Al Maktoum Challenge form set to provide clues for World Cup

Decorated handler Bin Surour pins his hopes on Dubai Mirage

With all its seven races replicating the conditions of events on the lucrative Dubai World Cup programme in three weeks’ time (March 27), Meydan’s Super Saturday meeting is often watched closely because it offers clues aplenty.

This year’s dress rehearsal to the big day is no different with two Group One races taking centrestage, with the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge over the 2,000m trip of the $12 million Group 1 Dubai World Cup the obvious talking point of the evening. Three winners of the race have gone on to clinch the big one and all three — Dubai Millennium (2000), Street Cry (2002) and Electrocutionist (2006) — were trained by Saeed Bin Surour for Godolphin. All three were ridden by Frankie Dettori in Round 3.

A winner of nine Dubai World Cups, Bin Surour saddles Dubai Mirage, who finished second in two previous runs in handicap company on turf over 1600m and 1800m in January and February. Dubai Mirage shed his maiden status over a 1600m trip on the All-Weather at Kempton last June, one of two career wins for the fouryear-old Dubawi gelding, and that could have got Bin Surour to shift him to dirt.

“Dubai Mirage has run well on the turf so far this season and we wanted to give him a chance on the dirt,” Bin Surour said. “This will be a very tough race, but he has been going nicely at home.” The rest of the 10 in the field are locally trained.

With 2018 winner North America dropping down in trip and being assigned the Gr. 3 Burj Nahaar, the course and distance equivalent of the Gr. 2 Godolphin Mile, trainer Satish Seemar has opted to go with a quartet that includes Roman Rosso, Quip, Saltarin Dubai and Secret Ambition, the latter two recent winners of the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes (1950m) and the 1600m Group 3 Firebreak Stakes, respectively.

Doug Watson saddles Listed Dubai Creek Mile winner Thegreatcollection, while Salem Bin Ghadayer sends out a trio in Hypothetical, Firnas and Tailor’s Row.

Three winners of the race have gone on to clinch the big one and all of them were trained by Saeed Bin Surour for Godolphin.