DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – In his last four Group 1 appearances, Rocket Man had finished second by a head, second by a neck, second by a half-length, and second by a neck. Ouch.
Saturday night in the $2 million Golden Shaheen, a race in which he had been second last year, Rocket Man finally got there. He blasted by pacesetting Euroears in the final 120 yards and drew away to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Maybe it was the fact he’d already won the race six times, but Saeed bin Suroor knew when the horses the wire that Khawlah finished first in the UAE Derby. He might have been the only one in the house.
Khawlah, a filly, led for all of one jump in the Group 2, $2 million UAE Derby, but it was the right one. Rallying from fifth, she stretched at the last second and caught Master of Hounds, who had taken the lead after turning into the stretch. The margin of victory was a nose.
Rocket Man avenged a narrow loss in the $2 million Golden Shaheen in 2010 with a victory in the same race in Dubai on Saturday, catching American pacesetter Euroears in the final sixteenth of the race over about six furlongs.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Skysurfers, capturing the first group or graded stakes in the 10th start of his career, burst to the lead in midstretch and turned back an inside challenge from Mufarrh to win the $1 million Godolphin Mile by a half-length.
A 5-year-old horse owned by Godolphin and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Skysurfers was ridden to his third victory in five Meydan starts by Frankie Dettori.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - J J the Jet Plane confirmed his position as one of the world’s best turf sprinters with a brave victory in the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint, the first Thoroughbred race on Dubai World Cup night. He beat War Artist by a head, with Monsieur Joe another head back in third, and Invincible Ash fourth. The two Americans in the race, Stradivinsky and Mr. Gruff, failed to make an impact.
Kinsale King has been scratched from the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, a race he won last year, because of swelling in his right foreleg.
“He had some kind of reaction to something,” said trainer Carl O’Callaghan. “His leg blew up.”
DUBAI WORLD CUP: Watch Saturday's races live, plus get video updates and free PPs
The advent of the European racing season this month promises the return of three horses that should excite even the most jaded of racegoers. Goldikova, Workforce, and Frankel will make their debuts between mid-April and mid-May in what is shaping up as a most exciting spring season.
The run-up to the European Guineas season begins at Leopardstown on Sunday when Dunboyne Express will face just three rivals in the Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial, a Group 3 mile worth $67,300.
The eight-length winner of the six-furlong, 63-yard, Group 3 Anglesey Stakes on similar yielding ground at the Curragh in July, Dunboyne Express is a Kevin Prendergast-trained son of Shamardal who failed in his latest attempt at a mile when he ran fifth to Casamento in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy in October. Daragh McDonogh will ride.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The week of a major horse race, no news is good news, and as for news, Dubai World Cup Week 2011 has been notably, fortunately light so far.
