Sat, 03/26/2011 - 12:46

Dubai Duty Free: Third time's the charm for Presvis

Andrew Watkins
Presvis, ridden by Ryan Moore, holds off the 8-year-old mare River Jetz to win gthe $5 million Dubai Duty Free.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – In the 2009 Dubai Duty Free, Presvis beat 14 rivals by at least two lengths, but pacesetting Gladiatorus ran the race of his life that night, and Presvis had to settle for second. That was better than 2010, when Presvis got bottled up behind a wall of horses in the stretch, finishing 11th.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 11:51

Golden Shaheen: Rocket Man ends string of near-misses by overtaking Euroears

Andrew Watkins
Rocket Man, second in this same race a year ago, draws clear to win the $2 million Golden Shaheen by 2 1/4 lengths.

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.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 11:39

Khawlah outnoses Master of Hounds in UAE Derby

Andrew Watkins
Saeed bin Suroor leads Khawlah following the UAE Derby.

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.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 11:29

Rocket Man runs down Euroears in Golden Shaheen

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.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 10:41

Godolphin-owned Skysurfers takes Godolphin Mile

Andrew Watkins
Skysurfers, ridden by Frankie Dettori, captures the Godolphin Mile.

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.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 10:01

J J the Jet Plane gets up despite trouble in Al Quoz Sprint

Andrew Watkins
J J the Jet Plane (far right) wins a photo in the Al Quoz Sprint.

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.

Sat, 03/26/2011 - 09:02

Defending champ Kinsale King scratched from Golden Shaheen

Barbara D. Livingston
Kinsale King was scratched Saturday morning with filling in a leg.

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

Fri, 03/25/2011 - 23:38

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Fri, 03/25/2011 - 16:01

Breeders' Cup Mile again on Goldikova's agenda

Alysse Jacobs
Goldikova, Olivier Peslier up, wins her third straight Breeders' Cup Mile in 2010.

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.

Fri, 03/25/2011 - 14:43

Leopardstown's 2000 Guineas Trial has just four

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.