Blair Houses heads Appleby treble on Dubai World Cup Carnival Super Saturday at Meydan

The success came as part of a winning treble for Appleby on the card although he was out of luck with the other Group 1 contest, the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, which went the way of trainer Satish Seemar and jockey Richard Mullen as part of their winning double.

Introduced in 2003 as a dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup card three weeks later, all seven races on Super Saturday are mirror images of a race to be contested on Saturday 31 March when $30 million will be distributed in prize money.

Before then though, the final fixture of the 2018 Dubai World Cup Carnival more than lived up to expectations with both Group 1 features producing memorable efforts by the winners.

The first was the main turf race run over 1800 metres, the Group 1 $300,000 Jebel Hatta sponsored by Emirates Airline, which saw the lead change hands at least six times in the final 400 metres. However it was Godolphin’s Blair House under jockey James Doyle who pounced inside the final 150 metres to give Appleby the second of his three successes.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Benbatl was a close second, with Mike de Kock-conditioned Janoobi a head astern in third.

Appleby, who won the 2016 Jebel Hatta with Tryster, will now have his sights fixed on the equivalent race, the Group 1 $6 million Dubai Turf, on Dubai World Cup day.

Only three horses have won the Group 1 US$400,000 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 before following up in the $10 million Dubai World Cup and North America will try and emulate them after a smooth success.

Run over 2000 metres on dirt, the winner made all the running under Richard Mullen and having been drawn six in a field of 12, his mount was well away and ridden positively to get to the lead.

Two-time Group 1 winner Thunder Snow, last year’s UAE 2000 Guineas and UAE Derby winner, was among those tracking him throughout and challenged as the two turned for home. However he failed to close in on his rival and North America won by over five lengths with multiple Group 1-winning mare Furia Cruzada finished third just under four lengths further back.

The first race on the card was the middle leg of the UAE Triple Crown, the Listed $250,000 Al Bastakiya, and it was turned into a procession by Yulong Warrior for the Mullen and Seemar combination.

Drawn the rail, he was soon in front with a host of his 12 rivals trying to secure a prominent position behind him. However most of the field were in trouble on the home turn and once Mullen kicked for home early in the straight, they had the race sewn up winning by a massive eleven and a half lengths from Nordic Defense and Rua Augusta in second and third respectively.

There was also an emphatic winning margin in the Group 3 $200,000 Mahab Al Shimaal as Jordan Sport made an impressive dirt debut under Adrie de Vries.

Run over the same 1200 metre dirt course and distance as the Group 1 $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, the race was won in 2016 by Muarrab and 2015 by Reynaldothewizard, who both followed up three weeks later. In 2012, Krypton Factor completed the same double for trainer Fawzi Nass, who looks to have a decent opportunity of repeating the trick with Jordan Sport.

With jockey Adries de Vries in the saddle, the pair were quick out of the stalls and soon able to get across to the rail, tracked by Yalta, who tried to challenge for the lead at halfway. However, De Vries set sail for home leaving the home turn and they were never going to be caught, winning by over seven lengths from Yalta running on gamely to hold on for second. In behind, Krypton Factor was denied third in the dying strides by Wild Dude.

A 1200 metres turf track record was then made by Godolphin’s Jungle Cat, winning the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, just as he had done 12 months ago.

Confidently ridden by William Buick for Charlie Appleby, the pair cruised into contention at halfway, led 300 metres out and powered home to win by two and a quarter lengths from Ertijaal in second and Top Score in third.

That was the first of the three winners for Appleby and after the success of Blair House he had to wait until the concluding race on the card, the Group 2 $250,000 Dubai City Of Gold, to complete his treble.

That came when Hawksbill overcame the challenge of stablemate Frontiersman in the closing stages. The race was a prep for the Group 1 $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic over 2410 metres on turf and it turned into a battle in the final 300 metres between the two with the Group 1-winning Hawkbill just having the edge by a head, in doing so lowering the course record under Buick.

There was a dramatic conclusion to the Group 3 Burj Nahaar over 1600 metre on dirt, with last year’s winner, Heavy Metal, headed close home and being passed late to finish fourth.

That appeared most unlikely when, he was sent to the front by Mickael Barzalona 550 metres from home, sweeping past Doug Watson-trained Kimbear who had led from early on under Pat Dobbs.

Heavy Metal went a length clear, but Dobbs and sporting the colours of Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, managed to get a last effort from Kimbear to win by a length and a quarter. Secret Ambition stayed on for second, just in front of Musawaat, who caught the weakening Heavy Metal for third.

The next racing at Meydan is on Thursday 15 March, ahead of the big climax to the season, the Dubai World Cup meeting on Saturday 31 March.