Dubai: Inaugural Jumeirah Derby has key contender missing
The gang's not quite all there for the inaugural running of the $200,000 Jumeirah Derby on Friday at Meydan Racecourse.
Island Falcon won the Jumeirah Derby Trial on Jan. 21 by 1 1/4 lengths but was not among the eight horses entered in the Jumeirah Derby, a 2,000-meter grass race for 3-year-olds.
That ought to leave New Kingdom, trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin and with William Buick named to ride, as the favorite for the Jumeirah Derby, the last leg in a new series created by the Dubai Racing Club for the 2021-22 racing season.
In the 1,800-meter trial for Friday’s race, New Kingdom got a sweet inside trip, coming out at the 300-meter mark to take on pacesetting Pjerrot, only to be tackled just before the finish by faster-closing Island Falcon, who came over the top and outsprinted him to the line. New Kingdom is by Dubawi out of Provenance, by Galileo, and thus has the pedigree to see out another furlong given Island Falcon’s absence. New Kingdom was a moderate winner of a novice race in two English starts during his 2-year-ol campaign.
Pjerrot set the pace in the trial race and held decently for third, which, to a great extent, calls into question the quality of the field, since Pjerro’s first three races came in Denmark.
Fourth-place Sed Marib is the only other horse coming out of the trial and into the Jumeirah Derby. He slogged along making some late progress in the trial and ought at least to see out this extended trip.
The other horse worth serious consideration is Nations Pride, another Appleby-trained Godolphin runner. Nations Pride debuted on turf before making two all-weather starts, winning both, the second of those races over Friday’s 2,000-meter distance.
The card’s other stakes race is the Group 3, $150,000 Dubai Millennium, also over 2,000 meters on turf but for older horses. This, as with many Meydan turf stakes, could turn into an intramural affair for Godophin, which has four of the 12 entrants. Star Safari gave weight and won the 2,000-meter Zabeel Turf by a half-length on Jan. 28, but the second-place horse, Marie’s Diamond – who runs again Friday – returned with a real dud, so the Zabeel Turf form might be suspect.
Godolphin’s other three are Big Team, Volcanic Sky, and Royal Fleet. Big Team’s three Dubai starts this winter came on dirt, while Volcanic Sky requires a longer distance to race effectively, but Royal Fleet is a key contender. Appleby conservatively managed 4-year-old Royal Fleet to win four of five starts in England, never taking on group stakes competition, before Royal Fleet wound up in Dubai this winter. He was second to the tough 7-year-old Desert Fire in his Meydan debut and two weeks ago finished second to the ageless Lord Glitters. Merely repeating that last performance could make he and jockey James Doyle winners.
First post for the six-race card is 9 a.m. Eastern. Catch all the action at DRFBets.com.