Riley finds new lease of life in Zabeel Mile

Godolphin’s RILEYSKEEPINGFAITH (Hunting Lion) had shaped up as no
more than a handicap-level campaigner in sprints, but by stretching out
for the first time in Thursday’s $250,000 Zabeel Mile (UAE-G2) at Meydan,
the five-year-old gelding might have found his true calling. Kicking on
strongly in the stretch, the Mahmood al Zarooni trainee drew off to a 2
1/4-length decision, and in the process earned his first career stakes
credit.

Rileyskeepingfaith looked like a different horse over a mile (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) “He was staying on in his races over 1,200 meters (about six furlongs), so we wanted to try him further,” al Zarooni noted. “This looked a good opportunity and hopefully we will be back for the Godolphin Mile ([UAE-G2] on March 26).” Patiently ridden by Ahmed Ajtebi, Rileyskeepingfaith was reserved in the latter portion of the field while the free-wheeling Navajo Chief (King’s Best) sprinted to a daylight lead. The stalking Across the Rhine (Cuvee) ranged up to tackle the longtime leader turning for home, but Rileyskeepingfaith was making even smoother progress wider out, and Fareer (Bahamian Bounty) was likewise improving his position between horses. Rolling past Across the Rhine, Rileyskeepingfaith pulled away before Fareer could reach top gear. Although Fareer finished well, he was no threat to Rileyskeepingfaith, who ran on an emphatic winner in a final time of 1:37 4/5 on the good turf.

Another 1 1/2 lengths away in third came the late-running Fanunalter (Falbrav
[Ire]). Kavango (Cape Cross [Ire]) just held fourth by a neck from the
slow-starting Hearts of Fire (Firebreak), who cost himself dearly at the break
but steadily worked his way among rivals down the lane. Navajo Chief folded to
sixth, followed by Across the Rhine, Invisible Man (Elusive Quality), Field
Event (Western Winter), Silverside (Pleasantly Perfect), Caymans (Secret
Savings) and Ferneley (Ire) (Ishiguru). Cat Junior (Storm Cat) was scratched,
along with the also-eligibles Thai Haku (Oasis Dream [GB]), Indomito (Areion)
and Atlantis Star (Cape Cross [Ire]).

Rileyskeepingfaith nearly doubled his bankroll to $307,592 from his 30-5-5-2
record. Purchased for $181,161 at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale
in October, he was making his fourth start for Godolphin. His first two outings
for the yard came in turf sprints, finishing fourth to course specialist Happy
Dubai (Indian Ridge) on January 27 and a near-miss runner-up to the grand
veteran War Artist (Orpen) on February 18. Rileyskeepingfaith switched to Tapeta
for last Thursday’s Mahab al Shimaal (UAE-G3) and did his best work late when
garnering fourth to Bankable (Medicean).

Originally trained by Mick Channon, Rileyskeepingfaith had smart form going
seven furlongs as a juvenile in 2008. In addition to winning an Ascot conditions
race as well as a Salisbury novice, the bay placed second to the ill-fated Wingwalker
and checked in fourth in the Horris Hill S. (Eng-G3), all at that distance. Yet
Rileyskeepingfaith was typecast as a sprinter and plied his trade as an exposed
handicapper for the past two seasons.

Bred by M. Barrett in Great Britain, Rileyskeepingfaith is out of the winning
Keeping the Faith (Ajraas), who was also twice stakes placed as a National Hunt
performer. Keeping the Faith is a full sister to the winning Markskeepingfaith,
the dam of multiple Irish Group 3 queen She’s Our Mark (Ishiguru). She is also a
half-sister to the multiple stakes-winning hurdler Mystical City (The Noble
Player).

Whispering Gallery has earned his way into Europe’s premier staying events (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Godolphin swept both stakes events on Thursday’s final meeting of the Dubai International Racing Carnival, for the Saeed bin Suroor-trained WHISPERING GALLERY (Daylami [Ire]) collected the $200,000 DRC Gold Cup (UAE-G3) for stayers. Jockey Frankie Dettori made sure to take up a close stalking position right off the dawdling leader Bergo (Silvano [Ger]), and moved up to prompt the pace later on the backstretch. Delivering his challenge in earnest sweeping into the straight, Whispering Gallery had too much finishing speed for the grinder Bergo and burst clear. As gamely as Bergo tried to come again, Whispering Gallery had his every move covered. The winner crossed the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front, completing the about two-mile marathon on the grass in 3:29 2/5. Godolphin’s Opinion Poll (Halling) had a mountain to climb after being held up in last, but rallied purposefully to garner third. Mikhail Glinka (Galileo [Ire]) reported home fourth in the 11-horse field.

