Mendip scrapes home; Bankable, Reem stamp their authority

Mendip was held up off the pace by a patient Frankie Dettori, who settled him

in midpack on the outside. Meanwhile, the front-running Famous Warrior (Alhaarth)

was bowling along merrily until the stretch. By that point, the stalking pair of

Snaafy (Kingmambo) and As de Trebol (Tapit) moved in tandem to overtake the

longtime leader, and Zafeen Speed (Zafeen) and Mendip were beginning to advance

themselves.

But as Snaafy and As de Trebol kept up their intense battle for the lead,

Mendip took a while to find his best stride. His lack of acceleration was

unexpected, considering his smashing 2 1/4-length success in the Maktoum

Challenge Round 1 (UAE-G3) last time out over the same metric mile on Tapeta.

Under pressure from Dettori, Mendip gradually inched closer, yet he was still in

danger of suffering the upset.

As de Trebol, who had at last beaten off Snaafy, was clinging to his

hard-fought advantage, and Zafeen Speed was finishing purposefully between foes.

Mendip proved relentless in the dying yards, though, and just got the better of

Zafeen Speed by a neck, with As de Trebol another half-length away in third.

Snaafy checked in another 1 1/4 lengths adrift in fourth, trailed by Banna

Boirche (Lucky Owners), Sangaree (Awesome Again), Our Giant (Giant's Causeway),

Famous Warrior, Crowded House (GB) (Rainbow Quest), Prince Shaun (Acclamation),

Falcativ (Falbrav [Ire]), Verde-Mar (Gilded Time), Cat Junior (Storm Cat) and

Kinky Afro (Modigliani).

Mendip stopped the teletimer in 1:36 3/5, improving his scorecard to 6-5-0-1

while increasing his earnings to $628,461. The dark bay launched his career as a

juvenile in England, where he effortlessly broke his maiden over Kempton's

Polytrack in September 2009. He was put away for the winter and did not reappear

until the 2010 Dubai Carnival. A cozy allowance win at Meydan set him up for his

6 1/4-length rout in the Al Bastakiya S. Mendip then suffered his only loss to

date in the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2), beaten a total of three lengths by Musir (Redoute's

Choice). Sidelined for more than nine months, he returned to dominate the

aforementioned Maktoum Challenge Round 1.

Bred by Jayeff B Stables in Kentucky, Mendip brought $130,000 as a Keeneland

September yearling, but later commanded $375,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Calder

two-year-old. The first registered foal from the Coronado's Quest mare Well

Spring, Mendip counts as his second dam multiple Grade 1 heroine Chaposa Springs

(Baldski), herself a half-sister to Metropolitan H. (G1) winner and sire You and

I (Kris S.).

Conveyance held runner-up honors by a half-length from Force Freeze (Forest

Camp), and Rileyskeepingfaith (Hunting Lion) got up for fourth. The hampered

Green Beret (Fayruz), who was forced to check abruptly off heels on the far

turn, recovered to grab fifth. Iver Bridge Lad (Avonbridge), Indomito (Areion),

Global City (Exceed and Excel), Barbecue Eddie (Stormy Atlantic), Silaah (Mind

Games), Bank Merger (Consolidator) and Alazeyab (El Prado [Ire]) rounded out the

order of finish.

With this fourth career stakes score to his credit, Bankable's resume now

reads 22-8-7-1, $2,016,899. The seven-year-old bay was initially conditioned by

Luca Cumani. Successful in the 2008 On the House S. at Goodwood in his stakes

debut, the bay went on to finish runner-up in the Celebration Mile (Eng-G2),

Select S. (Eng-G3), Joel S. (Eng-G3), Darley S. (Eng-G3) and Steventon S.,

thereby earning the reputation of a frustrating bridesmaid. He snapped that

losing skid first time out for Mike de Kock at Nad al Sheba in early 2009, then

was privately purchased by Chechen President Kadyrov prior to the 2009 Duty

Free, where he finished fifth. Bankable concluded his sojourn with de Kock with

a third in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-G1). Transferred to

trainer Gary Moore in the summer of 2009, Bankable closed for second in the

Winter Hill S. (Eng-G3) and next time out landed the Fortune S.

Bankable, who joined Brown for the 2010 Carnival, got off to an auspicious

start by garnering the Al Fahidi Fort (UAE-G2) in his debut. Following his

runner-up effort in the Duty Free, he did not resurface for more than nine

months, and Brown made sure to start him off on the Tapeta. An encouraging

fourth in his January 13 return at this trip, he stretched out to a metric mile

on the Tapeta in the February 10 Firebreak S. and wound up a more distant

fourth. Brown mentioned that his fitness had been an issue, so the Mahab al

Shimaal loomed as an attractive prep.

Bred by Barronstown Stud and Cobra in Ireland, Bankable brought $294,940 as a

Tattersalls October yearling. He is out of English Group 1-placed Dance to the

Top (Sadler's Wells), making him a half-brother to French Group 3 victor

Cheshire (GB) (Warning [GB]). Dance to the Top is herself a half-sister to

multiple stakes winner and Australian Group 1-placed Polar Bear (Polar Falcon).

This is the family of German highweight juvenile colt El Maimoun (Royal Academy)

and Susu (GB) (Machiavellian), an English Group 2 queen and highweight older

mare.

Ahlaain (Bernstein) flubbed the start, but rallied to finish a clear best of

the rest by 4 1/4 lengths. As the runner-up in last Thursday's Meydan Classic,

Ahlaain gave the form a solid look. Borug (Kingmambo) took third, while Sonoran

Sands faded to fourth. Bridgefield (Speightstown), a close fourth in the

February 10 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3), cast a blot on that form by

winding up fifth and was followed by Paulinho (Equal Stripes), Energia Carioca (Thignon

Lafre [Brz]), Air of Grace (Dalakhani), Amica (Silvano [Ger]) and the long-way

last Abjer (Singspiel [Ire]).

The Australian-bred Reem's first stakes coup advanced her record to 9-3-4-0,

$314,291. She finished second in her first two starts Down Under for David

Payne, then opened her account over a mile at Warwick Farm in July. A close

fifth to the talented More Strawberries (More Than Ready) in her stakes debut in

the September 4 Furious S. (Aus-G2) at Randwick, she next came in ninth versus

males in the September 18 Gloaming S. (Aus-G3).

Reem has really come to hand since teaming up with de Kock in Dubai. An

upset, wire-to-wire winner over Mahbooba in the January 13 U.A.E. One Thousand

Guineas Trial, she couldn't hold a candle to Mahbooba in the Guineas itself, but

finished a useful second. Reem ducked a rematch in the February 24 U.A.E. Oaks

(UAE-G3), instead contesting the February 18 Balanchine S. (UAE-G2), where she

garnered runner-up honors behind de Kock's classy older mare River Jetez (Jet

Master).

Produced by the Danehill mare Al Afreet, Reem comes from the family of Two

Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) winner and

multiple highweight Rodrigo de Triano (El Gran Senor), Group 3 scorer Modigliani

(Danzig) and Danish Group 1 victor Varuna (Luthier).