Godolphin nets 6th Cape Verdi with Dubai Beach

DUBAI – A popular winner emerged in the 850,000-dirham (S$298,000) Group 2 Cape Verdi at Meydan when Dubai Beach gave veteran Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor his sixth win in the 1,600m fillies and mares’ contest.

Much of the attention had been on dual South African Group 1 winner Quid Pro Quo, who ran a superb race on local debut for Dutch jockey Adrie de Vries, lunging late between Dubai Treasure (Ray Dawson) and Dubai Beach (Kieran Shoemark, $15) and failing to catch the latter by a neck.

“She made a little hard work of it, but she’s clearly improving and this fillies’ division is there for the taking,” said Shoemark.

On the Blue Point grey mare’s chances in the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes (1,800m) on Feb 20, he said: “She’ll stay 1,800m as she hit the line strongly today, so she should have no trouble seeing it out.”

Quid Pro Quo’s Marseille-based trainer Jerome Reynier was philosophical in defeat.

“Adrie was very happy with the filly. She fought hard to the post and he thought he was going to win, but unfortunately we got beaten very narrowly,” said the Frenchman.

The main supporting race, the Cocoa Beach Stakes (1,600m), put Labwah ($31) firmly on the Classic trail – but only just.

Salem bin Ghadayeh’s Charlatan filly beat Tjareed into third in the Shahama Stakes (1,400m) last time on Dec 19. But she found that rival much tougher to beat here, being headed by her in the straight and battling back for a short head success under Bernardo Pinheiro.

“If you go back through the replay you can see when she (Tjareed) passed me I still hadn’t used the whip,” said the ex-Kranji-based Pinheiro. “She was fresh from the gates, she travelled well and she has a big heart, so I knew she could come back and fight.

“I never gave up, neither did she. This is a special feeling for a jockey, when you ride a winner fighting back, there are a load of emotions inside, – it’s hard to describe.”

Pinheiro and bin Ghadayer doubled up in the Azizi Mina with Folk Festival ($47), who arrived from last place to deny Regheeb (Dawson) in the 1,600m contest.

“I trust what I have under my legs,” said Pinheiro of the Blue Point five-year-old. “This horse’s turn of foot is just amazing, especially from that wide draw (14).”

Wathnan Racing and trainer Hamad Al Jehani are having a good season from their new permanent Dubai base and enjoyed a double, the highlight of which was French Duke ($27) in the closing Vazirabad Handicap (2,410m).

Ridden by James Doyle, the Sea The Stars five-year-old ran on well from midfield to beat front runner Claymore (Silvestre de Sousa) by a length and a quarter.

Wathnan’s earlier win came courtesy of English Oak ($63) in the Burj Azizi Handicap, over 1,600m on turf.

Ridden by Doyle, the Wootton Bassett six-year-old, a previous winner at Royal Ascot, overcame a slow start and some trouble in running, before asserting at the 100m mark and winning by half-a-length from Laneqash (Tadhg O’Shea).

“We got very excited when he won the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot,” said Doyle. “We thought he could be a potential Group horse, but things didn’t quite go his way.

“He seems to have relished being out here in the sun and training around a bend. We had actually planned to be a little bit further forward.

“The runs did open up turning in but it’s a long straight, so I just waited with him a little longer so we weren’t in daylight for too long.”

Beccali had a 373-day absence to overcome in the Azizi Reve Handicap, over 1,400m on turf, but the $8 favourite settled the race in a matter of strides.

It looked plain sailing for William Buick on board the Lope De Vega four-year-old, who powered clear for a three and three-quarter-length success over Original Outlaw (Suraj Narredu).

“He did very well after a long time off,” said Buick. “It’s a little hard to judge when the rail is so far out, as it is tonight, but a single figure draw definitely helps.”

There was a rare British-trained winner on the dirt when Antrim ($58) collected the Azizi Milan Handicap over 2,200m.

The Karl Burke-trained Dubawi four-year-old, making his first start on the surface and first in Dubai, tracked the pace throughout.

He was unleashed at the 400m point for a commanding three-length win over Valdivia (Saif Al Balushi). It was a first success in the UAE for jockey Sam James, and a second for Burke.

In Race 6, Michael Costa’s Yotarid ($87) made it two wins for the season with a convincing victory in the Azizi Venice Handicap, over the straight turf 1,200m. Ridden by Dawson, he sliced through the middle of a competitive field and won, going away, by a length from Echo Point (Connor Beasley).

Syndicate Suited & Booted had plenty to shout about in the opening Azizi Creek Views Handicap (1,400m), won by their Impressive Act (Richard Mullen, $108). Bhupat Seemar’s gelding by Dubawi was held up in the early part of the race but made relentless progress in the straight, beating Breakdancer (Doyle) by a length and a quarter.

Meydan resumes action on Jan 23 with a nine-race card of Group races, highlighted by two Group 1s, the 3.68 million-dirham Al Maktoum Challenge (1,900m) and 1.85 million-dirham Jebel Hatta (1,800m). DUBAI RACING CLUB