Stunning Beauty tests perfect record in Cape Verdi Stakes

After shockingly easy wins in her first two races this past July and August, Stunning Beauty returns to action Thursday at Meydan in the Group 2, $163,000 Cape Verdi Stakes.

The Cape Verdi, over 1,600 meters on turf and restricted to fillies and mares, is the featured fourth race on a six-race program, second card of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

Stunning Beauty, Frankie Dettori named to ride, is one of five Godolphin entrants – three for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, including Stunning Beauty, and two for trainer Charlie Appleby – in the nine-horse Cape Verdi.

To fall back on cliched racing parlance, Stunning Beauty could be anything. By Shamardal out of the Diktat mare Short Skirt, Stunning Beauty didn’t debut until July of her 3-year-old season but wasted no time making an impression last summer. She was covered up behind the leader in a straight-course Newmarket mile, taking command of the race when eased into the clear, and drawing away to win by five lengths under minimal encouragement. Back a month later in a turning mile at Leicester, Stunning Beauty went straight to the front and won off by seven lengths, again with plenty left in the tank.

:: Start earning weekly cashback on your wagering today. Click to learn more.

Both starts came over courses good or good to firm and following the Leicester win, bin Suroor said the filly would be put away to focus on a winter campaign in Dubai, where the grass course typically is good to firm. Stunning Beauty should suit the going and the one-turn mile, but she does take a considerable step up in class and figures to be overbet with the impressive performances behind her and Dettori astride her.

Summer Romance, William Buick riding for Appleby, probably is the one that might merit favoritism here and is the highest-rated runner at 108. Sixth in the English 1000 Guineas to start her 2020 season, she won the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth over 1 1/16 miles at Epsom before performing well below her baseline when last of six Aug. 2 in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild, her most recent race.

Althiqa and Dubai Love, two more Godolphin runners, have less upside while hitting performance levels not far from what ought to be required to win the Cape Verdi.

Soft Whisper and Mnasek look like the principals in the supporting feature, the UAE 1000 Guineas, a listed race over 1,600 meters on dirt. Soft Whisper, Dettori riding for bin Suroor and Godolphin, won two handicaps in decent if less than spectacular fashion to finish off her 2020 turf campaign in Europe and in her dirt debut captured the 1000 Guineas Trial on Jan. 7 at Meydan by 2 1/2 lengths. Mnasek, an American-bred by Empire Maker out of Grade 2 winner Washington Bridge, made her career debut Dec. 17 at Meydan and won a 1,600-meter dirt maiden race by nearly seven lengths for trainer Doug Watson.

Watson also saddles Super Chianti, a Super Saver filly bred and owned by Chuck Fipke and also a winner, albeit far less impressively, of her career debut in a Meydan dirt race this winter.

First post for the card, which begins with a purebred Arabian race, is 9:30 a.m. Eastern. You can watch and wager at DRFBets.com.