Super Saturday in Dubai tops weekend horse racing around world - UPI.com

1 of 2 | Rubylot beats My Wish in Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Cup. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club

March 3 (UPI) — Super Saturday in Dubai, a showdown in Australia, the final steppingstone to the Hong Kong Derby and aspirational 3-year-old fillies in Japan — all in weekend horse racing around the globe.

Here’s how it went:

Super Saturday at Meydan Racecourse lined up some hometown candidates for World Cup night, although most of them are likely to have their hands full in those big events April 5.

Imperial Emperor romped in the big race, the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge and joins defending champion Laurel River and improving Walk of Stars as trainer Bhupat Seemar’s candidates for the World Cup.

Any or all of those, however, might be up against it if Japan’s Forever Young, as expected, shows up to attempt the Saudi Cup-World Cup double. Forever Young last year pulled off the Saudi Derby-UAE Derby sweep.

Godolphin continued its turf dominance with four wins. Nations Pride won the Group 2 Singspiel Stakes, earning a guaranteed spot in the Group 1 Dubai Turf on World Cup night.

Once there, he’s likely to face Hong Kong’s superstar Romantic Warrior, who just missed to Forever Young in Saudi Arabia after a course-record victory in Dubai in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta.

“Hopefully, there might be a bit of improvement to come [from Nations Pride] and we’ll look toward World Cup night and the Dubai Turf,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “But if Romantic Warrior turns up, we’re all running for place money!”

Silver Knott led a Godolphin 1-2 in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold (G2), a prep for the always-tough Dubai Sheema Classic (G1).

Silver Knott, who won three of four starts last summer in New York, charged right to the front and was never in trouble, winning by 2 lengths. However, he most likely will have to overcome a Godolphin stablemate in the Sheema Classic — defending champion and two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Rebel’s Romance.

Godolphin showcased European Classics contenders Ruling Court and Mountain Breeze, easy winners in the Jumeira 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas, respectively.

West Acre was the only non-Godolphin turf winner on the evening in the Grade 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, earning a spot in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on April 5. Godolphin did not have a runner.

On the dirt, Tuz continued to dominate local sprinters with a win in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal and looks primed to take on all comers in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on April 5. It’s a pity Hong Kong’s star sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, won’t be joining that fray.

The Group 3 Burj Nahar, a qualifier for the Group 2 Godolphin Mile on World Cup night, went to long shot French runner Fort Payne by 1 length over Oasis Boy. The April 5 race will be a much tougher nut to crack.

Rubylot, sixth in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, found the added 200 meters of Sunday’s Classic Cup to his advantage.

The Rubik gelding, as he did in the earlier race, came running from the back of the field, but used the additional distance to get up boldly for a 3/4-length victory. The Classic Mile winner, My Wish, held the lead with 100 meters to go, but settled for second.

The race was the middle leg of the BMW Hong Kong Derby series. The March Derby is run at 2,000 meters and trainer David Hayes, who won the 2003 Derby with filly Elegant Fashion, said that might suit Rubylot just fine.

“It’s been a long time,” he said. “It’s one of the races everyone in Hong Kong wants to win. To my eye, he was the strongest late and that’s a good sign stepping up to the 2,000 meters. Being a Rubick, you were always concerned. But he’s out of a Dubawi mare and stoutly bred on the dam side.

“You always look at this race to find the closers, and that’s a good pointer to the Derby. I don’t think anyone ran home faster than him today. It was a brilliant sectional.”

Via Sistina avenged a last-race loss to Fangirl with a hard-fought neck victory over that rival in Saturday’s Group 1 TAB Verry Elleegant Stakes at Randwick. Via Sistina, a 7-year-old Fastnet Rock mare, had settled for third behind Fangirl and Linderman in the Apollo Stakes on Feb. 15, ending a three-race winning streak that included the Group 1 Cox Plate.

There was no repeat Saturday, as the duo rallied virtually side-by-side into the stretch, with Via Sistina taking a short lead. As they battled through the final 200 meters, Fangirl never could quite get to terms with the rival and fell a neck short at the finish. Linderman led until the final strides and finished a nose back in third.

“I knew it was going to be a battle of tactics,” said Chris Waller, who trained all three. “It was a great race. The last 200 meters, I was proud. Simple as that. Unfortunately, there had to be a winner.”

It would be an upset if Via Sistina didn’t earn Australian Horse of the Year honors with the win.

Kurino Mei pulled off a 40-1 upset win Sunday in the Grade 2 Tulip Sho at Hanshin Racecourse, a trial for the Japanese 2,000 Guineas. After saving ground all the way from the inside post, the Orfevre filly worked to the lead some 100 meters from the finish and held off an inside challenge from Water Gerbera by a nose. The favorite, Vip Daisy, was another 1/2 length back in third.

Kurino Mei won her first two starts in 2024, but finished 14th in the Hanshin Juvenile against colts Dec. 8. She had not raced since.