Barney Roy & Zakouski spearhead Super Saturday challengers

Four-time G1 winner Barney Roy and multiple Meydan scorer Zakouski feature among a powerful team of Godolphin contenders at Meydan, UAE, as the Dubai World Cup Carnival reaches its climax on Super Saturday, 5 March.

Barney Roy makes his seasonal return for Charlie Appleby in the G1 Jebel Hatta Sponsored By Emirates Airline having captured the nine-furlong turf feature in 2020. Now eight, Barney Roy went down by half a length to last year’s Jebel Hatta victor Lord Glitters on his latest outing in November’s G3 Bahrain International Trophy.

Stable-mate Zakouski, victorious in last year’s G2 Al Rashidiya and the 2020 G2 Zabeel Mile, has also finished behind Lord Glitters on his two most recent starts, coming home ninth in Bahrain and third in the G2 Singspiel Stakes on week five of the Carnival.

Listed winner Highland Avenue goes for Charlie Appleby as well, with the four-year-old having faded to eighth after racing freely on his seasonal return in the G2 Al Rashidiya at Meydan in January.

Land Of Legends makes a second career appearance over nine furlongs in the Jebel Hatta following a creditable fifth in last season’s G1 Dubai Turf. The son of Iffraaj, who is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, won the G2 Al Fahidi Fort in 2021 and was beaten less than two lengths in a bunch finish to the same race this year.

Charlie Appleby said: “Barney Roy has enjoyed a nice break since Bahrain, when he put up a good performance behind Lord Glitters. He looks great and his preparation has gone well. We always intended to come straight here – we gave him an entry in the Dubai Millennium Stakes last week to see what the race was shaping up like but this was always the main aim. Any repeat of his previous runs in Dubai will make him very competitive again.

“We were delighted with Zakouski in the Singspiel Stakes. He didn’t quite see out a mile and a quarter in Bahrain but ran a great race back over nine furlongs. All the signs have been that he has come forward for that run and we are applying cheek-pieces just to help with his concentration at the business end of the race. If you take the pick of his form, he should be bang there as well.

“Highland Avenue is on a slight recovery mission. He was very free on the front end in the Al Rashidiya and we have applied the hood this time. We are hoping that he can do everything the right way round and he should run a nice race if he can return to the level of some of his three-year-old form.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Land Of Legends looks as though he has improved since his first run of the year in the Al Fahidi Fort and I have been pleased with his work going into this. He ran well over this distance in the Dubai Turf last season and is ready to go again.”

Saeed bin Suroor bids for a 12th victory on the card’s other G1 race, the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Sponsored By Emirates Airline, with Dubai Icon.

The son of New Approach powered to an eight and a half-length success over the same 10-furlong distance on week two of the Carnival before finishing down the field in the Listed Curlin Stakes.

The trainer said: “Dubai Icon won well on his first start this season and we wanted to give him another chance over this course and distance. This is a big step up in grade and we will have to see how he gets on, but he has been working well.”

Global Storm makes his Group-race debut in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Emirates Skywards having scored over the same 12 furlongs on his Meydan debut for Charlie Appleby in a turf handicap on week five.

He is joined in the trial for the Dubai Sheema Classic by the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Global Heat, who was sixth behind Global Storm before finishing third in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy a week later.

Charlie Appleby said: “We were obviously very pleased with Global Storm on his first start out in Dubai, when he saw the mile and a half out strongly. He has shown his wellness since then and doesn’t look out of place in this field. If he runs up to the best of his ability, we feel he has a good chance of making the frame.”

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Global Heat has been improving with racing this season but we need to see him take another step forward to be competitive at G2 level. A mile and a half is a good trip and he will wear cheek-pieces this time to help him focus.”

Soft Whisper stormed to a dominant win for Saeed bin Suroor in last year’s Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas and the G2 Balanchine fifth returns to a mile on the dirt for the G3 Burj Nahaar Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Soft Whisper has been disappointing so far this season but her latest piece of work was very good - it was the first time that she has really shown something in the morning since coming out to Dubai. This looks the right race and I hope that she can return to form.”

Final Song makes her seasonal return in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo having won the six-furlong turf contest for Saeed bin Suroor 12 months ago.

Two Charlie Appleby-trained sprinters head into the same race on the back of strong Listed efforts at the Carnival this season. Man Of Promise easily accounted for subsequent G2 winner Lazuli in the Dubai Sprint, while Royal Crusade filled the runner-up spot in the Dubai Dash.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “We gave Final Song a break for the second half of last season but she has been showing plenty of speed at home. This is the best trip for her and her last piece of work went very well.”

Charlie Appleby said: “Man Of Promise has produced some pretty solid efforts out in Dubai and was very impressive on his latest start. He has enjoyed a nice break heading into this and looks fantastic. This is a stronger race compared to the Dubai Sprint but he is a young sprinter on an upward curve, so we are pretty confident that he will run a big race.

“Royal Crusade has a bit to find on the ratings but produced a decent performance on his first run of the year. He has definitely come forward since and won’t look out of place in this line-up.”

Secret Image lines up in the Listed Al Bastakiya Sponsored By Emirates Holidays after finishing third on his dirt debut in the trial for the extended nine-furlong race for three-year-olds.

The Ras Al Khor Sponsored By Emirates Airline offers a new opportunity for turf horses over seven furlongs and six Godolphin contenders for the inaugural running include last season’s G2 Challenge Stakes scorer Al Suhail.

Storm Damage also won impressively over seven furlongs on his latest outing, breaking the course record when readily beating the re-opposing Mutafawwig in the Listed Business Bay Challenge.

D’bai finished fifth in the same race but the eight-year-old has posted five wins over the distance, including the G2 Al Fahidi Fort at the 2019 Carnival.

The 2020 Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas heroine Dubai Love and Path Of Thunder, a non-Carnival winner this year, also line up.