Tag Archive for: Meydan

Forever Young primed for Dubai World Cup challenge

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Yoshito Yahagi cannot see “any negatives” as Forever Young tries to follow up his epic Saudi Cup win in Saturday’s Dubai World Cup at Meydan.

The four-year-old went head-to-head with Romantic Warrior in Riyadh just over a month ago, with Forever Young just grabbing the glory in the shadow of the post by a neck, with the rest of the field beaten upwards of 10 lengths.

While Romantic Warrior sticks to the same nine-furlong trip but switches surface for the Dubai Turf, Forever Young goes again on dirt over a mile and a quarter, with Yahagi expecting the longer distance to be in his favour along with the layout of the Meydan track.

The trainer said: “Of course he had a tough race (in Saudi Arabia) and he was a little fatigued for a few days. My staff really did a great job in aiding his recovery and from then the plan was always to come here and compete in the Dubai World Cup.

“I think the extra 200 metres will be an advantage for him and also going four turns will benefit him.

“I’ve been asked a lot about how he has come out of the race and his overall condition and some people have been concerned. But I actually think that, having experienced that tough race, he has improved another level. I think it’s all positive, I don’t see any negatives.”

Should Forever Young justify his position as hot favourite, he will be the third Japanese-trained winner after Victoire Pisa (2011) and Ushba Tesoro, who won the race in 2023, finished second last year and is back for another attempt.

Yahagi added: “The Dubai World Cup is a race that in Japan we always want to win. In 2011, straight after a devastating earthquake in Japan, Victoire Pisa won it and Transcend finished second. That was meaningful for the people; they were encouraged by that and this race, which has a prestigious history, has become more and more popular.”

The Bhupat Seemar-trained Imperial Emperor is second-favourite and is a fairytale runner for Worcester-based syndicate Deva Racing.

He was purchased from Godolphin in November and is three from four since switching to the dirt for his new connections at Meydan, with his only defeat being a runner-up finish in the Al Maktoum Challenge.

“It’s what dreams are made of and we never thought this would happen,” said Ryan Tongue, Deva Racing’s director and bloodstock agent, who was born and raised in Worcester and worked at the racecourse in his early days.

“It’s going to be an amazing day and who would have expected it? We paid around £65,000 for him and we love buying horses over there, the incentives are fantastic, the weather and the prize-money is great and you get so well looked after by the Dubai Racing Club.

“It’s been an exciting journey with him and we’ve now ended up with a Dubai World Cup runner in a $12m race and hopefully the fun continues.”

Imperial Emperor – who will be ridden by Tadhg O’Shea, who struck gold 12 months ago with the Seemar-trained Laurel River – was once a Classic hope for Charlie Appleby when trained in Newmarket, winning his first two races, and Tongue continued: “He was second-favourite for the Derby at one stage and he is by Dubawi, who does exceptionally well on the dirt, which is why we liked him.

“He’s improved with every run and I think he’s a horse who is only going to continue to improve. Super Saturday was only his fourth start on the dirt and Bhupat Seemar has always been very happy with him at home and his work is always very good. He’s a horse who’s given us a huge amount of pleasure.”

Seemar also fields Walk Of Stars, while William Buick teams up with Rattle N Roll for American trainer Kenny McPeek and Frankie Dettori rides the Doug O’Neill-trained outsider Mixto.

Romantic Warrior seeking Turf triumph after Saudi Cup near-miss

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Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior is a red-hot favourite to bounce back from his agonising Saudi Cup defeat in the Dubai Turf at Meydan on Saturday.

Danny Shum’s pride and joy is the dominant force in his homeland and has also enjoyed Group One success in Australia and Japan during his glittering career.

The seven-year-old stepped into the unknown when tackling dirt for the first time in Riyadh on his most recent appearance and while he looked the likely winner after engaging overdrive to accelerate clear off the home bend, he was run down late in the day by Japan’s Forever Young in what was an epic finish.

Romantic Warrior had previously made a successful Dubai debut when sprinting clear in the Jebel Hatta and similar will be expected over the same course and distance this weekend.

