockey, this is his first time riding in Dubai. Both the jockey and the horse are here for the first time, so they need time to adapt.”
Also in the field are the Godolphin powerhouse duo of Measured Time and Ottoman Fleet , as well as Holloway Boy and Poker Face , all graded/group winners. Still, on form and given his proven international success, the Hong Kong star is a heavy favorite in the overseas market. There is no wagering in Dubai or Saudi Arabia.
The Jebel Hatta is one of eight group races on the program, including the Al Maktoum Challenge (G1), a dirt prep for the World Cup, and the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3), which previews the UAE Derby (G2), an automatic qualifier for the Kentucky Derby (G1).
The Maktoum Challenge features the return of Kabirkhan, the Kentucky-bred who started his career in Russia and Kazakhstan and became the darling of the 2024 Dubai Carnival after winning that edition of the Maktoum Challenge. Now 5, the son of California Chrome hasn’t raced since finishing eighth, beaten 18 lengths, in the 2024 World Cup.
If Kabirkhan doesn’t return to form, Walk of Stars looks promising after winning the Dec. 20 The Entisar by 11 lengths over Auto Bahn , who finished second to Forever Young in the 2024 UAE Derby.
And, speaking of Derby contenders, the Guineas drew an overflow field with runners from Argentina, Uruguay, England and Ireland facing a half-dozen American-breds. The race looks wide open although Heart of Honor, an Honor A. P. colt trained by Jamie Osborne, enters off back-to-back wins over the Meydan surface.
Also set are the Blue Point Sprint (G2T) and Al Fahidi Fort (G2T), both on the turf, at 1,000 meters (about five furlongs) and 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) respectively, and the Al Shindagha Sprint (G3) and Firebreak Stakes (G3), both on the dirt, at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) and 1,600 meters (about one mile). The Al Khail Trophy (G3T) at 1 3/4 miles on turf caps the card as the ninth race.
There are no standouts in a 10-horse field for the Blue Point Sprint while the Al Fahidi Fort field is dominated by Godolphin’s Native Approach and Mysterious Night . Epic Poet and King of Conquest , just a neck apart when finishing 1-2 last out in a Meydan conditions race Jan. 3, rematch in the Al Khail.
Tuz , a dominating 8-year-old son of Oxbow , holds a strong advantage in the Al Shindagha after winning the Dubawi Stakes (G3) by 4 3/4 lengths in his last start for trainer Bhupat Seemar. Laurel River , the 2024 World Cup winner and a one-time force in Southern California for Bob Baffert, is an equally heavy favorite in the Firebreak. Also trained by Seemar, this race clearly is a get-going effort for the veteran who was recently named Longines World’s Best Racehorse of 2024 in a tie with City of Troy with a rating of 128 for his Dubai World Cup victory.
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