Aspectoflove hoping for Balanchine success

Last updated: 2/17/11 12:41 PM

Friday’s seventh meeting of the 2011 Dubai International Racing Carnival has
a little bit of everything with a stellar racecard featuring the Balanchine S.
(UAE-G2) and the third and final leg of the Meydan Masters jockeys’ challenge.

Aspectoflove (blue silks) will face River Jetez (left) once again in the Balanchine
(Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

The Balanchine is an about nine-furlong turf contest restricted to fillies
and mares, and Godolphin’s ASPECTOFLOVE (Danetime) will be hoping to go one
better than last year when second to Deem (Dalakhani). Trained by Saeed bin
Suroor, Aspectoflove has already won the Cape Verdi (UAE-G2), in which she was
also second last year when it was a Group 3, but is penalized for that success
with extra weight to carry in the Balanchine.

“She has improved this year and we learned a lot about her in the summer,”
bin Suroor commented. “We were delighted with that (Cape Verdi) win and she has
come on from that but the penalty does make it harder.”

Stablemate LONG LASHES (Rock Hard Ten) is another who cannot be ruled. The
bay four-year-old closed out 2010 a winner going about 8 1/2 furlongs on the
turf at Leicester in England. On that occasion she was ridden by Frankie Dettori
but will be steered by Ted Durcan this time around.

Third in the Cape Verdi and arguably very unlucky was the Mike de Kock-trained
Group 1 scorer RIVER JETEZ (Jet Master), who is joined in the line-up by UAE One
Thousand Guineas runner-up REEM (Galileo [Ire]) to give the South African
trainer a strong hand as he seeks a fourth win in this race.

“River Jetez is seven now but acting like a three-year-old!” de Kock
remarked. “She is in great form, working very well and we expect a big run. Reem
is going to be interesting as a three-year-old against her elders. She gets a
weight allowance and it looks a good opportunity to try her on the turf.”

LOLAMAR (Martino Alonso) is a 2011 Meydan winner already for trainer Marco
Botti and STRAWBERRYDAQUIRI (Dansilil [GB]) is a proven Group 1 performer who
makes her debut for conditioner Fawzi Nass. Both have to be feared.

Al Shemali was a longshot
winner of last year’s Dubai Duty Free
(Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

The world’s richest horse race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), is
run over 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta, and on Friday’s card as the concluding
conditions race will feature a clutch of runners who will be hoping to gain an
invitation to the big race itself.

Among those are de Kock’s Group 3 winner GOLDEN SWORD (High Chaparral [Ire]),
who was second in the 2009 Irish Derby (Ire-G1), and MR. BROCK (Fort Wood),
Horse of the Year in Mauritius and third in last year’s Maktoum Challenge Round
3 (UAE-G2).

Herman Brown’s dual Group 2 victor BRONZE CANNON (Lemon Drop Kid), Jerry
Barton’s DEEM and Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s reigning Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) winner
AL SHEMALI (Medicean) are others with big night pretensions seeking to
strengthen their case in the finale.

The Meydan Masters jockey’s challenge concludes with the about nine-furlong
turf handicap, scheduled as the 5TH race on the evening.