“He’s looking incredible, he’s fine and happy and ready to go,” Shum said this week.

“It (Saudi Cup) was a really tough race, but it’s hard to tell you (how much it took out of him) until his next race because he’s a horse who won’t tell you anything in a morning and he always feels good. On a raceday, he will tell you.

“He was beaten by the best horse in the world on the dirt and it was his first start on the dirt. Maybe he can improve and next season he can have another go at the Saudi Cup.

“I am really thankful to the horse and his owner Peter (Lau Pak Fai). I’m lucky that he gave me, my stable and the Hong Kong fans the chance to take Romantic Warrior all over the world and get some results. I’m really looking forward to Saturday.”

Romantic Warrior’s rivals include Clive Cox’s Ghostwriter, who makes his first appearance since finishing fifth in last season’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, Charlie Appleby’s course-and-distance winner Nations Pride and last year’s Dubai Turf hero Facteur Cheval, who is back on the grass to defend his title after finishing seventh in the Saudi Cup.

Facteur Cheval’s trainer Jerome Reynier said: “He looks amazing and he really feels at home here in Dubai. It’s a different way of prepping for the Turf this year because he’s been based here for three months and we’re very happy with the way he’s training and behaving.

“He hasn’t seen the turf for a long time as he’s been running on the dirt this year and we just want him to have the extra motivation to be back on turf on the day. That’s why he hasn’t been exercising on the turf and he’s really happy to be working on the dirt here.

“He’s fully fit and we just need to keep him fresh and happy.”

The first of five Group Ones on Dubai World Cup night is the Al Quoz Sprint, which unsurprisingly features a strong British contingent, headed by George Boughey’s top-class mare Believing.

The five-year-old was sold to a partnership of Coolmore and Resolute Racing for three million guineas in December and Boughey is excited ahead of her return.

He said: “Believing shipped over to Dubai as well as we could have possibly imagined. She’s a filly who has obviously been quite busy and had her passport out the last couple of years, so travelling has come as second nature to her.

“It’s been the plan for a long time and she’s had a faultless preparation through the spring and we’ll look forward to seeing how she gets on on Saturday evening.”

Marco Botti’s Hong Kong Vase winner Giavellotto, Appleby’s globetrotting ace Rebel’s Romance and Francis-Henri Graffard’s Juddmonte International and Champion Stakes runner-up Calandagan all feature in a fascinating renewal of the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Botti said: “There’s no doubt it is a strong field, but for that prize-money it is to be expected.

“I think this is a stronger field than Hong Kong, you’ve got the Japanese horses, the Aga Khan’s horse (Calandagan) and Rebel’s Romance, they are all top class, so I do think it’s going to be harder to win, but he runs well fresh and we know he likes the track.

“He’s definitely stronger than he’s been before and I think he’s proved he’s a mile-and-a-half horse.”

McPeek predicting bold show from Rattle N Roll at Meydan

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Kenny McPeek believes Rattle N Roll has the capability to “shock the world” in the Dubai World Cup, with William Buick booked to ride at Meydan.

The six-year-old American raider has remained in the Middle East since two appearances in Saudi Arabia in the early part of 2025 and with his most recent outings coming over nine furlongs, McPeek is relishing the move up to a mile and a quarter on the Dubai dirt.

“The horse is doing super over there and it looks like William Buick is going to ride,” said McPeek.

“This is a horse who is begging for 10 furlongs and his whole career we’ve always wanted to run him at this distance.

“He didn’t make the body of the race at the Breeders’ Cup last fall when we thought he would run well and he’s been in top form.”

After winning a Saudi Cup qualifier in January, Rattle N Roll was last seen when fifth in the Riyadh feature last month, not far away in the battle for minor honours in a race that produced an epic showdown between Forever Young and Romantic Warrior.

The Japanese superstar Forever Young may prove a formidable nut to crack once again in the Dubai World Cup, but McPeek is ready for the challenge and has the utmost faith in his charge.

