Rare Rhythm wins Nad al Sheba Trophy, with Vazirabad second

Rare Rhythm won the Group 3, $200,000 Nad al Sheba Trophy Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths over Vazirabad on Thursday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, but Vazirabad probably got what his connections wanted and he needed out of the race.

Vazirabad has won the last two editions of the $1 million Dubai Gold Cup on the Dubai World Cup card, and his victory last year came after a runner-up finish in the Nad al Sheba Trophy. His start Thursday in the same stakes marked his first race since Oct. 22, and at 2,810 meters, the race was shorter than Vazirabad’s preferred trip of 1 3/4 miles and beyond.

Last for much of the race under Christophe Soumillon and buried along the fence into the homestretch, Vazirabad made up good ground on Rare Rhythm after finding room to run, drawing abreast of the eventual winner before Rare Rhythm quickened away in the final half-furlong.

It was almost eight lengths farther back to third-place Sheikhzayedroad. Rare Rhythm, ridden by William Buick for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, ran a fine race in his own right while making his Dubai debut, and the Nad al Sheba Trophy was his third win in a row. It also was his first start in a group-level stakes race, where Vazirabad is proven at the Group 1 level, and there’s a good chance Rare Rhythm struggles to stay with Vazirabad on March 31 in the two-mile Gold Cup.

In the co-featured Group 3, $250,000 UAE Oaks, it was Rayya leading all the way from an inside draw and posting a 3 3/4-length win over Expressly. Odds-on favorite Winter Lightning, who had beaten Rayya in two meetings this winter, was caught wide throughout the two-turn, 1,900-meter dirt race, never got close to the winner, and barely eked out a photo for third.

While the Meydan dirt track clearly was inside-speed-biased Thursday night, Winter Lightning also turned in a flat performance after easily handling Rayya last out in the UAE 1000 Guineas. Pat Dobbs rode the winner, an American-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful, for trainer Doug Watson.