Shuruq turns tables, tops Godolphin trifecta in U.A.E. Oaks

Shuruq could take on the boys in the U.A.E. Derby (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Beaten narrowly by fellow Godolphin runners Music Chart and Lovely Pass, respectively, in her first two Carnival appearances, Shuruq exacted revenge in emphatic terms in Thursday’s Group 3, $250,000 U.A.E. Oaks at Meydan. The Saeed bin Suroor filly relished the step up in trip to about 1 3/16 miles, and the addition of cheekpieces, to surge well clear of the Mahmood al Zarooni duo of Lovely Pass and Music Chart. Shuruq, a maiden winner over Kempton’s Polytrack in her final outing at two, was just run down late by Music Chart in the January 17 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas Trial in her Dubai debut. In the Guineas itself on February 7, the daughter of Elusive Quality rallied for second, falling a half-length shy against Lovely Pass. Shuruq left Music Chart behind in third that day, and in the Oaks, took care of her unfinished business with Lovely Pass as well. With Paul Hanagan subbing for the suspended Silvestre de Sousa, Shuruq raced some way off the pace as Mar Mar hustled to take command rounding the clubhouse turn. Down the backstretch, however, Shuruq improved her position until she was in striking range. The forwardly-placed My Special J’s got through along the inside to challenge, and head, Mar Mar on the far turn, but Shuruq was moving smartly into contention.

Overwhelming the dueling leaders at the top of the stretch, Shuruq stole a
decisive march on her Godolphin confreres, who were launching their bids
belatedly. Shuruq kicked away by daylight and never looked like being caught by
Lovely Pass, crossing the wire four lengths clear in a final time of 1:58 3/5 on
the Tapeta.

Bin Suroor, who extended his record total of U.A.E. Oaks wins to eight,
mentioned a possible tilt against males in the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby, over the
same track and trip, on March 30.

“My initial thought is that we are likely to take her back to England,” the
trainer said, “but we will all have to sit down and talk about it. These
conditions clearly suit her, so the U.A.E. Derby is at least a consideration.”

The Godolphin trifecta was rounded out by Music Chart, another 2 1/4 lengths
behind Lovely Pass. My Special J’s faded to fourth, followed by Emotif, who
raced in tandem with Shuruq for a time early but couldn’t pick up when the real
running started; Mar Mar; More Than Sotka; Pure Excellence; and Go Angellica.

Shuruq’s initial stakes success advanced her line to 5-2-2-1, $215,139. The
Kentucky-bred bay was third to Godolphin’s Certify in their mutual unveiling in
a July 12 maiden at Newmarket. That form was boosted when Certify went on to
rank as England’s top juvenile filly, with wins in the Group 3 Sweet Solera,
Group 2 May Hill and Group 1 Fillies’ Mile. Shuruq came back to break her maiden
next time out on October 17 at Kempton.

A homebred from Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation, Shuruq is the first
registered foal from Group 2 scorer Miss Lucifer. The Noverre mare comes
from the terrific family of Virginia Waters, heroine of the Group 1 One Thousand
Guineas in 2005; last season’s Group 1 Matron winner Chachamaidee; 1998 Group 1
Epsom Derby star High-Rise; French highweight and successful sire In the Wings;
and Irish classic-winning highweight and accomplished young sire Dubawi.

The U.A.E. Oaks is part of the scoring system on the Road to the Kentucky
Oaks, so Shuruq earned 50 points, if her connections should be so inclined to
consider Churchill Downs.

Now Spun, two-for-two on turf after taking the Meydan Classic, could switch surfaces for the U.A.E. Derby (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Shuruq was the highlight of a three-win night for Godolphin. The al Zarooni-trained Now Spun ran himself into U.A.E. Derby consideration by capturing his stakes premiere in the $150,000 Meydan Classic on turf, while bin Suroor’s in-form Kassiano racked up his third straight win in a Tapeta handicap. Both were ridden by Mickael Barzalona. Now Spun had not raced since October 16, when he rolled to a 3 3/4-length maiden score at Leicester. Held up off a tepid early pace here, the Hard Spun colt overhauled the front-running Deauville Prince inside the final furlong and edged 1 1/4 lengths clear. Now Spun negotiated the metric mile on good turf in 1:38, upping his mark to 3-2-0-0, $96,965. His only loss came in his career debut on Wolverhampton’s Polytrack, where he wound up fifth. “The U.A.E. Derby has to be a possibility,” al Zarooni said, “but he clearly goes well on turf and has won both his races on the grass. Sheikh Mohammed and (Godolphin Racing Manager) Simon Crisford will have the final say.” Deauville Prince held the runner-up spot by 1 1/4 lengths from Tarbawi. Elleval, the impressive winner of the February 7 Meydan Classic Trial, couldn’t deliver the same punch in the main event and checked in fourth of eight.

Bred by Hickstead Farm in Florida, Now Spun was purchased for $290,000 as a
Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling. The bay is the second registered foal from the
winning A.P. Indy mare Campionessa. Now Spun’s second dam is Grade 1 queen
Pacific Squall.

