Capezzano makes successful return; Treble for Appleby

Dubai - Appleby went clear of Godolphin colleague Saeed bin Suroor with 11 wins at the top of the Carnival standings

Salem bin Ghadayer’s Capezzano made a successful return, while Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby grabbed a treble in the seventh horse race meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday night.
Capezzano, who hadn’t raced in 320 days, since last year’s renewal of the $12 million Dubai World Cup, showed he hadn’t lost his mojo one bit, stridding to a seven-length win over Satish Seemar’s Secret Ambition in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes over eight furlongs.
Englishman Appleby saddled Magic Lily to victory in the Group 2 Balanchine after he had overseen Ya Hayati win the Meydan Trophy, to complete two victories with William Buick. Later on, Appleby saddled Eynhallow to a win in the final race of the night with jockey Mickael Barzalona, who had earlier piloted Capezzano.
Bochart, meanwhile, left the field and the crowd at the Meydan Racecourse in awe, after Seemar’s charge strode to a commanding victory in a thoroughbred handicap.
Appleby went clear of Godolphin colleague Saeed bin Suroor with 11 wins at the top of the Carnival standings. Bin Suroor has eight, while Seemar brought up his sixth win.
Ya Hayati won by a length over Timo Nurmos, and Appleby indicated that The Saudi Derby at the inaugural Saudi Cup, could be an exciting prospect for the three-year-colt from Dubawi.
“With that pedigree, you are always tempted to have a crack at switch in surfaces,” Appleby said of Ya Hatayi racing on dirt at the Saudi Derby after winning here on turf.
“Potentially, at the back of that (the win in the Meydan Trophy), he might get an invite to Saudi for the Saudi Derby there at a mile. We will see what William has got to see but we have also got the Al Bastakiya here on the 27th. So, he has got a couple of options anyway,” he added.
In the Balanchine, the race played out perfectly for Magic Lily with the five-year-old mare from New Approach, travelled well before making the move with 300 metres of the nine furlongs left. She then did well under William Buick to win by a length over Nisreen.
“She was always going to appreciate the extra furlong in trip,” said Buick.
“She came on from the Cape Verdi and I thought that was a good performance today. In typical fashion, she hit the front in the straight and just grinds it out. She travels well and wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a good fighter,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bochart was way too good, annihilating the rest of the pack to win by a whopping 7.5 lengths, under Richard Mullen, to hand Seemar his 33rd winner of the season in the UAE Trainers’ Championship.
Earlier, Omani trainer Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi landed his first winner in the UAE when Rasi won the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah, the opening race and the lone one for Purebred Arabians, in the seven-race card.
Rasi, the nine-year-old from Mared Al Sahra, clinched the eight-furlong affair on dirt, by 2.75 lengths over Rb Lam Tara.
It was Rasi’s 10th victory in 37 starts and he was ridden by Harry Bentley. Rasi’s only previous run at Meydan was a Group 1 contest over 2000 metres in March 2016, where he had finished 11th.
Eric Lemartinel’s Rb Lam Tara, making her dirt debut, held off last year’s Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 winner Wadeeaa to finish second by a neck, under Fabrice Veron.
Last year’s winner Af Al Sajanjle, trained by Ernst Oertel, came fourth, under Tadhg O’Shea.
Waady, trained by Doug Watson and ridden by Jim Crowley, won the other thoroughbred handicap over five furlongs.
james@khaleejtimes.com