DUBAI SUPER SATURDAY THIS MORNING- 7 a.m.
Click on the super HPI racing station on your TV or HPIBet on your tablet, computer or phone beginning at 7 a.m. this morning to watch Super Saturday at Meydan.
This is the big racing day before it’s huge Dubai World Cup card at the end of the month. Last year’s World Cup winner, THUNDER SNOW, will get limbered up for another shot at that race when he competes in Round 3 of the Maktoum Challenge Sat. morning.
As the heat starts to turn up for the world’s richest ($35 million) race meeting in the Dubai World Cup night three weeks from now, Super Saturday at Meydan Racecourse is set to stage a top-quality dress rehearsal, including a pair of Group 1 affairs and a total of seven stakes worth $2.65 million. Each of the seven is a course and distance copy of a Dubai World Cup card feature and is sponsored by pillar partner Emirates. The first race is scheduled for 7 A.M. EST, while the featured Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 is scheduled for 9:55AM. (Race 6).
Meanwhile, Queen’s Plate contender TONE BROKE who is taking an unusual way to the big Canadian race, has drawn post 1 in the 14-horse Al Bastikaya as he seeks a spot in the UAE Derby on World Cup day. Bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry, Tone Broke (Broken Vow – Mendocino Beano) is trained by Steve Asmussen. The colt was 6th in his first try at Meydan.
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai, post time: 7:30 a.m.
AL BASTAKIYA SPONSORED BY EMIRATES.COM-LISTED, $300,000, NH & SH 3yo, 1900m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Tone Broke Broken Vow Barzalona Asmussen 121
2 Shanty Star Hard Spun Pinheiro Bouresly 121
3 Divine Image Scat Daddy Doyle Appleby 117
4 The Song of John Colonel John Mullen Seemar 121
5 Moshaher Goldencents Dobbs Watson 121
6 Al Hayette Union Rags Veron Mohammed 117
7 Fintas (GB) Lope de Vega (Ire) Kelly Hughes 121
8 Superior Majesticperfection Beasley bin Harmash 121
9 Al Shamkhah Dialed In Ffrench bin Ghadayer 117
10 Grecko (Arg) Not For Sale (Arg) Dettori McPeek 131
11 Red Cactus Hard Spun Chaves Olsen 121
12 Manguzi (Fr) Planteur (Ire) Jara Al Rayhi 121
13 Estihdaaf Arch Cosgrave bin Suroor 121
14 Tabarak Quality Road de Vries Bouresly 121
WONDER GADOT 2ND IN RETURN
Canada’s darling WONDER GADOT, made her 4-year-old debut at Oaklawn Park on Friday in an allowance race returning from her first layoff in some time. The probable Horse of the Year in Canada (April 18 Sovereign Awards) was about 6 lengths off the pace early in the 1 mile dirt race, pulled her way up to get close and then take command late on the turn. The front runner Go Google Yourself would not let the champ go past, however, and held her off to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Wonder Gadot posted an 84 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.
The Apple Blossom (Grade 1) on April 14 is expected to be the filly’s next start.
WOODBINE WORKOUTS – QUEEN’S PLATE/OAKS NOMINATIONS OUT
The Woodbine training track has been open for 10 days and Friday was the first day for timed workouts. Eight horses had workouts and all are trained by Norm McKnight, last year’s leading trainer. While the original reported date for timed workouts was March 16, McKnight, who is currently stabled at Oaklawn Park, sent out four geldings and four fillies to prep 3 furlongs. Rio Norte went the quickest in 37 1/5. Also on the tab were 8-year-olds Florida Won, a stakes winner, and last year’s 3-year-old stakes winner Fairy Hill.
The early nominations for the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks are out from Woodbine. The Plate noms (84) have also been graded by odds in the annual winterbook. Avie’s Flatter, who is by-passing today’s Tampa Bay Derby and will possibly prep for the Canadian season in the south, was named the early Plate favourite.
There are a number of Plate contenders racing today including TONE BROKE (Dubai), SKYWIRE and FEDERAL LAW (Turfway)
MARCH OCALA BREEDERS’ 2-YEAR-OLD IN TRAINING SALE
The 2-year-old sales market gets rolling next week with the March Ocala Breeders’ Sale (March 12 and 13) and the first day of workouts was held on Thursday. A small group of Canadian-breds are in the catalogue and two of them had swift preps.
An Ontario bred Verrazano colt, bred by Mitch Kursner and sold as a weanling for $115,000 and then for $100,00 last fall, sped two furlongs in 21 3/5.
A Munnings filly, bred by the late Bill Graham, was a $105,000 yearling last year and she went quick in her workout, 21 1/5.
Today is the final day for the gallop show.
Ontario-breds in sale:
Hip Workout Time Birthdate – Name if avail – Breeding Consignor
14 21 3/5 3/5/2017 C Verrazano Aline’s Secret ON Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent 5
22 21 1/5 4/18/2017 F Munnings Amiable Grace ON Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent XIV 5
75 OUT 3/8/2017 F Sky Mesa Casey’s Dreamin’ ON Hidden Brook, Agent 11
100 OUT 3/18/2017 C Competitive Edge Cool Slew ON Brick City Thoroughbreds 13
265 10 1/5 1/7/2017 F Bay Society Seek Again Keep a Knockin ON de Meric Sales, Agent XX 12
340 10 1/5 2/5/2017 C More Chances Hard Spun More to Like ON Paul Sharp, Agent IX 8
382 10 1/5 1/17/2017 F Pastel Emily Bayern Pastel Princess ON Ends Well, Agent I 1
476 works Saturday 3/16/2017 F Life On the Edge Competitive Edge Simply Precious ON CM Thoroughbreds
