Kirklees leads Godolphin team for Super Thursday
THURSDAY'S final meeting of the 2009 Dubai Carnival, Super Thursday, is the penultimate ever meeting to be staged at Nad Al Sheba and features the Group 2 concluding round of the Maktoum Challenge, a recognised Dubai World Cup trial over the same 1m2f on dirt course and distance as the $6million climax to the seaon at the end of March.
Saeed Bin Suroor has won this race on three occasions with subsequent World Cup winners (Dubai Millennium, Electrocutionist and Street Cry) and is looking for a clean sweep in this year's Maktoum Challenge having won the first two rounds with My Indy. However, that horse does not feature among the 27 entries and Bin Suroor looks set to rely on Kirklees, a carnival turf winner who is his only entry in the race.
His opposition is headed by last year's Word Cup runner-up, Asiatic Boy who will again bid to become the first UAE Derby winner to land a World Cup at the end of the month. Beaten in Maktoum Challnege II on his reappearance, trainer Mike De Kock has been bringing him along slowly to peak in just over three weeks time and he is sure to run a big race.
Just in front of him last time was Happy Boy, now trained by Mubarak Bin Shafya and he should run another big race.
Ralph Beckett's Muhannak, winner of the Breeders' Cup Marathon, would be an interesting contender on Thursday and stable companion Without A Prayer is also entered.
The whole night, apart from the inaugural running of the Meydan Classic, is a dress rehearsal for World Cup night and, the day after Midshipman was ruled out for the forseeable future, Bin Suroor only has Jose Adan entered in the Al Bastakiya, over the same 1m 1f dirt trip as the UAE Derby.
Jerry Barton won this in 2004 with Petit Paris and the same silks were carried to victory in 2006 by Simpatico Bribon and Barton's Naval Officer is an intersting recruit from France in a race 11 are entered but only four trainers set to be represented.
The two turf features look particulaly strong with 37 entered in the Group 2 Jebel Hatta, the prep race for the 1m 1f Dubai Duty Free. Last year's winner of that race Jay Peg heads the weights along with similarly Group 1-penalised stable companion Kings Gambit and De Kock's Russian Sage.
Mubarak Bin Shafya's Gladiatorus is two from two this season, while Japan's Vodka was a close fourth in the Duty Free last year. Balius is a fascinating new recruit for Abdulla Bin Huzaim; Kirklees is also entered in this and Valedictum has already won for Australia. With Stubbs Art also a posible for De Kock, this will surely be the race of the season to date.
Kings Gambit is also entered in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold, the trial for the 1m 4f Sheema Classic, as well as Group 1 winnning stablemate Desert Links and Germany's Quijano, who will alos carry a Group 1 penalty.
Luca Cumani's Purple Moon, Balius and De Kock's pair of Front House and Macarthur, as well as George Margarson's Young Mick are others likely to take their chance.
Last year's UAE Derby winner Honour Devil will bid to redeem his reputation in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar, the mile race stable companion Asiatic Boy was beaten in last year in his prep for the World Cup. Trainer Mike De Kock also has Lucky Find in this race.
Jalil, who won the Maktoum Challenge III for Bin Suroor last year, will have his second start for Mubarak Bin Shafya.
The 6f Mahab Al Shimaal, the dirt sprint prep for the Golden Shaheen, looks set to see the return to action of Godolphin's Diabolical, narrowly touched off at the Breeders' Cup. Stable companion and new recruit Gayego, Jerry Barton's Big City Man and Barbecue Eddie, fourth in the Golden Shaheen on the big night last year, are other interesting contenders.
The Meydan Classic, a 7½f turf race for three-year-olds is a new addition and 19 are entered, including Bin Suroor's City Style and De Kock's Rocks Off, Champion Juvenile in South Africa last year.
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