‘Stars’ set to master a galaxy of Sheema talent

Godolphin trainer Andre Fabre’s high regard for Cloth Of Stars is expected to be justified on the racecourse this season, and there can be no better starting point to his G1 campaign than the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night.

Fabre thought highly enough of the son of Sea The Stars to run him in Harzand’s Investec Derby at Epsom in 2016.

That he finished eighth could have been attributed to several factors, including the challenge of crossing the Channel to race.

It remains the only time he has finished out of the first three in 14 starts, of which he has won seven.

“He has pleased me the way he has settled in,” Fabre said. “He has progressed this year and has done well since running at Chantilly,” he added.

In that performance on the all-weather track, Cloth Of Stars finished second to stablemate Talismanic, who is a key Godolphin hope in the G1 Dubai World Cup.

Godolphin has two other runners in the Sheema Classic, which is so often a major highlight on the card. Saeed bin Suroor has given an upbeat report on Best Solution, while Charlie Appleby believes Hawkbill can at least be placed.

Appleby said: “Hawkbill recently won the G2 Dubai City Of Gold, which we had been expecting. He has come out of it well, and although he is taking on better horses, he is not out of his depth, in my opinion.

“In fact, I will be disappointed if he doesn’t get a place,” he added.

Irish runner Idaho has legitimate claims, while Poet’s Word is another big contender.