Twice Over, Richard’s Kid headline Maktoum Challenge Round 3

Trainer Henry Cecil has described his pet Twice Over as a ‘lovely person’ (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com)

Meydan’s Super Thursday program features seven Thoroughbred races, each one a
course-and-distance prep for major stakes on the blockbuster World Cup card on
March 26.

The $300,000 Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (UAE-G2), held over the Dubai World
Cup (UAE-G1) distance of about 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta, marks the reappearance of
TWICE OVER (GB) (Observatory). The Henry Cecil charge will not face
either of the winners of the first two rounds, for Maktoum Challenge
Round 1 (UAE-G3) romper Mendip (Harlan’s Holiday) has chosen the Burj Nahaar
(UAE-G3) elsewhere on the card, and Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (UAE-G3)
conqueror Bold Silvano (Silvano [Ger]) has been ruled out by a foot
bruise.

Twice Over was last seen landing the
October 16 Champion S. (Eng-G1) for the second straight year. The Juddmonte
Farms homebred hopes that his second visit to Meydan will be more profitable
than his first. At last year’s Dubai World Cup, Twice Over drew post 11, never
got involved from off the pace, and was beaten less than four lengths when
finishing 10th.

Unluckily, Twice Over is again stuck in post 13 in the 14-horse
field for the Maktoum Challenge, but will still have the benefit of a
race over the track in advance of the $10 million prize.

Richard’s Kid returns to action for new trainer Satish Seemar (Benoit Photos)

The Marco Botti-trained Gitano Hernando, hero of the 2009 Goodwood S. (G1),
performed with great credit when sixth in the 2010 Dubai World Cup. The Team
Valor International colorbearer was an early shipper into Dubai this winter, and
kicked off his 2011 campaign with a fifth to Bold Silvano in the Maktoum
Challenge Round 2. Johnny Murtagh picks up the mount.

Zabeel Racing International’s RICHARD’S KID (Lemon Drop Kid) will make his
debut for new trainer Satish Seemar in the Maktoum Challenge Round 3. Formerly based in Southern California with Bob Baffert, Richard’s
Kid was seventh in last year’s World Cup, but ended the season by successfully
defending his title in the Pacific Classic (G1) and driving to victory in the
Goodwood. He was in line for another crack at the Breeders’ Cup Classic until
Zabeel’s Sheikh Rashid opted to concentrate on the World Cup instead, and sent
him to Dubai to join Seemar. Richard’s Kid will be guided from post 12 by
Richard Mullen.

Musir has been rerouted to the Maktoum Challenge because of Bold Silvano’s setback (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

Because of Bold Silvano’s absence, de Kock changed plans for former
South African champion MUSIR (Redoute’s Choice). Originally set for the
Burj Nahaar, Musir will now line up in the Maktoum Challenge Round 3. A star at
the 2010 Carnival, Musir impressed in the U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3) and
U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2). Sent to his native Australia in hopes of a Cox Plate
(Aus-G1) campaign, he never made it to the races there for trainer David Payne,
and was returned to de Kock. Musir reappeared from an 11-month absence in the
February 10 Firebreak S. over a metric mile on the Tapeta and finished an
encouraging second to Godolphin’s Skysurfers (E Dubai), who was not entered for
Super Thursday. Musir has drawn the rail with Christophe Soumillon.

De Kock will also saddle South African Horse of the Year IRISH FLAME
(Dynasty) in the Maktoum Challenge Round 3. Having
failed to shine in his two starts of the Carnival on turf, he takes his first
test on a synthetic surface here, but is marooned widest of all in post
14 with Kevin Shea. Irish Flame’s form interlocks directly with Bold
Silvano’s, for the stablemates had traded decisions back home in South
Africa. Although Irish Flame just held off Bold Silvano in the Daily
News 2000 (SAf-G1), Bold Silvano gained sweet revenge in the Durban July.

Presvis will once again use the Jebel Hatta as his prep for the Duty Free (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

PRESVIS (Sakhee) will mount a
title defense in the $250,000 Jebel Hatta (UAE-G2) at about 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
Artfully lifted from handicaps to the international stage a couple of years ago
by Luca Cumani, Presvis is on course for a third straight tilt at the Dubai Duty
Free (UAE-G1). The gelding flew late for runner-up honors behind the
loose-on-the-lead Gladiatorus in the 2009 Duty Free at old Nad al Sheba, and
following his impressive Jebel Hatta coup in 2010, he appeared ready to go one
better in the first Duty Free at Meydan. Unfortunately, Presvis suffered traffic
troubles and wound up 11th behind the surprising AL SHEMALI (Medicean).

After
flopping the rest of the spring, Presvis was freshened in advance of the
Carnival, and the rejuvenated seven-year-old returned with a smashing 4
3/4-length conquest of STEELE TANGO (Okawango) in the Al Rashidiya (UAE-G2) here
on January 27. Ryan Moore, who arguably gets along with Presvis better than any
other rider, will be in the saddle as he breaks from the rail.

