Dream Castle, D'Bai clinch Group 2 highlights

Dubai Saeed bin Suroor, who won last year's Dubai World Cup with Thunder Snow, saw the five-year-old Dream Castle win by three lengths

 Godolphin trainer and eight-time Dubai World Cup Saeed bin Suroor had a shiny night at the Meydan Racecourse with the Emirati handler clinching a 1-2-3 in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya Sponsored By Emirates Global Aluminium in the fourth race meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday.
Saeed bin Suroor, who won last year's Dubai World Cup with Thunder Snow, saw the five-year-old Dream Castle win by three lengths over stablemate Leshlaa in the race run over nine furlongs.
Stablemate Racing History finished a close third, just a nose behind Leshlaa.
Dream Castle was the mount of Dubai World Cup-winning jockey Christophe Soumillon, while Leshlaa was ridden by Patrick Cosgrave. Racing History was the ride of Kevin Scott.
It was Dream Castle's third victory in 12 starts In fact, the top four were from Godolphin with Charlie Appleby's Blair House, the mount of James Doyle, coming in fourth.
Later on, Appleby completed Godolphin's night on a fine note with D'Bai, the mount of Doyle, landing the other Group 2 highlight - the seven-furlong Al Fahidi Fort Sponsored By Emirates Global Aluminium.
Earlier, it was set to be the renewal of rivalry between the David Hayes-trained Faatinah and Darren Bunyan's Hit The Bid in the EGA Billets Trophy, with the latter looking to avenge the defeat on the opening night of the Carnival.
But Mazzini stole the show from under their feet with a winning debut in the UAE.
The charge of Fawzi Nass, the six-year-old Mazzini won the thrilling five-furlong contest by a neck over Hit The Bid.
It was Mazzini's seventh win in 31 starts. Mazzini had shown his intentions early under UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O'Shea and was quick off the blocks.
As Faatinah and Hit The Bid jostled for position with Ali Jan's Rebel Streak, Mazzini held onto the lead. And although he was put under pressure by Hit The Bid, Mazzini took the winning post.
Meanwhile, Ali Rashid Al Rayhi's Manguzi won the Al Bastakiya Trial Sponsored By Emirates Global Aluminium, a new addition this year and run over the same course and distance as the Group 2 UAE Derby. Manguzi, the three-year-old colt from Planteur, edged out Godolphin handler and multiple Dubai World Cup winner Saeed bin Suroor's Estihdaaf, ridden by Dubai World Cup-winning jockey Christophe Soumillon.
Manguzi won by a narrow margin of half a length in the race run over 1900 metres, for his second victory in six starts.
It was a thriller yet again with Manguzi pulling away from the rest of the pack heading into the bend.
He looked like he wouldn't be challenged but the Arch colt Estihdaaf tried and made a fist of it and almost came close. But Manguzi pipped him to the post.
Meanwhile, Satish Seemar's Saltarin Dubai was triumphant in the EGA Jebel Ali Trophy.
The ride of Richard Mullen, Saltarin Dubai won by 1.25 lengths over Montserrat, trained by Sandeep Jadhav of Fazza Racing Stables.
Simon Foster's Dolkong, ridden by Olivier Doleuze, finished third.
james@khaleejtimes.com