He continued: “I think he just got a bit too far back in the Saudi Cup and I think if he was a little bit closer, he would have run a little bit better but he still came on and was only beaten a length for third.

“But over a mile and a quarter and two turns, this is a race where if the pace would set up for him, I think he could shock the world. Forever Young is the one stand-out in the race, but you should never dodge one horse.”

Audience ready for Al Quoz Sprint assignment at Meydan

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Audience is all set to fly the flag for Cheveley Park Stud in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night.

While the Willie Mullins-trained Grangeclare West could represent the famous Newmarket-based operation in the Grand National on the same afternoon, in contrast, last year’s Lockinge winner will be taking on some of the world’s best speedsters in Meydan.

“The trip might be a bit tight for him, but he’s in good form and if he’s grown up a bit mentally, he might be able to put his best foot forward and we’ll see what happens,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud.

“I watched him last week and he did a nice single solo on the Al Bahathri and everyone seemed to be all smiles afterwards.

“We’ll give it a whirl and we all know he can be a bit quirky and we might need a bit of luck, but he’s in good form.”

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Audience was the owners’ sole winner at the highest level last term when scoring at Newbury in a race that also featured former stablemate Inspiral, carrying the same Cheveley Park colours.

Audience after winning the Lockinge
Audience after winning the Lockinge (Steven Paston/PA)

That victory came over a mile, but with his other four successes all at seven furlongs, it is no surprise to see connections already thinking about the newest Group One on the British calendar at York later in the summer.

Richardson added: “I think seven furlongs is his ideal and now the City of York is a Group One, that will probably be the main target for him.

“But it’s nice to have a runner on the international stage in the meantime and it’s a very valuable pot.”

Ghostwriter all set for showdown with Romantic Warrior

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Clive Cox is confident Ghostwriter can gain the rewards his efforts at three deserve when he takes on some of the world’s best on his reappearance in the Dubai Turf at Meydan.

Owned by Jeff Smith, the son of Invincible Spirit was a consistent performer throughout his three-year-old season, and having regularly locked horns with City Of Troy in 2024, begins the new campaign with a clash against Danny Shum’s global superstar Romantic Warrior.

“He’s due to leave on Saturday morning and we’ve been very happy with his preparations,” said Cox.

Ghostwriter (left) in action at Sandown last summer
Ghostwriter (left) in action at Sandown last summer (Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA)

“He’s got a long journey ahead and then next week we’re very hopeful he can reproduce the consistent form he showed last year.

“He was extremely consistent last year and we’re happy he has done really well over the early part of winter and had a good lead up to this race.”

As well as Hong Kong-based Romantic Warrior, Japan’s Liberty Island and Soul Rush could be in opposition, while Jerome Reynier’s French raider Facteur Cheval adds further spice to a contest he won 12 months ago.

Trainer Clive Cox is hopeful of a big performance from Ghostwriter at Meydan
Trainer Clive Cox is hopeful of a big performance from Ghostwriter at Meydan (Mike Egerton/PA)

However, Cox is positive Ghostwriter’s form stands up favourably with his rivals, taking plenty of encouragement in particular from his third-placed effort in York’s Juddmonte International, which was officially recognised by Longines as the world’s best race in 2024.

“This is going to be a very good comparison for us up against the Japanese horses and the other international competitors,” added Cox.

“But I’m very happy we ran a very respectable race behind City Of Troy in what was quoted as the best race in the world at York in the International and I hope that form can translate well when up against the international form.”

Frankie Dettori back in Dubai action on World Cup night

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Frankie Dettori will return to Dubai to ride on World Cup night, with Godolphin Mile favourite Raging Torrent the pick of two mounts for American trainer Doug O’Neill on Saturday week.

The Italian has also been booked to partner outsider Mixto in the World Cup, a race he was won a record-equalling four times before with Dubai Millennium (2000), Moon Ballad (2003), Electrocutionist (2006) and Country Grammer (2022).

Raging Torrent will bid to give O’Neill back-to-back wins in the Group Two Godolphin Mile, following the success of Two Rivers Over last term.

