Godolphin look to continue dominance

Dubai - The UAE 100 Guineas has attracted a massive field of 15 runners

A class field has assembled yet again for the fifth meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday night with quality spread across the seven-race card at the Meydan Racecourse.
It is a tough one to pick with all the seven races worthy of standing on its own but the highlights on the weekend will be the UAE 1000 Guineas and the Al Shindagha Sprint.
The UAE 1000 Guineas, the second race on the card, will be run over a distance of eight furlongs and the royal blue silks of Godolphin will be looking to continue their domination in the race.
The racing operation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Godolphin have tasted success a whopping 10 times ever since the inaugural race in 2001.
And all 10 of those triumphs have come under Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor, the reigning Dubai World Cup-winning trainer, also an eight-time winner of the richest horse race.
The UAE 100 Guineas has attracted a massive field of 15 runners with four coming from the Godolphin stables. Saeed bin Suroor has two runners, while Charlie Appleby too has two.
Saeed bin Suroor has Dubai Beauty, the mount of Dubai World Cup-winning jockey Christophe Soumillon, and Swift Rose, the ride of Kevin Scott.
Meanwhile, Appleby's charges are Divine Image and Lover's Knot. Divine Image will be ridden by William Buick, while Lover's Knot will be partnered by James Doyle.
Dubai Beauty, who will break from Gate 2, had made a sensational debut, by winning the Newmarket Equine Hospital EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes last August.
Since then though, the three-year-old filly from Frankel finished seventh in the Group 2 William Hill May Hill Stakes at Doncaster last September and seventh again in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac-Criterium des Pouliches at Longchamp last October.
Her Dubai bow didn't go as expected with Dubai Beauty finishing 14th in the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial on January 3.
But Saeed bin Suroor and Soumillon will be hoping for a much-improved performance from her this time around.
Meanwhile, Swift Rose too had an identical path like Dubai Beauty, triumphant on debut, winning at Wolverhampton last November.
The three-year-old filly from Invincible Spirit went onto finish fifth in the UAE 1000 Guineas in January.
Staying on the topic of debutants, Divine Image won at Chelmsford on Polytrack last December and will look to carry on that form for Appleby.
But the British trainer was cautious as it will be the three-year-old Scat Daddy filly's first foray on dirt.
"This will be her first start on dirt and we are mindful that a potential lack of experience could count against her, but she showed a good level of ability on her only start," Appleby told the Godolphin website.
Appleby was also hopeful of a good result from Lover's Knot after the Invincible Spirit filly was second and first at Newmarket last June and July respectively.
"Lover's Knot won at Newmarket in July and was just slightly weak as a two-year-old, so we decided to give her time to develop rather than run her in Group races at the end of the UK season. Her homework has been progressive and she has plenty of gate speed, so I hope that we can use it to our advantage around Meydan," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com