Capezzano, Quip face off in Firebreak Stakes

The return of Capezzano, the Dubai debut of Quip, and a matchup of Godolphin, Charlie Appleby-trained turf mares highlight the racing action Thursday night at Meydan Racecourse.

Capezzano blasted through the early portions of the Dubai World Cup Carnival in 2019, beating Thunder Snow in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, before going over the top and finishing 12th in the Dubai World Cup. Trainer Salem bin Ghadayer took a slower approach with Capezzano for this World Cup Carnival, starting his training later than the previous year and holding him out of action until Thursday’s Group 3, $200,000 Firebreak Stakes, a 1,600-meter dirt race that drew a large, competitive field that includes American expatriate Quip.

The Firebreak, race 6, shares top billing on the card with race 4, the Group 2, $250,000 Balanchine Stakes, a 1,800-meter turf race for older fillies and mares. Magic Lilly and Nisreen were separated by a nose when Magic Lilly came out on top Jan. 16 in the Cape Verdi Stakes. Both horses will have to deal with Magic Lilly’s Appleby-trained stablemate Divine Image, who made a mark last World Cup Carnival in 3-year-old filly dirt races.

Capezzano, a 6-year-old Malibu Moon gelding, had a breakout early 2019 before tailing off and finishing well up the track as Thunder Snow beat Gronkowski in the 2019 World Cup. Now, Bin Ghadayer and owner Sultan Ali are eyeing the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29 and another shot at the World Cup on March 28 if things go well Thursday.

“I think he can be 100 percent for Saudi and then Dubai World Cup, but this race will not be an easy race,” Bin Ghadayer told Dubai Racing Club publicity. “We will go and try to win this race, but we must be very careful with him and his mentality. We have tried to keep him happy and relaxed, which is not easy, but he has trained and galloped well and he’s healthy and sound.”

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Quip showed talent from early in his career while racing for WinStar Farm and trainer Rodolphe Brisset in America, though he failed to string together consistent performances and offered strong suggestions that races at or about one mile – like the Firebreak – might best suit him. Doug Watson trains Quip now for Rashid bin Humaid al Nuaimi, and Watson is plenty capable of having Quip fit and ready for a strong performance in his first start since September.

Bin Ghadayer also starts the speedy Heavy Metal and Matterhorn in the Firebreak, while Watson is two-handed with the capable Muntazah. Secret Ambition has a right to improve Thursday night as does the Doug O’Neill-trained Fight On, who makes his second start this winter in Dubai.

A nose separated Magic Lilly and Nisreen in the one-mile Cape Verdi, and while both horses should adequately negotiate the step up to about 1 1/8 miles Thursday, Magic Lilly is a year younger, more lightly raced, and less exposed than Nisreen. Appleby expects her to improve but also told Dubai Racing Club publicity that he sees no reason Divine Image won’t show her best on the Meydan turf course.

Divine Image, a 4-year-old by Scat Daddy, raced only on an all-weather track and on Meydan dirt (over which she won the UAE Oaks and the Al Bastakiya last season before finishing 13th in the UAE Derby) before returning from a long layoff at Deauville in France this past August. Divine Image’s seventh-place finish there had everything to do with a soft course, Appleby said, and she could be a different horse over firmer Meydan going in her 4-year-old debut.