Al Shemali, who followed up his Duty Free upset with a fine third in the
Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-G1) last May, resurfaced this winter
on the Tapeta. Fourth to Bold Silvano in the Maktoum Challenge Round 2, Al
Shemali fared even worse in a February 18 conditions event, where he folded to a
well-beaten sixth behind de Kock’s track record-setter Golden Sword (High
Chaparral [Ire]). Trainer Ali Rashid al Raihe thus decided to put his
seven-year-old back on the grass in this spot.

Mendip, last seen romping in the Maktoum Challenge Round 1, stays at the same trip for the Burj Nahaar (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

HEARTS OF FIRE (Firebreak), a $905,808 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training
purchase, was fourth in the February 17 Al Fahidi Fort (UAE-G2) in his debut 
for conditioner Ibrahim Saeed al Malki, and is eligible to improve second time
out in the Jebel Hatta. Hearts of Fire was a great success story for
jockey-turned-trainer Pat Eddery, who bought him for only $23,744 as a yearling.
The Italian and German highweight juvenile of 2009, he was a bang-up third to
Canford Cliffs (Tagula) in last summer’s St James’s Palace S. (Eng-G1) at Royal
Ascot. Hearts of Fire concluded his European career with a sixth to Jebel Hatta
possible Poets Voice in the Queen Elizabeth II back at Ascot, his final race
before his lucrative sale.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s MENDIP looms as the one to beat in the $200,000 Burj Nahaar.
Ostensibly
a prep for the Godolphin Mile (UAE-G2) over the same metric mile on the Tapeta,
it nevertheless may yield clues for the World Cup itself. Mendip, who boasts a three-for-four career mark at Meydan, demolished the field in the Al Bastakiya
on Super Thursday a year ago. The bin Suroor trainee returned from a nine-month holiday to impress in
the January 13 Maktoum Challenge Round 1 at this track and trip, and he keeps
Dettori in the irons from post 9.

Conveyance will race for the first time since last year’s Kentucky Derby (Benoit Photos)

The $200,000 Mahab al Shimaal (UAE-G3), an about six-furlong dash on the Tapeta that
leads to the Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1), features CONVEYANCE (Indian Charlie).
When last seen under silks in the Kentucky Derby (G1), the gray colt faded to
15th after setting the pace. Like his
fellow Zabeel colorbearer Richard’s Kid, Conveyance has since been transferred
from Baffert to Seemar. He will break from post 8 with Mullen.

His rivals include the Godolphin trio of GLOBAL CITY (Exceed and Excel), BANK
MERGER (Consolidator) and RILEYSKEEPINGFAITH (Hunting Lion); the
ultra-consistent GREEN BERET (Fayruz); and surprisingly BANKABLE (Medicean),
whose best form has historically been over further on turf, as evidenced by his
score in last year’s Al Fahidi Fort and his runner-up effort in the Duty Free.
The Herman Brown charge has finished fourth in both of his starts this
Carnival, but the better of the two came behind Our Giant in the
aforementioned sprint, perhaps explaining his presence in this spot.

Multiple Group 1 sprint star J J the Jet Plane (Jet Master), who retreated badly
to 11th in his synthetic debut here on February 17, will not contest the Mahab al Shimaal.

Reem, shown upsetting Mahbooba in January, can pay her a compliment against the boys in the Al Bastakiya (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club)

The $250,000 Al Bastakiya, the middle leg of the U.A.E. Triple Crown, hasn’t
drawn any of the principals from the February 10 Two Thousand Guineas. Rather,
the about 1 3/16-mile test shapes up as a proxy war of sorts between Godolphin
and de Kock’s lesser ranks. Godolphin’s BRIDGEFIELD (Speightstown), fourth
behind fellow al Zarooni pupil Splash Point (Street Cry [Ire]) and de Kock’s
Zanzamar (Fort Wood) in the Guineas, will try to uphold the form of the first
classic. Guineas also-rans SONORAN SANDS (Footstepsinthesand [GB]), PAULINHO
(Equal Stripes), AIR OF GRACE (Dalakhani) and ABJER (Singspiel [Ire]) would all
need to move forward dramatically to factor.

De Kock has entered the filly REEM (Galileo [Ire]), who could be on a
scouting expedition on behalf of his most highly-regarded filly Mahbooba
(Galileo [Ire]).

Reem upended Mahbooba in the January 13 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas
Trial at about seven furlongs, but Mahbooba quickly restored order by
dismissing Reem over the metric mile of the Guineas on February 3. Reem came back to flatter the form when runner-up to another
de Kock powerhouse, the older mare River Jetez (Jet Master), in the February 18
Balanchine S. (UAE-G2) on the turf. That made Mahbooba’s upset loss in last
Thursday’s U.A.E. Oaks (UAE-G3) all the more surprising, but de Kock believed
that tactics undid her that day. She is still bound for the March 26 U.A.E.
Derby against males, and a strong showing from Reem in the Al Bastakiya would
enhance Mahbooba’s credentials for the meet’s final classic.