Two Thousand Guineas Horse Race
The 1800-metre G3 UAE 2000 Guineas is one of two group races on the third card of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and drew a sextet of entries led by Godolphin's Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The 104-rated bay, tops for the field, has never been off the board in five starts. Listed-placed at second asking at Ascot in July, the Charlie Appleby trainee graduated by 4 1/2 lengths in a 1400-metre York maiden on Aug. 21. His final two runs of the season were both thirds-in the Sept. 6 G3 Prix la Rochette at ParisLongchamp and when tiring after setting the pace in Saint-Cloud's G3 Prix Thomas Byron on Oct. 2. The 2000 Guineas is his dirt bow.
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If the colt won, it would be a third UAE 2000 Guineas for Appleby, who said, “He is a solid little horse and we debated whether to keep him to turf or try the dirt, but his work at home, on dirt, has been very good, so we thought it was worth a crack.”
Next on ratings is Mouheeb (Flatter) from the yard of Nicholas Bachalard at 95. A winner at first asking at Jebel Ali in December, he was runner-up in a one-mile conditions affair locally on Jan. 14, one better than dual Meydan winner Zhou Storm (GB) (Due Diligence).
Bachalard said, “He had a very hard race in the trial, but seems to have come out of that in great shape, so we hope, he has a live chance.”
Jun 03, 2020 HOT favourite Pinatubo will face 14 rivals as he puts his unbeaten record on the line in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas. Charlie Appleby’s star is an odds-on shot for the first Classic of the season. The 2022 Australian Guineas will be held on Saturday 26th February at Flemington Racecourse. The race was won in 2021 by Lunar Fox. Racenet provides all the details about the Australian Guineas, including; tips, betting, odds, form guide, field, race time details and horse profiles.
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- The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May on the Sunday following the 2000 Guineas Stakes.
- This effort produced a 104 Racing Post Rating, the highest figure in the UAE 2000 Guineas field. A son of successful U.S. Stallion Flatter (the sire of champion 3-year-old West Coast plus Grade 1 winners Flat Out, Taris and Paola Queen), Mouheeb boasts a strongly dirt-oriented pedigree and should be tough to deny on Thursday.
Also on Thursday is the G3 Firebreak S., which marks the return of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's G1SW Matterhorn (Ire) (Raven's Pass). The 6-year-old entire has progressed steadily through the ranks, and, after running third in this race last year, he stretched out in trip to take the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 by daylight on the front end in March.
Meydan veteran Kimbear (Temple City) receives a slight class break after running eighth in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 on Jan. 21. The 7-year-old Doug Watson charge is a two-time group winner in the UAE after success in the 2018 G3 Burj Nahaar and 2020 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1, with the re-opposing Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) second both times.
Watson told the Meydan notes team, “He needed that first run, probably more than we realised, but is training very well and seems in great form. We have put a visor on him so, being drawn one, I guess we will have to be quite positive and go forward.”
The latter, who struck at the Group 3 level at Jebel Ali in January of 2019, reversed fortunes with Kimbear with a one-length score in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in December of 2019. He is also a two-time Firebreak bridesmaid in 2019 and in 2020. Trained by Satish Seemar, the 8-year-old entire ran third in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile on Jan. 22.
Assistant trainer Bhupat Seemar said, “The Jebel Ali Mile was only 13 days ago, but he seems to have recovered well. Drawn widest of all in six is probably not ideal, but he has run well in this before and never has a bad race.”
The oversubscribed Listed Dubai Sprint is a six-furlong contest on turf, and Ekhtiyaar (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) represents the Doug Watson barn. Bearing the Shadwell colours, the gelding, a dual runner-up in the 2019/20 G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, returned to take fourth after a 320-day break in a handicap at Meydan on Jan. 21.
Richard Barnes's Could Be King (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) has been MSP at the listed level throughout his career and he added another runner-up effort in the Listed Testimonial S. at The Curragh in October. The gelding was a one-paced fifth, one behind GSP Silver Line (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and one better than MGSP Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Aus})-both of whom run for Godolphin–in the Jan. 21 G2 Al Fahidi Fort for trainer Ken Condon.
Godolphin fields the majority of the entrants in the Listed Meydan Cup over 2810 metres of sod, with seven entered. MGSW Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was off the board in the Jan. 21 Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic most recently and looks to rebound for Charlie Appleby. French Group 3 winner Moonlight Spirit (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and listed winner Ghostwatch (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) are also signed on for Appleby. GSP Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) ran second in a listed handicap here on Jan. 21 for Saeed bin Suroor, while Global Heat (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}) saluted for the same yard in a Jan. 14 handicap.
Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}), second in a German Group 1 this past fall for Mark Johnston, now races for Salem bin Ghadayer and bids to improve off a 12th in a listed handicap here on Jan. 21. MSP Chouain (Fr) (Rajsaman {Fr}) represents trainer Miroslav Rulec and won a Deauville contest on Dec. 27.
Click here to view the group fields.