Kassiano has scored three straight on Tapeta, earning himself a step up in class (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Synthetic specialist Kassiano looked a league apart from his rivals in Thursday’s opener. When Indian superstar In the Spotlight made a bold early move and tried to slip away on the far turn, the closing Kassiano easily neutralized her advantage in the stretch. The Soldier Hollow gelding blew the race wide open in a few strides, and despite coasting home, still had 6 1/2 lengths to spare over Fattsota, who collared In the Spotlight by a neck for second. By finishing about 1 3/8 miles in 2:18, Kassiano improved his all-weather record to 6-5-1-0. His overall resume reads 8-6-1-1, $323,862. “He is going to have to go up in grade after that, which was a very impressive effort,” bin Suroor said. “We will have to try and find one more race for him on this surface he has thrived on.” Originally racing for Stall Lustige, Kassiano had won four of his first five starts — on turf at Fontainebleau and Hannover as well as a pair of scores over Deauville’s Polytrack. He changed hands for €165,000 at the Arqana Arc Sale in October, and in his first outing for Godolphin, he finished second to stablemate Royal Empire in a January 10 handicap at Meydan.

Kassiano quickly rebounded to take a January 31 handicap, and made it a
double when reversing form with Royal Empire (albeit with the help of an
eight-pound weight concession) on February 14. The lightly-raced four-year-old
has steadily risen in the official ratings, and is likely to continue his upward
curve.

Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Mufarrh became the latest also-ran from the Group
2 Maktoum Challenge Round 2 to return a winner, giving yet another compliment to
the victorious Hunter’s Light. Getting some class relief in a Tapeta handicap,
the Ali Rashid al Raihe charge just fended off a late thrust from Banna Boirche.
Mufarrh, who was defying top weight of 132 pounds, covered the metric mile in
1:37 4/5.

“The horse has a touch of class, but keeps losing ground at the stalls,” said
the Sheikh’s retained rider Hanagan, who was kicking off a double that would be
completed one race later by Shuruq. “He has plenty of ability and that should
have done his confidence a lot of good.

“It would be nice to get him back to the Godolphin Mile (Group 2 on March
30).”

Mufarrh, a close second to Skysurfers in the Godolphin Mile in 2011, was
subsequently sidelined for nearly 21 months. Third in his December 20 comeback
at Meydan, the six-year-old son of Marju was fifth in the Group 2 Maktoum
Challenge Round 1 on January 10 and eighth in Round 2 on February 7.

A pair of Maktoum Challenge Round 2 also-rans made headlines last Thursday,
with Mushreq landing the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort and Await the Dawn beating
fellow Round 2 alumnus So Beautiful in a turf handicap. Now successful in his
fourth start off the layoff, Mufarrh sports a mark of 16-4-2-4, $390,112.

Another Carnival veteran, Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed’s Anaerobio, earned an
overdue first win in Dubai. Denied by the late rush of Trade Storm last time out
on February 14, the Mike de Kock trainee had no such heartbreak on Thursday.
Anaerobio stalked, pounced, and pulled away from Jaasoos by 2 1/2 lengths.
Patrick Cosgrave guided the former Argentinean champion three-year-old colt
through about seven grassy furlongs in 1:24 3/5. Stablemate David Livingston was
a non-threatening seventh of 12 in his debut for the yard.

Anaerobio increased his earnings to $386,513 from his 21-6-3-4 line. At two,
the son of Catcher in the Rye garnered the Group 1 Gran Premio Montevideo and
finished third in the Group 1 Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile. During his
championship campaign as a sophomore in 2010, he scored in the Group 1 Gran
Premio Dos Mil Guineas and the Group 1 Gran Premio Jockey Club. Anaerobio missed
all of 2011 and commenced his Dubai career in 2012, with his best result being a
second to ill-fated stablemate Mutahadee in a turf handicap. Third to Le Drakkar
in his January 10 return, Anaerobio was unplaced twice at about 1 1/4 miles. He
profited by cutting back a bit in trip last time, and even more so when
shortening up to about seven furlongs in this spot.

“He has run so many good races in defeat and really deserved to finally win
one,” Cosgrave noted.

United Color transferred his game to Tapeta and might wheel back on Super Saturday (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum’s United Color, who has been plying his trade creditably at Jebel Ali, made a winning Meydan debut in a Tapeta handicap. Trained by Dhruba Selvaratnam and piloted by James Doyle, the Kentucky-bred son of Ghostzapper produced a sustained rally down the center of the track to win going away by three-quarters of a length. United Color stopped the clock in 1:11 4/5 for about six furlongs. “It was his first start on this surface and he has relished it,” Doyle said. “I guess we will be back on Super Saturday (March 9, presumably in the Group 3 Mahab al Shimaal).” The winner of the Group 3 Premio Tudini at Rome’s Capannelle last May, the $10,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase also placed in the Criterium Partenopeo and Premio Certosa during his Italian sojourn. United Color ran a big race off a seven-month absence for his new connections, coming within a head of Russian Rock in his first dirt try at Jebel Ali December 28. The four-year-old colt finished third in his next two sprints at that track, and following Thursday’s coup, his scorecard stands at 21-9-1-8, $256, 256,736. Bred by Adena Springs, United Color is the first registered foal from the winning Langfuhr mare Silk Candy, a half-sister to Grade 2 queen Sugar Swirl.

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