Dettori, who can boast seven previous triumphs in this contest, was on board the four-year-old for the first time when landing the Grade One Malibu Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Boxing Day.

O’Neill, who also won with Spring At Last in 2007, said: “We circled the Godolphin Mile after the Malibu.

“Having Frankie in the saddle, arguably one of the best of all time, it’s a great asset. He knows him well, he’s worked him and won on him, so it’s definitely a big plus.

“He shipped great, his appetite has been really good and his energy level is excellent as well according to my staff, so it’s so far, so good.”

All four of the colt’s wins have come over seven furlongs, but O’Neill has no fears about tackling a longer trip at Meydan.

He told the Dubai Racing Club: “Not at all, I think the one-turn mile is the key. He’s got tons of stamina.

“He’s a little more precocious than Spring At Last and Two Rivers Over, who were two wonderful horses, but he’s got that six-furlong sort of speed and he can stay a mile. He checks all the boxes and now we just need to stay injury-free between now and the race.”

Clover looking to accumulate overseas riches with star duo

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Trainer Tom Clover is targeting a huge international double on Saturday week, with stable stars Al Nayyir and Rogue Lightning being prepared for big-race assignments in Dubai and America respectively.

French recruit Al Nayyir enjoyed an excellent first season for Clover, finishing a close second to Vauban in the Lonsdale Cup at York before winning Newmarket’s Rose Bowl by eight lengths.

Having rounded off his 2024 campaign with a creditable effort behind Kyprios on Qipco Champions Day at Ascot, Al Nayyir headed to Saudi Arabia for his return to action and finished fifth in the Red Sea Turf Handicap, a race in which he placed fourth last year before filling the runner-up spot behind Aidan O’Brien’s Tower Of London in the Dubai Gold Cup.

The seven-year-old is set to return to Meydan and Clover would be delighted with a similar effort on World Cup night.

“The plan is to go to Dubai. All going well, he’ll head out there at the weekend and we’re looking forward to it,” said the Newmarket handler.

“I thought he ran a really gallant race in the Red Sea Turf. He was carrying top-weight and wasn’t beaten that far by some really nice horses.

“We thought there was no pace in the race and probably rode him a bit handier than we should have. If we had our time again, perhaps we’d ride him a bit colder and it might have helped him out a bit, but he ran a cracking race really and fingers crossed he can do the same at Meydan.”

High-class sprinter Rogue Lightning has already enjoyed a profitable year on foreign soil having plundered a valuable prize in Qatar last month.

He too had the option of Dubai for the Al Quoz Sprint, but Clover has identified the Group Two Shakerstown Stakes in Keeneland as a more suitable target on the same day.

Clover added: “He’s got his last bit of work to do on Thursday morning and we’ll go from there, but the plan is to go to Keeneland with him.

“I just felt that while the Al Quoz Sprint is a great race, it probably will be a bit more competitive than going to America and we want to give ourselves every opportunity to go as close as we can.

“For us, as a small to medium sized team, it’s great to have international runners and it will be really exciting to see how they get on.”

Heart Of Honor just misses out in Dubai, but UAE Derby dream ‘still alive’

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Jamie Osborne remains keen to target the UAE Derby with Heart Of Honor following his narrow defeat at Meydan on Friday.

Runner-up on his Southwell debut in the autumn, the son of Honor A.P. went one better with an impressive display on his Dubai debut in December and followed up early in the new year.

He was unable to reel in Golden Vekoma when bidding to complete his hat-trick in the UAE 2000 Guineas, but with a step up from a mile to an extended nine furlongs expected to suit, Heart Of Honor was a hot favourite to get back on the winning trail at Listed level in the Al Bastakiya.

With the trainer’s daughter Saffie Osborne taking over in the saddle from Adrie de Vries, the three-year-old looked to be struggling to keep up with the furious early pace and still had plenty of ground to make up on the leaders rounding the home turn.

However, Heart Of Honor really got rolling inside the final furlong and was only beaten a head by the winner Galactic Star at the line.

“What can you say? Clearly stamina is his strength,” said Osborne.

