Watson, Appleby divvy up stakes on Meydan card

Trainers Doug Watson and Charlie Appleby scored stakes doubles on the Thursday card at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

Watson trained the winner of the Group 3, $125,000 UAE Oaks, Mnasek, and sent out Al Tariq to an upset in the Group 3, $130,000 Al Shindagha Sprint. While Watson’s successes came on dirt, Appleby ruled the turf, as D’Bai was a narrow winner of the Group 2, $163,000 Zabeel Mile and Summer Romance comfortably captured the Group 2, $163,000 Balanchine Stakes.

Summer Romance, ridden by James Doyle, took a major step forward in the Balanchine, winning by 2 1/4 lengths while making her first start over a distance as long as 1,800 meters. Three weeks ago, Summer Romance had been a well-beaten fifth going 1,600 meters in the Cape Verdi Stakes but she showed much more on Thursday, going to the lead and finishing up strongly for the second group stakes win of her career. Four-year-old Summer Romance is by Kingman out of Serena’s Storm, by Statue of Liberty.

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Summer Romance could easily have her best racing ahead of her, but 7-year-old D’Bai, who began racing in 2016, has decidedly established form. Thursday, under William Buick, D’Bai was up in the final strides to win by a head over First Contact in the Zabeel Mile, the top four finishers separated by a neck. Art Du Val was third and Eqtiraan fourth in a race that probably won’t have much bearing on the $4 million Dubai Turf in March. D’Bai, a gelding, is by Dubawi out of Savannah Belle, by Green Desert.

Mnasek cruised to an easy win in the UAE Oaks, her first try around two turns and just her third career starts. Mnasek broke poorly in her Dec. 17 career debut, which she won by nearly seven lengths, and again in the Jan. 28 UAE 1000 Guineas, where she finished with good energy after a troubled trip, coming home a distant second to the sharp Godolphin filly Soft Whisper.

Thursday, Mnasek broke better but still lacked early speed and raced mid-pack along the inside around the first of two turns. Down the backstretch, jockey Pat Dobbs pulled Mnasek to the far outside, saying after the race his mount was unhappy with the kickback, and Mnasek rolled up into contention before the far turn. Dobbs kept her three to four paths wide around the bend as Mnasek made the front, the ground loss perhaps catching up to her in the late stages, long after the race had been won. After going more than 10 lengths clear in midstretch, Mnasek wound up winning by 6 1/2 lengths, Nayefah finishing up decently for second. American-bred Mnasek is by Empire Maker out of Washington Bridge, by Yankee Gentleman.

Al Tariq, a 5-year-old who never had raced on dirt until late in 2020, returned 13 days after winning the Jebel Ali Sprint to post a half-length victory in the 1,200-meter Al Shindagha, a prep for the prep for the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 27. Important Mission finished second as heavily favored Gladiator King came home a one-paced, well-beaten third. Al Tariq, Dobbs up again, is by Oasis Dream out of El Cuerpo E l’Alma, by Harlan’s Holiday.