Whispering Gallery sports a mark of 13-7-2-0, $448,786. Last year, he
captured the August S. at Windsor and twice finished second to Laaheb (Cape
Cross [Ire]). While he fell 1 1/4 lengths short of Laaheb in the June 26 Fred
Archer S. at Newmarket, Whispering Gallery missed by a desperate nose in their
rematch in the September 26 Cumberland Lodge S. (Eng-G3) at Ascot. In his 2010
finale, he tired to seventh in the October 23 St Simon S. (Eng-G3) at Newbury.
The bay gelding returned with a victory over Opinion Poll in a January 27
handicap at about 1 3/4 grassy miles, and he made it two-for-two at this year’s
Carnival in the DRC Gold Cup.

“Whispering Gallery stays very well,” bin Suroor said, “and we will have to
try him in good company in Europe to give him a chance to prove himself. He
needs to improve again but hopefully he can.”

Bred by Darley in Great Britain, Whispering Gallery is the first foal from
multiple Group 2 victress Echoes in Eternity (Ire) (Spinning World), herself a
half-sister to English juvenile co-highweight filly Playful Act (Ire), Group
2-winning stayer Percussionist (Ire) and current multiple Group 3 queen Changing
Skies (Ire), all by Sadler’s Wells.

Whispering Gallery was part of a treble on the evening for Godolphin and bin
Suroor. Earlier, they had teamed up with EMIRATES CHAMPION (Haafhd), who also
remained perfect from two starts this season when romping in a handicap on the
Tapeta. Likewise piloted by Dettori, Emirates Champion overwhelmed the
front-running Mr Brock (Fort Wood) and pulled away by 4 3/4 commanding lengths.

“Emirates Champion is lightly raced and hopefully there is more to come,” bin
Suroor said. “He is improving all the time and hopefully can continue to do so.”

The five-year-old, who stopped the teletimer in 2:20 for about 1 3/8 miles,
has compiled an 8-5-1-0 record with $298,224 in earnings. A debut maiden winner
as a juvenile in England, the bay made only two appearances at three, including
a six-length romp in an Ayr handicap. Emirates Champion has now won three times
going this distance at Meydan –early in 2010, and in his reappearance in a
February 17 handicap.

Bred by Gainsborough Stud Management in Great Britain, Emirates Champion is a
half-brother to Italian highweight juvenile and sire Lend a Hand (GB) (Great
Commotion). They are out of the winning Janaat (Kris), a full sister to
stakes-winning stakes producer Trefoil and a half-sister to four other stakes
winners, including Group 3 heroine and dual classic-placed Maysoon (GB) (Shergar)
and Italian champion and noted broodmare Three Tails (GB) (Blakeney).

Bin Suroor enjoyed a third winner Thursday, and that lifted him to the
training title. When Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s HONOUR SYSTEM
(King’s Best) got up late beneath Ted Durcan in an about 1 3/16-mile Tapeta
handicap, he handed bin Suroor his 16th winner of the Carnival, just eclipsing
trainer Mike de Kock’s tally of 15.

“We have had a good Carnival,” bin Suroor summarized.

Steele Tango (outside) and Enak (center) served up thrillers to bookend the Carnival (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Honour System was a marginal stakes performer in the French provinces for Andre Fabre last year, with his best stakes result being a third in the Prix Georges Trabaud. The four-year-old had shown a modicum of improvement between his first and second starts this year for bin Suroor. Only ninth in his Meydan debut on January 27, the chestnut gelding finished well for fifth in a course-and-distance handicap on February 24, and took another step forward in this spot. Honour System came from the rear to swamp Haatheq (Seeking the Gold) nearing the wire and drew away by a length, finishing in 1:59 2/5 and advancing his line to 11-4-0-1, $176,552. Dettori’s chosen partner, Godolphin’s Spring of Fame (Grand Slam), was beaten another half-length back in third. Bin Suroor was narrowly denied a fourth score when Thirty Acre Racing Partnership’s STEELE TANGO (Okawango) prevailed in a photo-finish over Enak (Orpen) in the nightcap. The result was eerily similar to their clash on the Carnival’s opening program on January 13. On that occasion, Steele Tango pipped Enak at the line; this time, Steele Tango struck the front in deep stretch and just staved off the rallying Enak by a short head. Trained by Roger Teal and ridden to perfection once again by Ryan Moore, Steele Tango negotiated about 1 1/4 grassy miles in 2:05 1/5.

