Tremors were felt in the Greek capital of Athens and as far away as the southern island of Crete
Ahead of the richest horse race meeting in the world and the world's richest race in three weeks time, the prep played out at a packed Meydan Racecourse on Super Saturday, and the five-year-old from Bernardini showed unbelievable lungs as he led from start to finish over 10 furlongs to upstage his former stablemate.
It was Capezzano's first Group 1 win in 14 starts and Salem bin Ghadayer's charge couldn't have found a better way to do it and on one of the biggest stages of them all. The margin of victory - an astonishing 9.5 lengths - underlined his dominance going into the showpiece on March 30.
Capezzano was quick out of the stalls from Gate 9 and surged in front with the rest jousting for positions at the back. Capezzano led from Doug Watson's Cosmo Charlie and Charlie Appleby's Nordic Lights with Thunder Snow, coming into the picture under Christophe Soumillon, with 1,300 metres of the 2,000 metres left to go. Saeed bin Suroor's charge then moved into third as the field ate into the distance. Capezzano had Nordic Lights and Thunder Snow in his shadows as they approached the final stretch but even though the latter made a desperate bid, Capezzano showed awesome legs under Mickael Barzalona.
As Capezzano pulled away, Thunder Snow came under threat from Korean challenger Dolkong. But the Breeders' Cup Classic third-place finisher managed to stave off the challenge and pip Dolkong by a neck.
"He's an honest horse," said Salem bin Ghadayer, who had made a successful return after a year by winning at Jebel Ali on Friday afternoon.
"Even when he won over a mile, he ran an amazing race. We thought why not try him over 10 furlongs. If you go back, when he was three and ran in the Al Bastakiya and there were (also) signs in his pedigree. This horse really is amazing when he decides to run. His problem is he's a little bit tricky of a horse and he needs to keep calm and relax. He has a big future," he added.
Meanwhile, Barzalona was left surprised by how Capezzano coped with the step up in distance.
"He does it very well. I wasn't very confident about the longer trip, but Salem told me to try it. I made a strong effort to lead the race and I was lucky (because) he was breathing well in the (middle) of the race. Just before I asked him to go, the last three furlongs, he really picked up nicely," gushed Barzalona.
Meanwhile, Soumillon was undeterred despite Thunder Snow being bested by Capezzano.
"I'm very happy with that second place. The winner, I knew before the race that he would be tough if he got to the lead with a steady pace and that's exactly what he did. I'm very happy with Thunder. He always improves from his runs. If you look at last year, at the same period of the season, (this effort) was even better than then (when second in the same race). I'm very confident with him," said Soumillon.RACE 1: Mahab Al Shimaal Sponsored By Emirates Skywards, Group 3, 1200M(a6F), Dirt, $350,000:
Owner: Misty Hollow Farm
Winner: Drafted
Trainer: Doug Watson
Jockey: Patrick Dobbs
RACE 2: Al Bastakiya Sponsored By emirates.com, Listed, 1900M(a9.5F), Dirt, $300,000:
Owner: Godolphin
Winner: Divine Image
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: Brett Doyle
RACE 3: Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint Sponsored By Arabian Adventures, Group 3, 1200M(a6F), Turf, $350,000:
Owner: Godolphin
Winner: Blue Point
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: William Buick
RACE 4: Burj Nahaar Sponsored By Emirates Holidays, Group 3, 1600M(a8F), Dirt, $350,000:
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Winner: Muntazah
Trainer: Doug Watson
Jockey: Jim Crowley
RACE 5: Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo, Group 2, 2410M(a12F), Turf, $300,000:
Owner: Godolphin
Winner: Old Persian
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: William Buick
RACE 6:
Al Maktoum Challenge R3 Sponsored By Emirates Airline, Group 1, 2000M(a10F) - Dirt, $600,000:
Owner: Sultan Ali
Winner: Capezzano
Trainer: Salem bin Ghadayer
Jockey: Mickael Barzalona
RACE 7:
Jebel Hatta Sponsored By Emirates Airline, Group 1, 1800M(a9F), Turf, $400,000:
Owner: Godolphin
Winner: Dream Castle
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Jockey: Christophe Soumillon
Tremors were felt in the Greek capital of Athens and as far away as the southern island of Crete
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