SEEMAR’S NORTH AMERICA TAKES AIM AT SECOND WIN
Dubai World Cup contender North America will be taking aim to make it two wins from two when the Bay gelding lines up at Gate 6 in Round 2 of the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge in the sixth race meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday night.
The seven-year-old from Dubawi was a comfortable victor, winning by nine lengths over Kimbear in Round 1, last time out in early January and he returns to the Meydan Racecourse, looking to repeat that feat.
North America has quite clearly put aside the disappointment of that horrible break that denied him the chance to challenge Thunder Snow at the Dubai World Cup last year.
And that bodes well for his handler Satish Seemar, who enjoyed a treble triumph on Saturday, when racing resumed on the domestic front.
The gremlins of that night had vanished with North America breaking exceedingly well from stall 2 and then went on to dictate the race run over 1600 metres.
This time, it is a step up in distance with the race to be run over 1900 metres but Seemar was hopefully of his charge, running for only the second time since the Dubai World Cup, breaking well again.
“He got the six draw and it’s a small field of seven, so I don’t think that’s too bad,” said Seemar.
“I maybe would have preferred a bit lower, but in this field, we are fine. There’s one speed horse outside of him, but hopefully we jump (well) out of the gate. If he does that, I am not worried. The horse is doing really well and the last two seasons he has proven that he’s a better horse. Right now I think he’s the best ever been. He has finished his works very strong,” the Dubai-based Indian trainer added.
North America will again be the mount of Richard Mullen, who leads the UAE Jockeys Championship with 28 wins from 219 runs and three victories at the Carnival so far.
North America will face challenge in the form of Cosmo Charlie, also owned by Ramzan Kadyrov but trained by sixtime UAE Champion handler Doug Watson. Cosmo Charlie, the five-yearold from Group 1 winner Stay Thirsty, will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins after besting Etijaah and New Trails last November and December.
“North America broke so well last time in the Round 1 and we actually don’t usually break too great, so that’s a concern,” said Watson.
“Charlie just has that kind of natural speed once he gets into gear. We might have to sit off him, if North America breaks like that again. We are going to break to go forward and leave it to (jockey) Pat (Dobbs) and his judgment,” added the American.
The field has been reduced to six with Godolphin’s Leshlaa being a nonrunner. But the racing operation owned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have quite a significant presence in the remaining six races with 11 runners.
But quite obviously, the pick among them is Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor’s Estihdaaf who runs in the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas.
The ride of Christophe Soumillon, Estihdaaf will be making his debut in Group 3 and the drop in distance should suit him after he finished second, halflength behind Manguzi over 1900 metres. This race will be contested over 1600 metres and the one to watch would be the red-hot Walking Thunder, winner of the Trial.
Walking Thunder has been in sparkling form with three wins from three runs.