“It is totally amazing and a dream come true,” said Teal, who operates a
small yard in England. “Ryan gets on so well with this horse and we will wait
and see how he is. It would be lovely to run Dubai World Cup night but, if not,
we have Hong Kong or we could just go back to England.”

Enak’s tough beats were costly to Dettori, who could not quite catch
Christophe Soumillon for the Carnival riding title. Soumillon edged Dettori
11-10 in the jockeys’ standings.

The Group 3-winning Steele Tango has compiled a record of 29-5-8-1, $527,358.
Runner-up to Tazeez (Silver Hawk) as the defending champion in the October 15
Darley S. (Eng-G3) at Newmarket prior to his success here on opening night, the
six-year-old has since finished second to Presvis (Sakhee) in the January 27 Al
Rashidiya (UAE-G2) and sixth in last Thursday’s Jebel Hatta (UAE-G2).

J J the Jet Plane is ready for another international take-off (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) While Steele Tango’s presence on March 26 is to be determined, South African superstar J J THE JET PLANE (Jet Master) booked his ticket to the Al Quoz Sprint (UAE-G2) with a convincing performance as the 132-pound highweight in a turf dash. Rebounding from his disappointing 11th when testing synthetic for the first time in a February 17 handicap, the Michael “Lucky” Houdalakis veteran was much happier back on the turf. J J the Jet Plane was always traveling sweetly while stalking the pace, and despite conceding 14 to 15 pounds to the entire field, he cruised to the lead for Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Having already drifted well out into the course from his inside rail post, J J the Jet Plane continued his starboard run until he ended up near the outside rail. His diagonal passage across the course made no difference to the outcome, for he still had 1 3/4 lengths to spare over Iver Bridge Lad (Avonbridge).  J J the Jet Plane covered rather more than a straight six furlongs in 1:10.

“He did that very nicely and we go for the Al Quoz Sprint before perhaps a
trip to Singapore and/or England,” Houdalakis noted.

J J the Jet Plane’s resume now reads 25-13-0-3, and he has amassed $1,751,053
in earnings. The seven-year-old gelding boasts eight career stakes victories in
his South African homeland — two apiece in the Golden Horse Sprint (SAf-G1) and
Mercury Sprint (SAf-G1), as well as the Computaform Sprint S. (SAf-G1), Senor
Santa H. (SAf-G2), Man o’ War Sprint S. (SAf-G3) and Graham Beck S. (SAf-G3).

J J the Jet Plane will attempt to win the Al Quoz Sprint for a second time.
Transferred to de Kock for the 2009 Dubai Carnival, he won the Al Quoz Sprint in its old guise of a six-furlong affair at Nad al Sheba. He traveled
with the rest of the trainer’s international string to England, where he had
mixed results. After romping in the Leisure S. in his European debut, he ran
creditably when fourth in the Golden Jubilee S. (Eng-G1) and even better when
third in the July Cup (Eng-G1). His form began to decline thereafter,
culminating in a ninth in the Diadem S. (Eng-G2) when in the care
of Richard Hannon.

A tired J J the Jet Plane was repatriated, and eventually rejuvenated by
Houdalakis, who co-owns the gelding in partnership with H.S.N. du Preez, C.F.
Strydom and C.D. Boyens. After a two-length score first up off the shelf in the
May 29 Golden Horse Sprint, he dominated the July 18 Mercury Sprint by 5 1/2
lengths.

The bay gelding then made a splash on the international stage in the
December 12 Hong Kong Sprint (HK-G1), defeating Rocket Man (Viscount) and Sacred
Kingdom (Encosta de Lago) in a three-way finish.