Dubai Creek Mile at Meydan heads stellar week for UAE race fans

DUBAI: The card for this week’s horse racing at Meydan Racecourse in the UAE is nothing short of outstanding for the time of year.
The first thoroughbred Listed race of the season, the Dubai Creek Mile, has two Group 1 winners in it, plus a host of horses that could stamp their mark on Dubai World Cup night.
Sixth in the 2021 Dubai World Cup when last seen, the talented and popular Military Law trained away last season without making a race for trainer Musabbeh Al-Mheiri and owner Nasir Askar.
And he will need to be fit to win, facing a Uruguayan Group 1 winner in Atletico El Culano, plus Golden Goal, who must give 2 kilograms to the field because of his Group 2 win last season. Another strong contender will be Capezzano, a Group 1 winner returning after almost one year off and tipped to be back to his best.
The card also has a strong three-year-old rated conditions event, race six, which sees the return of last year’s G3 UAE 2000 Guineas winner Azure Coast. The horse has had a remarkable career, starting in Russia, before winning two of three starts in the UAE last season, returning to Moscow with a win in September, and now traveling back to Dubai.
This time he will be with his Russian jockey Myrzabek Kappushev up against a tough field including UAE Derby fourth-place finisher Bendoog, one of the biggest horses in training at the yard of champion trainer Bhupat Seemar.
Racing fans in the UAE are in for a treat at the weekend, with four meetings, including Al-Ain on Friday, Jebel Ali on Saturday, and the Jewel Crown fixture at Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
One of the richest purebred Arabian races in the world, the $1.36 million Jewel Crown has attracted a top international cast, including 2021 heroine Lady Princess.
Trained in France by Thomas Fourcy, the six-year-old is the best Arabian in the world despite her tiny size, having won her last five races, all at Group 1 level.
She has a talented bunch of rivals to beat, however, including Dubai Kahayla Classic winner First Class, and Izadi Star, winner of both his starts at Abu Dhabi before running some creditable efforts in Group 1s in France.
The card’s thoroughbred race is the Listed National Day Cup, which sees the return of last season’s G1 Jebel Hatta winner Alfareeq, as well as the talented Haqeeqy, and Moqtarreb, winner of the race in 2021.
All of these carry the silks of Shadwell, run by Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al-Maktoum, who will be hoping her operation’s excellent European season, spearheaded by the remarkable Baaeed, will continue into her home country.

Dubai Creek Mile at Meydan heads stellar week for UAE race fans