Between 2011 and 2019, nine horses used the Group 2 UAE Derby in Dubai as a springboard to the Kentucky Derby starting gate. While Dubai’s signature race for 3-year-olds has yet to produce a Kentucky Derby winner, the UAE Derby is still a productive steppingstone on the road to the Kentucky Derby.
Which horse(s) might take the Dubai route to Churchill Downs in 2021? We’ll get a clearer picture when half a dozen promising sophomores square off in Thursday’s 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan, a one-mile prep for the UAE Derby.
Let’s take a horse-by-horse look at the field:
#1 Grand Dubai: Broke his maiden over this track and distance on Dec. 17, but subsequently faltered when facing tougher company in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial and the Al Bastakiya Trial, finishing fifth and 10th by wide margins. The Irish-bred son of Dawn Approach has a turf pedigree and might enjoy a surface switch down the road.
#2 Meshakel: Although he went 0-for-3 on turf in England last year, Meshakel has shown improvement since transitioning to dirt at Meydan. After finishing second in a six-furlong dash at Jebel Ali on Jan. 8, the son of Shamardal came back six days later to crush a seven-furlong maiden sprint at Meydan by seven lengths. Meshakel showed tactical speed and posted a promising 97 Racing Post Rating, setting the stage for another step forward.
#3 Mouheeb: The most inexperienced runner in the field, with only two starts under his belt, Mouheeb nevertheless looms as the horse to beat. After breaking his maiden sprinting six furlongs at Jebel Ali (beating subsequent two-time winner Hurry Up by 2 3/4 lengths), Mouheeb stretched out to a mile and rallied to finish second by a head in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial.
This effort produced a 104 Racing Post Rating, the highest figure in the UAE 2000 Guineas field. A son of successful U.S. stallion Flatter (the sire of champion 3-year-old West Coast plus Grade 1 winners Flat Out, Taris and Paola Queen), Mouheeb boasts a strongly dirt-oriented pedigree and should be tough to deny on Thursday.
#4 Naval Crown: Can this Godolphin homebred handle dirt? That’s the question handicappers must consider. His pedigree (by Dubawi out of the Dansili mare Come Alive) suggests turf will be his forte, and indeed, he showed significant talent on grass when finishing third in the Prix le Rochette (G3) and Prix Thomas Bryon Jockey Club de Turquie (G3) last season.
From a class perspective, Naval Crown is the runner to beat for internationally successful trainer Charlie Appleby. But Naval Crown’s lack of familiarity with dirt could place the front-running colt at a disadvantage against Mouheeb, especially if Naval Crown gets caught in a speed duel with Meshakel and/or Zhou Storm.
#5 Uncle Hamed: American racing fans are sure to recognize the names in Uncle Hamed’s pedigree. The bay gelding is a son of five-time graded stakes-winning router Tapiture out of a mare by two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Tiznow.
This is a pedigree geared toward success running long, so the fact that Uncle Hamed has gone 0-for-3 sprinting isn’t too concerning in and of itself — he’s eligible to improve while stretching out over a mile. But Uncle Hamed was beaten 11 1/2 lengths by Mouheeb in their lone meeting and finished well behind Hurry Up on a couple of occasions, so these form lines suggest the UAE 2000 Guineas will be a tough spot.
#6 Zhou Storm: A son of the high-class sprinter Due Diligence, Zhou Storm flashed plenty of speed in his first two starts sprinting over the Meydan dirt, winning both in gate-to-wire fashion. But he faltered when stretching out over a mile for the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial, coming home seven lengths behind Mouheeb. With a couple of speedy rivals in the mix on Thursday, Zhou Storm may find it difficult to handle the class and distance of the 2000 Guineas.
If you’re keen to bet the 2000 Guineas, I suggest playing Mouheeb over Naval Crown and Meshakel in the exacta and trifecta. Unless Naval Crown thrives in his dirt debut, Mouheeb should be able to capitalize on a contested pace and rally to victory.
The Thursday card at Meydan also contains the one-mile Firebreak Stakes (G3), in which the talented #3 Matterhorn will make his first start since dominating the 2020 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (G1) by 5 1/2 lengths. He’ll square off against five rivals led by #2 Kimbear, who showed an affinity for this track and distance when claiming the 2020 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 (G2) by a short head over #5 Secret Ambition.
2021 UAE 2000 Guineas (G3)
Newmarket 2000 Guineas Stakes 2021 Runners & Result
| Rank | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Dubai Dawn Approach | A. Al-Rayhi A. de Vries |
| Entered | |||
| Meshakel Shamardal | S. Ghadayer M. Barzalona |
| Entered | |||
| Mouheeb Flatter | N. Bachalard R. Curatolo |
| Entered | |||
| Naval Crown Dubawi | C. Appleby W. Buick | Entered | ||||
| Uncle Hamed Tapiture | D. Watson P. Dobbs |
| Entered | |||
| Zhou Storm Due Diligence | A. Al-Rayhi M. Guyon |
| Entered |