“I’d need to watch it back carefully. Saffie felt she got shuffled a little further back than ideal and in another two strides he would have won the race.”

While disappointed to be beaten, Osborne feels his charge merits a step up to Group Two level on Dubai World Cup night for a race the Lambourn handler memorably landed with his subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Toast Of New York 11 years ago.

Galactic Star, centre in purple colours, just had enough in reserve to hold off Heart Of Honor
Galactic Star, centre in purple colours, just had enough in reserve to hold off Heart Of Honor (Dubai Racing Club)

He added: “It is disappointing to beaten, but he’s run his race and he’s not a forlorn UAE Derby hope on the back of that.

“We’ve got six weeks to work on him and he is a work in progress – he’s far from the finished article.

“I would like to think another six weeks will do him no harm and if we can just sharpen him up a little bit, and he can hold a better position in the UAE Derby, I don’t think you’d be committed to an asylum for thinking he is going to have a live chance.

“The dream is still alive. It’s disappointing to finish second in a Guineas and second in an Al Bastakiya and you could argue he was marginally unlucky in both races, but luck levels out over a period of time and maybe we’ve saved our good luck for the UAE Derby.”

Heart Of Honor expected to enjoy UAE Derby distance

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Jamie Osborne is targeting a second UAE Derby victory with Heart Of Honor after he had to make do with the runner-up spot when bidding for a Dubai hat-trick last week.

It is 11 years since the Lambourn handler claimed UAE Derby glory with Toast Of New York, who famously went on to be beaten just a nose by Bayern in an epic Breeders’ Cup Classic later that year.

Heart Of Honor has some way to go to scale those heights, but following a promising introduction when second at Southwell in October, the three-year-old impressed at Meydan in December and January before finishing second to Golden Vekoma, who he had previously beaten, in Friday’s UAE 2000 Guineas.

Osborne feels there is more to come from the son of American Grade One winner Honor A. P., particularly when he steps up in trip.

He said: “We ran him a fortnight before the UAE Guineas to give him that experience and if we hadn’t done that, we would have been kicking ourselves because he was green and babyish early on the other day.

“He’s just not that quick into his stride and with 15 runners, we just ended up further back than ideal and then, of course, he had to negotiate getting past 14 horses in front of him.

“The winner, who is probably a more complete horse at the moment, jumped out and travelled great and was up there in the van the whole way. We have just left ourselves too much to do, but he’s run through the line really well and it looks fairly obvious that we’re going to improve for going a bit further.

“I think there is an element of him learning on the job as well, and I think he will get sharper, so it makes sense probably to go to the Al Bastakiya (February 21) and hopefully end up in the UAE Derby on World Cup night (April 5).

“He’s not the finished article yet by any stretch of the imagination. When you see him next to some of those other dirt horses in Dubai, he’s still quite raw looking, so we have every reason to hope that this horse will improve through the year and into next year.”

Romantic Warrior posts winning debut in Dubai

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Romantic Warrior was victorious on his Dubai debut but his Jebel Hatta success was marred by a fatal injury to defending champion Measured Time.

Danny Shum’s Hong Kong star was looking to add to his international tally, having also won the 2023 Cox Plate in Australia and last year’s Yasuda Kinen in Japan but he was settled some way off the strong pace set by William Buick aboard the Charlie Appleby-trained Measured Time.

At one point the Godolphin runner was 10 lengths clear, with McDonald content to bide his time before he asked the triple Hong Kong Cup hero to close up.

In no time at all he cut the gap to around five lengths and once McDonald knew he was going to win, he was not hard on his charge as he added almost £250,000 to his earnings, which are already the highest of any racehorse ever.

Sadly, Measured Time sustained an injury and fell just before the finish line.

The Saudi Cup is next on the agenda and McDonald is well aware the Riyadh race on dirt represents a different challenge again, but so far the seven-year-old has been up to everything thrown at him.

“He always gives me a great feel, he’s just a very good racehorse and he adapts so well,” said McDonald.

“He goes on any surface, adapts to any pace and shows a great turn of foot, he’s also very strong minded.

