Godolphin to the fore at a feature race feast

Talking globally, there is something very special about racing on the second weekend in March.

Meydan, Flemington, Santa Anita all provide first class cards that would stand alone as major features anywhere in the world at any time of the season...and yet they all take place on the same day.

Every year, I look forward to ‘Super Saturday’ at Meydan, a meeting carefully programmed so that contenders can time their preparations precisely into G1 Dubai World Cup night on Saturday, 31 March.

A three-week gap between a prep and the target race is considered ideal at the highest level, so the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Benbatl’s appearance in the G1 Jebel Hatta should give a reliable guide to his chances on the big night at the end of the month.

This admirable Godolphin four-year-old finished 5th in the G1 Investec Derby at Epsom, won the G3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot, and ran a noteworthy 5th in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The fact he has returned to racing so zestfully this year, with two wins at Meydan already to his credit, makes him the one to beat in the Jebel Hatta, though the progressive Folkswood will press him all the way to the line.

Saeed also has an excellent chance of landing the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge (Round 3) with tough Godolphin campaigner Thunder Snow, who has held his form well.

The four-year-old won the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge, run over half a furlong shorter trip, and he continues to thrive in Dubai following a hectic stint in Europe and North America.

In Melbourne, the versatile Redkirk Warrior faces 14 rivals in the G1 Newmarket Handicap, while Godolphin’s Hartnell is one of 12 lining up for the G1 Australian Cup, both on an important card at Flemington.

In California, Accelerate is the selection ahead of the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, for which only eight have been declared.