Printer Friendly Page 

Mahbooba kicks off Dubai Carnival in style

Mahbooba shaved .05 off the course record (Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins) Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's homebred Mahbooba, a prominent performer in Dubai last winter, starred on Thursday's opening night of the 2012 Dubai Racing Carnival with a commanding victory in the $125,000 Al Rashidiya Trial. Trained by Mike de Kock and confidently ridden by Christophe Soumillon, the former South African champion surged to a 4 1/4-length score over males in course-record time on the Meydan turf. Mahbooba, who captured the 2011 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas and placed in both the Group 3 U.A.E. Oaks and the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby on Tapeta, was last seen finishing sixth in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine on October 16. Keen early under restraint in her reappearance, the five-year-old mare took a strong hold as she tracked the pace set by Sea Lord. Soumillon gradually coaxed her to relax, and she dropped slightly farther off the pace the more comfortable she got. But once roused turning for home, Mahbooba quickly rallied into contention, stormed past new leader Derbaas, and stamped her authority. The daughter of Galileo completed about nine furlongs on good turf in 1:48.74, just bettering the mark of 1:48.79 set by stablemate River Jetez in last February's Group 3 Balanchine.

Godolphin's Laajooj closed well for second, 2 1/4 lengths clear of Derbaas. Sea Lord faded to fourth in the 10-horse field.

"She was good on (all-weather) last year," Soumillon said of Mahbooba's previous Dubai exploits, "but seems just as good on the turf. This trip of 1,800 meters was probably as short as she would want, as she won over 2,400 meters in England (in the September 23 Godolphin Stakes at Newmarket) and stays well.

"I am not sure what future plans will be, but we should have plenty of options with her and she is an ideal sort for the Carnival."

Mahbooba's scorecard now stands at 13-6-2-3, with earnings of approximately $595,705. The Australian-bred bay ranked as South Africa's champion juvenile filly, following wins in the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Group 2 Debutante Stakes and a third in the Group 1 Allan Robertson Championship in 2010.

After taking part in the 2011 Dubai Carnival, Mahbooba made her English debut in an August 13 conditions race at Newmarket and finished third to the classy males French Navy and Joshua Tree. She was a disappointing fifth next time in the Group 3 Winter Hill, but rebounded with a vengeance in the aforementioned Godolphin, where she slammed males by six lengths. Mahbooba led for part of the way in the E.P. Taylor, only to tire in the yielding ground and end up sixth.

Thursday's feature was designed as a prep for the Group 2 Al Rashidiya over the same course and distance on January 26.

Godolphin racked up three wins on opening night. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor and jockey Mickael Barzalona teamed up in the 1ST race with Sarrsar, who ran down fellow Godolphin colorbearer Capponi by a length in an about 1 3/16-mile handicap on the Tapeta.

Jockey Frankie Dettori, who was foiled aboard Capponi in the opener, gained compensation in the 2ND race, guiding bin Suroor's Honour System to a 1 1/4-length decision in an about 1 3/8-mile Tapeta handicap.

"We have some nice horses for the Carnival," bin Suroor said, "and these two will probably be kept busy in this kind of race. It is a great start to the year and hopefully we have more winners to come."

Godolphin's final score came with the Mahmood al Zarooni-trained Time Prisoner in the nightcap, an about seven-furlong turf test. Under a well-timed ride by Dettori, Time Prisoner got the jump on Regal Parade and held him safe by 1 3/4 lengths.

City Style returned from a nearly year-long layoff (Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins) Al Zarooni had earlier saddled the top two finishers in the 5TH race, a handicap over a metric mile on Tapeta. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum's City Style rolled from well back for Barzalona, swamping his stablemate Bridgefield inside the final sixteenth. "That is a great start to our Carnival and hopefully it can continue," al Zarooni said. "We have some nice horses to run this year, but it is just great to make a winning start." Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed al Maktoum's Furnace just lasted in a handicap for lesser-rated horses at the same trip, thanks to a heady front-running ride by Colm O'Donoghue. Carded as the 3RD race, it served as the opening leg of the Meydan Masters International Jockey Challenge. "That was a great ride from a top jockey," winning trainer Erwan Charpy said. "He was able to get an easy lead and judged it perfectly."

"It is nice to get a win on the board," said O'Donoghue, who goes into Friday's final three races in the challenge with a healthy lead. "Tomorrow will be interesting as there are a lot of very good jockeys here, so it will not be easy to hold on, but I will be trying hard."

Great Britain got on the board courtesy of Brian Morton's Addictive Dream in the 4TH race, an about five-furlong dash on the turf. Making his first start for Dandy Nicholls, and ridden by the trainer's son Adrian, he struck the front and repelled Nocturnal Affair by a half-length.

"Finally we have managed to win one," said Dandy Nicholls, who was scoring an overdue first Dubai success in his 66th try.

"I think it is 10 years we have been trying now! We thought we had a decent chance, but I was a bit worried he might have hit the front a bit too soon. Luckily he held on and it is just brilliant for the owners and whole team." 

More Racing Headlines:

Miss Temple City earns hard-fought victory in Matriarch

Annals of Time captures first stakes win in Hollywood Derby

Penn Derby upgraded to Grade 1 for 2017

Miss Temple City headlines Del Mar's closing-day Matriarch

Trio of graded stakes on tap Saturday

Send this article to a friend