“He could be a sprinter, that’s how fast he is, but I was a little bit worried today as he was a bit fresh in the parade ring. He managed to get his cool going to the start, so I was thankful for that.

“It’s very exciting but Saudi will be completely different, we’re going into unknown territory. I don’t know if he’s going to go on the dirt.

“He’s got a phenomenal will to win which will take him a long way.”

Shum confirmed the Saudi Cup adventure will be next.

“I was not worried when he was 10 lengths behind because I trust James McDonald,” said Shum.

“Not many horses can make up 10 lengths, he is one of the best in the world, for sure. He’s got a good turn of foot, he listens to the jockey and he can kick.

“When we run on the turf I am confident he can win, but Saudi is dirt. He had six trials on the dirt in Saudi and won five and was second in the other. But trials is trials and race is race.

“I like what the owner Peter (Lau Pak Fai) said, ‘once in your life you should try’, so I will try my best for the Saudi Cup.”

Godolphin's Hugh Anderson paid tribute to Measured Time
Godolphin’s Hugh Anderson paid tribute to Measured Time (left)

Godolphin’s managing director Hugh Anderson paid tribute to Measured Time, who not only secured top-level gold in this race last year but also won the Manhattan Stakes.

He told www.godolphin.com: “Everyone at Godolphin is deeply saddened by the passing of Measured Time. He was an immensely popular horse and will be greatly missed.

“We are relieved to see William Buick walk away afterwards, and our thanks go to the veterinarian and medical teams at Meydan for their swift care and compassion in an extremely unfortunate situation.”

The Saudi Cup dream also remains alive for Facteur Cheval, last seen finishing runner-up to Charyn at Ascot on Champions Day.

Jerome Reynier’s charge was a respectable third on his first outing on dirt in the Al Maktoum Challenge behind the Bhupat Seemar pair of Walk Of Stars and Imperial Emperor.

Having been trapped in on the rail, he was apparently travelling best of all but he found himself with too much ground to make up in the final furlong.

Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior gets Meydan sighter in Jebel Hatta

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Romantic Warrior, the world’s highest-earning racehorse, will have his first run in Dubai on Friday when he will face seven rivals in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan.

The Danny Shum-trained seven-year-old has not been beaten since finishing fourth in the Turnbull Stakes in Australia in October 2023.

Since then he has won the Cox Plate, the Hong Kong Cup twice and the Yasuda Kinen in Japan, among other big races.

James McDonald – crowned Longines World’s Best Jockey for 2024 in front of Ryan Moore – has built up a strong rapport with him and after a light workout earlier in the week declared himself happy.

“He was really good, (he) had only a light piece of work and breezed home nicely, so very happy,” McDonald said.

“He was just breezing – not fast for him. He’s really good – (in) good form.

“He’s obviously got a big challenge ahead, but he’s in good form.”

Shum is used to all the travelling now and said the gelding is comfortable with his globetrotting role.

“It’s almost the same, not much difference,” Shum said when asked to compare previous ventures overseas.

“He’s good, healthy, happy and strong. He’s now used to all the trips overseas. He’s a tough horse.

“He has our stable team and Romantic Charm with him, so he understands he is safe. The idea of his work under James is just to get him used to the turf. He is good.”

Shum does, though, expect Romantic Warrior to improve fitness-wise for the run ahead of his next target, the Saudi Cup, which will lead him into the Dubai World Cup.

“I believe he’s at 80-90 per cent of his best condition. Actually, I don’t really like to measure it this way. If you really want me to give a specific assessment, I would say he’s a little over 80% but not quite 90 per cent,” said Shum.

“In fact, he doesn’t need to be in top form right now, because our main goals are the following two races. For his next race on Friday, we don’t need to push him too hard. This race is mainly to prepare him for the next two bigger targets.

“The main thing is to let Romantic Warrior get used to the track here. Although James McDonald is the world’s best jockey, this is his first time riding in Dubai. Both the jockey and the horse are here for the first time, so they need time to adapt.

