Headline acts fill up Super Saturday

DUBAI – Rebel’s Romance and Tuz are just two of the equine superstars heading to Emirates Super Saturday – the official day of trial races ahead of the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28.

As a nine-time Group 1 winner, Rebel’s Romance rightly deserves top billing on the nine-race card. He faces seven rivals in the 1.4 million dirham (S$482,000) Group 2 Dubai City of Gold (2,410m), which offers the winner automatic entry to the Group 1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic over the same course and distance.

The Dubawi eight-year-old won the Sheema Classic in 2024 and arrives here after finishing second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf (2,400m) in Del Mar on Nov 1.

“Rebel’s Romance returns to Dubai in great shape,” said trainer Charlie Appleby.

“He is eight now, but you couldn’t knock his performances last season and he appears to have retained all his enthusiasm throughout the winter.

“I’m hoping that he can show us once again what he can do and everyone can appreciate what a great racehorse he is.”

One of Rebel’s Romance’s opponents is rising star Fort George, who steps up to this 2,410m distance after winning the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes over 2,000m a month ago on Jan 30.

“It was a straightforward decision to go for the City of Gold,” said trainer Ed Walker.

“Obviously Rebel’s Romance is going to be a problem, but if you take him out, it looks pretty open – there’s probably more depth in the Singspiel (Stakes).

“We thought not to run scared of one horse and we’re very happy with Fort George. Kieran (Shoemark, jockey) has been riding him in his work, his weight is good, and everything has gone well since his win last time.”

Tuz became the first horse to win all the domestic Group sprints in 2025, before a valiant third to Dark Saffron in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1,200m) – a race he won in 2024.

This time around, trainer Bhupat Seemar has given him a lighter campaign, beginning with Feb 28’s 1.2 million dirham Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal (1,200m), which he also won 12 months ago. He will be ridden as usual by Tadhg O’Shea, who has been aboard for six of his 10 career wins.

“Tuz is great, I’m happier more than anyone to have him back,” said the Irish jockey. “He’s like a catapult at the moment – he’s ready to go and is going around the track like a two-year-old.

“It’s just shy of 11 months since his last race and he’s a big boy, so there will be improvement to come.

“It’s a very good race, but I wouldn’t swop him as he’s a legend around here.”

The Oxbow nine-year-old has nine to beat, including two from his own stable. Both World Record and Mufasa are owned by RRR Racing, who also run Cats By Five, trained by Doug Watson.

The Group 1-placed World Record is a newcomer to Dubai, having been purchased out of the Rodolphe Brisset stable in the US.

“He’s a very nice horse, he’s a Group 2 winner who has recently come over here,” said Muammer Ameen, racing manager for RRR Racing.

“He’s acclimatised really well and showed us some nice speed in his gallops. He’ll need the run, but he will improve tonnes after the race.

“He has a difficult task against the best sprinter in the world, Tuz, but I think he’s going to give him a race.”

Chilean-bred Mufasa is yet to win in four local starts and finished fourth, two spots behind the reopposing El Nasseeb, runner-up to Seemar’s Drew’s Gold in the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint (1,200m) on Jan 23.

“We have Ryan Moore on Mufasa and he has watched all his races,” said Ameen. “He has loads of ability, he accelerates well from the gate and has a nice turn of foot.

“He doesn’t like the rail or the kickback, so you have to be sensitive with him.”

Cats By Five comes here in search of a hat-trick and Ameen is confident the US-bred five-year-old by Audible will also show up.

“Cats By Five won his first handicap and was impressive the second time, winning by four and a half lengths,” he said.

“If he jumps in the first four and stays there until the bend, he’ll be very competitive.” DUBAI RACING CLUB