Appleby’s duo could storm to victory in Cape Verdi
Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby is seeking back-to-back wins in the Cape Verdi, today’s Group Two feature on the third night of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan.
Appleby, who landed the prize with Poetic Charm 12 months ago, is two-handed in this year’s renewal, saddling Magic Lily and Beyond Reason.
The latter, a Group Two and Three winner at two, returns after a spell on the sidelines. She hails from a yard that stormed back to form last week having made a quiet start on the opening night three weeks ago. She has sound claims of supplying Godolphin with an eighth win in the last ten years.
Superbly-bred Magic Lily, whose dam Dancing Rain won the Oaks, is very lightly raced and has the assistance of James Doyle. The pair warrant respect. In October last year, she returned to action after a layoff in a Listed race in Saint-Cloud, France, finishing a creditable second to Lanana.
She signed off the year with a fourth-place finish on the AllWeather at Lingfield, dropping away in the closing stages. She can be forgiven that effort having endured a tough, wide trip, and is fancied to bounce back to her best on the back of a twomonth break.
Saeed bin Suroor and Christophe Soumillon have had a highly successful partnership at Meydan so far this year, highlighted by Benbatl’s triumphant comeback in the Group Two Singspiel’s.
They saddle Dubai Blue. She caught the eye at Lingfield in September, unleashing a sharp turn of foot to run out a comfortable winner. She’s open to further improvement having only had four lifetime starts, and she rates a big player to continue her trainer’s bright start to 2020.
Irish hopes rest with the consistent and reliable Surrounding, trained by Michael Halford. She enjoyed a highly productive campaign in 2019, winning four times. The daughter of Libourne Lad, the highest ranked horse in the eight-runner field, is just as entitled to emerge a threat to the formidable home team.
France has enjoyed success in the Cape Verdi since the inaugural running in 2004, the most recent victory with Cladocera five years ago. The unexposed and progressive Nisreen, formerly trained by the recently retired John Hammond, makes her Meydan debut.
Now prepared by Japanese French-based trainer Hiroo Shimizu, she arrives in rude health in the Middle East, winning her last two starts.
The supporting card is attractive, with the inaugural running of the Zabeel Turf (Listed), Race 3, in which Dream Castle makes his seasonal reappearance after a bruised foot ruled him out of the Singspiel Stakes seven days ago.
He thrived at Meydan last season after being gelded, racking up a hat-trick of wins before disappointing in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night.
Macau trainer MC Tam has enjoyed success with handful of runners in Dubai, both at Meydan and the now defunct Nad Al Sheba. He runs Fasuba in the 1200m dirt handicap, Race 2, one of four overseas runners taking on seven local sprinters in a competitive contest. The Irish-bred gelding, winner of eight of his 14 races on dirt, possesses early speed and is ideally drawn to attack from the front. Christophe Soumillon is a notable booking.
Racing gets underway with a 1200m handicap on turf, in which recent course winner Almanaara should be popular for his in-form trainer Doug Watson, the leading trainer at Meydan this season.