“On Monday James showed his professionalism. He inspected the turf track and jogged on it. He does the same thing when he rides at Sha Tin racecourse. He’s a very professional jockey.”

Taking him on is Charlie Appleby’s Measured Time, the course record holder over the nine-furlong trip and winner of this race last year.

Karl Burke’s Royal Ascot winner Holloway Boy, Charlie Hills’ Ancient Rome and the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Poker Face are other names UK racegoers will recognise.

Elsewhere on the card is the UAE 2000 Guineas, where the Heart Of Honor is an interesting runner for Jamie Osborne after two wins already at Meydan, and the Al Maktoum Challenge in which the high-class French runner Facteur Cheval has his first outing on dirt.

Trainer Jerome Reynier said: “The plan was to send him to Dubai for the winter and try him on dirt before the big race (Saudi Cup). He’s training really well on the surface, but it will be a very different scenario with the rhythm and the kick-back and everything.

“If he copes with conditions he will go for the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup, but if he’s not in the first three he’ll go for the Singspiel Stakes on Super Saturday and then the Dubai Turf.”

Choisya makes all for Cape Verdi title

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Charlie Appleby’s Romantic Style suffered a surprise defeat as Simon and Ed Crisford’s Choisya made every yard of the running in the Group Two Cape Verdi at Meydan.

Mickael Barzalona was allowed to set what appeared a slow pace while all her rivals were fighting for their heads in behind.

Just as William Buick might have hoped he had won the battle in getting last year’s French 1000 Guineas fourth Romantic Style settled, Ultima came up on her outside which lit her up again.

Meanwhile Barzalona showed his skill by gradually increasing the pace before putting Choisya’s turn of foot to good use over a furlong out.

Romantic Style went into a clear second but when Choisya (5-1) pulled further clear, Buick accepted the situation fairly quickly.

Barzalona said: “I got it easily from the front. I set my own pace and when I asked her to quicken, she went and won very well.

“It would have been nice to get a lead but no one else wanted to go forward, so then I just tried to go my pace and the others were quite happy to stay back.

“This is a very nice race to win for connections.”

Royal Ascot hero Wild Tiger returns to action at Meydan

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Royal Ascot winner Wild Tiger makes a belated return to action for Saeed bin Suroor at Meydan on Friday.

Not seen since landing the Royal Hunt Cup, the six-year-old, who has only had six runs in his life, comes back in a handicap over seven furlongs.

Bin Suroor is targeting Bahrain with the gelding, and he may step up to 10 furlongs at some stage.

He will be ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle for the first time.

“He’s had an easy time, we gave him some time off as he’d been busy. We were looking at the Bahrain International, but he had a little setback,” said the Godolphin trainer.

“He’s been back in work for some time and he’s working well.

“We’re starting him off over seven furlongs and he’s a miler really, he might even go over 10 furlongs at some stage as he always finishes well.

“More than likely there’s a race in Bahrain for him, or we could even take him to Qatar, one of those two I think.

“He’s a straightforward horse so I don’t think it will be a problem that Dylan rides him for the first time.”

In the same race is Hafit, once trained by Charlie Appleby to be third in the Queen’s Vase in 2022 but not seen since.

Appleby fields odds-on favourite Romantic Style in the Cape Verdi, who finished fourth in the French 1000 Guineas but disappointed in the Prix Jean Prat.

“We are very pleased with Romantic Style heading into her seasonal return and her preparation has gone well. This is a starting point ahead of a potential European campaign and, if she runs to the level she showed in the French Guineas, it will make her the one to beat. Hopefully, this can set her up for a good year,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.

Simon and Ed Crisford take her on with Choisya, a Listed winner at Haydock in August.

“She’s in super form and it’s a small but quality field, Charlie has got a good filly in there,” said Ed Crisford.

“On her best form she will be very competitive and she’s done really well since she’s been in Dubai actually. Hopefully the track will suit her nicely and I’m sure she can run a good race.”

Heart Of Honor has Osborne dreaming of UAE Guineas glory

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Jamie Osborne’s Heart Of Honor has the UAE 2000 Guineas in his sights after two impressive dirt victories at Meydan.

