Ed Marnane
Seven days after Measured Time suffered a fatal injury in the Jebel Hatta, First Conquest can lift Charlie Appleby and Godolphin’s mood in the Dubai Millennium Stakes, the Group 3 highlight of Friday’s card at Meydan.
First run in 2014 and named in honour of the 2000 Dubai World Cup winner, the Dubai Millennium Stakes has been dominated in recent years by Appleby and First Conquest is a confident selection to give Godolphin’s principal trainer his ninth win in the event.
By Teofilo, First Conquest created a big impression on his seasonal debut in the Lord North Handicap three weeks ago. Ridden with confidence by Mickael Barzalona, he was delivered fast and late to beat See Hector and 14 others on his first appearance in six months.
The manner he quickened was jaw-dropping, clocking a sizzling 21.8sec for the final 400m. First Conquest is very unexposed and is open to plenty of improvement on just his sixth lifetime start. He will be tough to beat.
The pick of the undercard is the Listed Dubai Sprint, Race 4. Appleby and Godolphin have won three of the last four renewals and have strong claims of winning this year’s running with Romantic Style.
Winner of three of her seven races, she failed to settle and over-raced on her Meydan/seasonal debut in the Cape Verdi, finishing five lengths behind Choisya.
A strong-travelling filly, she will suited stepping back in distance and is fancied to bounce back and take her tally over 1200m to three under William Buick.
Echo Point, trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, looks the chief threat in a race many of his rivals are struggling for form and out of sorts. Owned by Nasir Asker, he is enjoying a terrific campaign, winning two of his three races on turf.
He impressed winning a 15-runner handicap, over the track, earlier in the month. Ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, the son of Dubawi ran on strongly in the closing stages when beating Andreas Vesalius and Changing Colours in a competitive contest. He lowered the track record and if handling the step back to 1200m, he commands plenty of respect.
Simon and Ed Crisford’s Estmrar looks hard to oppose in the 1900m conditions on dirt, Race 3.
He has done little wrong in two starts, the most recent on his Meydan dirt debut when splitting Heart Of Honor and the Ahmad bin Harmash’s Golden Vekoma, arguably the top two three-year-olds seen in the UAE this season.
The pair dominated the finish of the UAE 2000 Guineas seven days ago, with bin Harmash’s progressive colt getting his revenge on Jamie Osborne’s horse in the opening race of the Dubai Triple Crown and earning a tilt at the Saudi Derby next month.
Estmrar, the mount of Silvestre de Sousa, will improve going up in distance and this looks a perfect opportunity to open his account at the third attempt ahead of a possible tilt at the UAE Derby in April.
Racing gets under way with a 1400m handicap on dirt, in which a full field of 16 run. In a wide-open looking race, Mayaadeen can bounce back after a rare below-par effort at Jebel Ali, where he jumped awkwardly leaving the stalls and never made an impression.
He will relish being back on Meydan’s main track, a venue he has won three times. He was undone by a wide draw when third behind stable companion Nyaar on his last run at Meydan seven weeks ago.
Mayaadeen, owned by Shadwell, is ideally drawn in stall No 3 and should go well for trainer Doug Watson.
Recent Jebel Ali winner Maputo represents the red-hot Bhupat Seemar and Tadhg O’Shea, who teamed up to enjoy Group 1 success with Walk Of Stars at Meydan last week.
The son of Shamardal has progressed nicely since returning from his summer break, enjoying an overdue success at Jebel Ali last time. He travelled strongly before readily quickening clear of his 15 rivals and holds sound claims, despite climbing up the weights.
Race 2, the Mawj Stakes, looks at the mercy of Mountain Breeze, trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin. She brings smart form from England, most notably when finishing second in Group 2 company in Newmarket.
She made no impression when stepped up to Grade 1 level in Canada, trailing in a poor eighth of 11 in the Natalma Stakes. Appleby can be trusted to have her fully tuned-up on her first run of the year and she is hard to oppose.
Appleby holds a strong hand in the final race, the Jumeirah Guineas Trial, saddling two of the ten runners. Riding arrangements suggest the 110-rated Al Qudra, the choice of Buick, is the pick of the Godolphin pair.
He was a progressive colt last year, winning the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes before running second to New Century in the Summer Stakes, Grade 1, at Woodbine.
He rounded off his campaign in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile at Del Mar but met serious trouble in running and almost unseated James Doyle after clipping heels. This looks a good opportunity to make amends and start his campaign with a bang.
It would be foolish to overlook Al Qudra’s stable companion Hallasan. By Pinatubo, he chased home Age Of Gold when warm favourite in a minor event here four weeks ago, where he was disadvantaged by a tardy start but kept on well in the closing stages.
He shapes like he will improve for the step up in distance and won’t lack for fitness in a race not many appeal.
BEST BET
Race 3 No 4 Estmrar
VALUE BET
Race 1 No 5 Mayaadeen
SWINGER
Race 6: 10 First Conquest and 1 Asaassi
JACKPOT
(Races 5-8)
R32
Leg 1: 2, 5, 11, 13
Leg 2: 1, 10
Leg 3: 3, 5
Leg 4: 1, 6