Dark Saffron-Mufasa clash hogs spotlight in Al Garhoud
Third Dubai Racing Carnival day hots up with gun duo locking horns in Listed race
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The Bhupat Seemar-trained Mufasa being put through his paces by a track rider at Meydan ahead of his contest in the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint (1,200m) at the same track on Dec 5.
PHOTO: DUBAI RACING CLUB
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DUBAI - Group race winners Dark Saffron and Mufasa are among the star turns on the third Dubai Racing Carnival card at Meydan Racecourse on Dec 5.
The pair clash in a pulsating edition of the 500,000 dirham (S$177,000) Listed Al Garhoud Sprint (1,200m), Race 6, for which seven have been declared.
Trained by Ahmad bin Harmash, three-year-old Dark Saffron was the shock winner of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1,200m) on April 5, before following that up with a facile Conditions race win a month ago on Nov 7. He will be ridden by jockey Connor Beasley on Friday.
“He’s doing good, he’s been training very well,” said Harmash of the US-bred son of Flameaway. “The only question mark is carrying the top weight (59.5kg) against older horses, as he is only three years old.
“But Dark Saffron is Dark Saffron – I think he will run a good race.”
Among Dark Saffron’s rivals is three-time Grade 3 winner Mufasa, who finished sixth in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile (1,600m) on his local debut and first start for Bhupat Seemar on April 5.
“We’re very excited to start him over six furlongs,” said Abdulla Muammer, racing manager to owner RRR Racing of the Chilean-bred six-year-old. “He’s shown a lot of speed in his work and we feel this is the right spot for him.”
The Doug Watson-trained Colour Up won this race in 2023 and has performed with credit since, including adding one more win to take his haul to five wins and finishing fifth to Dark Saffron in the Shaheen.
“This race probably deserves to be a Group 2, considering the horses we are running against – it will be really nice to watch,” said Sayed Hashish, owner of the son of Mehmas.
“He’s seven years old now but, touch wood, he’s the strongest we’ve seen. I think the small field will suit him, but the inside draw (1) probably isn’t optimum as he’s a horse that stalks usually and doesn’t lead.
“He usually runs well fresh, but this is a big race.”
The main supporting race is the competitive 250,000 dirham Ford Handicap (1,400m) slated as Race 5. Gorak is the sole international raider for British trainer Charlie Fellowes, returning to the Carnival for the first time since 2022.
“It’s lovely to be back,” said the Newmarket handler. “I’ve got no idea whether Gorak will handle the dirt, but he’s electric out of the gates, has a very high cruising speed and just keeps on going.
“He’s a very similar type to Ejtilaab, who did very well at the Carnival (third in 2022 Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal over 1,200m) for us a few years ago. If it doesn’t work, and he doesn’t enjoy it, we can go back to the turf.”
Also in the line-up is Destructive, who ran three times at Meydan in 2024 for trainer Michael Bell. Since purchased by Deva Racing, the More Than Ready four-year-old colt is now trained by Seemar with Tadhg O’Shea taking the ride.
“Bhupat has been very happy with how Destructive has settled into Zabeel Stables since we bought him in the UK earlier this year,” said Ryan Tongue, director of Deva Racing.
“Friday is a good starting point for him at Meydan, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do. He’s an exciting horse, his work at home has been good and hopefully he can deliver where it matters.” DUBAI RACING CLUB
