Player likely receiving a card - Conor Bradley
As far back as I can recall, Dubai World Cup Night has always marked the first major gathering on the international horse racing calendar.
Even though events like the Pegasus World Cup and the Saudi Cup have risen to prominence, the Dubai World Cup continues to be the highlight, pulling in top talent from the UK and Ireland to the Middle East.
This year's gathering is no exception, featuring runners from the UK and Ireland in six of the eight races, barring the two dirt contests, namely the Group 2 Godolphin Mile and the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.
In this overview, we're considering horses from the Godolphin stable, trained by Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor, as local contenders, aligning with their winter base location.
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A notable new feature in the schedule has emerged as a chance for stayers, showcased by this valuable Group 2, a two-mile test.
Since it premiered in 2012, European-trained horses have been triumphant in six out of nine instances (except for the 2020 race canceled due to the pandemic), including the notable run by Subjectivist, who's set to compete again after two years.
Subjectivist has managed only two outings since securing an impressive victory that day, with his latest being twelfth over 1m7f in Riyadh, marking his return after an 18-month absence.
Expected to perform better off that run, he appears to be in a strong position in terms of official ratings.
Globetrotting veteran Broome, representing Aidan O’Brien, makes a surprising debut in Dubai following a fifth-place finish in Doha's 1m4f Listed event last month.
Quickthorn displayed remarkable form last summer with consecutive Group 2 and Group 3 victories but has previously struggled at this higher level.
The appointment of skilled Australian jockey Damian Lane for Marco Botti’s Ardakan is intriguing, given the colt's close chase behind the likely favorite Siskany in last month's 1m6f contest here.
Ardakan seems well-suited to the additional distance and emerges as a prominent candidate, alongside contenders like Enemy, Get Shirty, Trawlerman, Al Qareem, El Habeeb, and Giavellotto, even though Japanese entries are sparse, which is unexpected given their recent successes.
Another fresh addition to the card is this six-furlong turf sprint. Despite the UK's lack of wins, Ireland boasts two, courtesy of Sole Power in 2015 and A Case Of You, now Australian-based, last year.
George Boughey’s Al Dasim appears poised to secure the UK’s maiden victory in the event, having completed a hat-trick with an impressive Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint win, the main preparatory race earlier this month.
Achieving success as the sole three-year-old against seasoned adversaries, he enjoys a weight advantage.
Flaming Rib, with Oisin Murphy aboard, is another UK hopeful with potential following a triumph over this distance on his season's debut in Doha last month.
Representing Ireland is Ladies Church, Churchill's daughter, who recorded a close second in the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint at this venue last month. She stands out as an intriguing contender, given it’s only her second outing over this trip.
While the Godolphin operation historically dominated this race, it's refreshing to see European participation with Aidan O’Brien’s Cairo.
The typically absent Ballydoyle maestro from this setting presents Cairo, a celebrated Group performer, aiming for the UAE season's standout three-year-old race.
Cairo has proven his comfort on synthetic surfaces with a two-length victory in a mile Listed event at Dundalk earlier this month, fueling hopes for Dubai given his sire, Quality Road, excelled on dirt.
Cairo currently leads race odds ahead of Bob Baffert's Worcester, while Japanese expectations are represented by Dura Erede, a past Group 1 1m2f victor in December's Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama. UK Bookies Lord North has clinched this title for two consecutive years, notably tying for first in 2022, and is one of several seven-year-olds vying for this year's edition.
Under the guidance of John and Thady Gosden, the seasoned competitor recently showcased vitality with a Listed 1m2f synthetic track win at Lingfield.
Order Of Australia, Aidan O'Brien's entrant, turned heads with a half-length mile win in Doha last month. Other UK and Irish contenders feature the Roger Varian-coached El Drama, narrowly second in a Group 1 here recently, as well as outsiders Shelir (David O’Meara) and Sir Busker (William Knight).
Panthalassa, who shared last year’s top spot with Lord North, was Japan-trained. Meanwhile, Do Deuce, unsuccessful at the Arc in October, is tipped to favor the speedy forecast ground after claiming a Group 2 1m3f turf race at Hanshin last month.
Fellow Japanese contender Serifos ended 2022 triumphantly with a Group 1 Hanshin mile win in November, anticipating a strong return.
Mostahdaf and Westover are the UK and Ireland representatives for the standout 1m4f race.
Trailed by John and Thady Gosden, Mostahdaf, past performances suggest, thrives on a firm surface. He rebounded from a lackluster Arc showing on a soft track with a seven-length triumph in Riyadh's 1m2f+ Group 3 last month.
Westover seems promising, last year’s commanding Irish Derby conqueror shook off a disappointing King George effort by finishing sixth at the Arc in Longchamp in October.
Although yet to race this year, he's predicted to welcome fast ground, positioning him as a formidable rival to Equinox, a Japanese standout. Equinox is favored at low odds after besting last year’s Dubai Turf co-winner Panthalassa followed by a December Arima Kinen Group 1 win.
Last year's race victor Shahryar represents Japan following solid showings, notably finishing second in a Tokyo 1m4f Group 1 last November.
Revived Panthalassa enters for Japan in this contest. Algiers might be the lone UK entry, but international intrigue is vast, highlighted by Bob Baffert’s Country Grammer, reigning winner here, and an array of Japanese runners like Ushba Tesoro and T O Keynes, who finished one-two in a Listed Kawasaki event last month.
Racing until October in UK handicap ranks, Algiers impressed with two dubai outings, dominating Group 2s with a twelve-and-a-half-length total margin.
The most recent victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge R2 over 1-mile-one-and-a-half furlongs saw him justify his favorite's odds early this month.
The six-year-old is now the second favorite, established by BetUK’s handicap margin victory, last year's Godolphin Mile saw him falter, yet he’s a transformed contender.
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Player likely receiving a card - Conor Bradley
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