The colt is by freshman American sire Honor A.P. out of a Scat Daddy mare named Ruby Love, bestowing him with a pedigree that would suggest he is made to thrive on the dirt.

After a debut run at Southwell in October, where he was second over seven furlongs, Heart Of Honor flew out to the Middle East to find the surface on which he is bred to perform.

His first encounter with dirt came in a one-mile conditions race, where he was a ready winner when coming home four and a half lengths ahead of Simon and Ed Crisford’s Estmrar.

He returned for the Dubai Maritime City over the same course and distance last week and went on to win again, scoring by two and a half lengths having travelled well throughout under Adrie de Vries.

After acquitting himself well in those two starts, Heart Of Honor is to be aimed next at the UAE 2000 Guineas, a Group Three event run at Meydan later in the month that is likely to be his last start over a mile.

“The plan is to go to the UAE 2000 Guineas with him, he appears to have come out of Friday’s race OK and as long as he’s alright between now and then, we’ll take our chance,” said Osborne.

“It was a finely balanced decision (to run on Friday). If we don’t win the 2000 Guineas, then some may say it is because we ran him two weeks before, but if we didn’t run, then some also might say it’s because we didn’t give him enough experience.

“We made the decision anyway, and I think he’ll cope with it.

“He’s got a good mind and he’s a very sound horse who has taken well to dirt. I do think that this will probably be his last start at a mile, I think he can improve again for another furlong or two in front of him.

“Win, lose or draw the Guineas, I’d imagine we’d be heading to the Al Bastakiya as a trial for the UAE Derby.”

The UAE Derby was part of a memorable campaign enjoyed by Osborne’s former stable star Toast Of New York, who won the race in 2014 before taking to the dirt in America to miss out by the slimmest of margins to Bayern in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Naturally, comparisons are likely to be drawn between the two, but at this early stage, Osborne is focused on Heart Of Honor’s Dubai campaign and will turn his attentions to further plans after his time in the desert.

“I’d rule nothing in and nothing out at the moment,” he said.

“If we get that far and end up in the Derby, that will have been a fairly intense period for him as a young horse, so we’ll just take a breath, take stock and then have a think about what we do next.”

Facteur Cheval to make dirt switch at Meydan

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Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval is set to try a dirt track in the Al Maktoum Challenge ahead of a possible Middle Eastern campaign on the surface.

The gelding had gone close in a series of high-quality races before making his Group One breakthrough at Meydan last year, winning the Dubai Turf to add over £2million to a prize fund haul that already looked pretty healthy due to prior placed runs in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Sussex Stakes.

After his Dubai trip last year, he returned to British shores again to finish sixth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, after which he was third in the Sussex Stakes and second once again when chasing home Charyn in the Queen Elizabeth II.

A return to Meydan has been on the agenda ever since, with connections pondering a switch to a dirt surface and a potential tilt at races such as the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup.

With that in mind, Facteur Cheval will head out to Dubai imminently to settle in ahead of the Al Maktoum Challenge, run on dirt over nine and a half furlongs in late January.

Prior to the journey, the horse did a piece of work at Cagnes-sur-Mer at the weekend and gave Reynier plenty of reason to be optimistic ahead of the six-year-old’s return to action.

“He’s been very good, he’s been training well and he did a piece of work at Cagnes-sur-Mer two days ago on Saturday. We’re very happy with him,” he said.

“He’s going to run in the Al Maktoum Challenge on the dirt on January 24, that will be a good test to see if he can handle the dirt and we will make a plan afterwards depending on his run. It will be very interesting.

“He has run over the trip before in Dubai and it was no problem, he is getting more mature with age and he looks amazing physically.

“He’s been to Dubai before, he knows the place and obviously he was very successful last year.

“That’s the aim (the Saudi Cup and/or the Dubai World Cup), that’s why we are trying him on the dirt to see if we can target those races. If not, we will keep him on the turf and maybe run him on Super Saturday too.

“He takes it all in his stride, he deals with the travelling very well and he’ll be going over on Friday.”