Maftool & Zephuros Go For Guineas Glory

Time/Date 19.55hrs local time/Thursday, February 12, 2015
Racecourse/Country - Meydan/UAE
Surface/Distance - Dirt/1m

Three-year-old colts Maftool and Zephuros represent Godolphin in the Group Three UAE 2000 Guineas Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors over a mile on dirt at Meydan, UAE, on Thursday, February 12.

They both ran in the seven-furlong UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Sponsored By DP World UAE Region at the same course on January 15, with Maftool finishing strongly in third after missing the break and Zephuros coming fourth, five lengths behind.

Maftool, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, made two appearances over seven furlongs on turf at Newmarket, UK, at the end of his juvenile campaign, finishing fifth in the Group One Dubai Dewhurst Stakes and easily winning the Group Three Somerville Tattersall Stakes.

Zephuros, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, won a Newmarket maiden in June and kept on well when beaten two and a half lengths in fifth on his most recent start in a seven-furlong turf conditions race at Meydan on February 5.

Saeed bin Suroor said: "Maftool ran well in the trial for this race and is ready to go again.

"He has worked well with a visor in the mornings and he looks more focused. The step up to a mile will be no problem and I think he has the chance to run a better race this time."

Charlie Appleby commented: "Zephuros ran a creditable race in the Guineas trial and posted a solid effort back on the turf last time out.

"I hope that the return to a mile might produce a small bit of improvement and that he can get placed."

Maftool, with Paul Hanagan up, and Zephuros face five others including Mubtaahij and Ajwad, who were first and second in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial, plus French Group One fourth Burnt Sugar.

Bachir (2000), Street Cry (2001), Essence Of Dubai (2002), Desert Party (2009), Splash Point (2011), Kinglet (2012) and Long John (2014) have been successful for Godolphin in the UAE 2000 Guineas, which was run on Tapeta between 2010 and 2014.