Khawlah had not raced since October 1, when she finished third to
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As Godolphin’s second-stringer Abtasaamah (Distorted Humor) set up shop as
the pacemaker, Dettori positioned Khawlah in a stalking second. Mahbooba, who
was tugging at Christophe Soumillion in the opening strides, was reserved in
midpack to get her to settle. While the heavy favorite did at last relax, she
had conceded a fair amount of ground in the process, and Soumillon was in no
hurry to launch a bid.
Dettori, on the other hand, sent Khawlah after her stablemate turning for
home, in what turned out to be the winning move. By that time, Soumillon was
trying to thread his way through along the inside. Mahbooba found her way soon
enough, angled out, and chased Khawlah, but it was too little, too late. Khawlah
was going too well to be caught, however mightily her rival tried.
In a measure of their utter dominance, the top two were a long way clear of
the rest of the strung-out field. Electric Waves (Exceed and Excel) crossed the
wire 8 1/4 lengths back in third, and Abtasaamah faded to last of the septet.
“Everything went to plan and she did that very nicely,” Dettori said. “It was
a good performance and it would be nice to think she could be competitive in
some good races in Europe.”
“That has been a good evening,” said bin Suroor, who saddled three winners on
the card. “Khawlah is a filly we really like and will hopefully go to York for
the Musidora S. ([Eng-G3] on May 11). The horses have been running well
throughout the Carnival and hopefully we can continue in similar form.”
Khawlah’s brilliant synthetic debut advanced her mark to 4-2-1-1 while
boosting her bankroll to $166,175. Runner-up in a Salisbury maiden at first
asking last September, she returned 15 days later to capture a Newmarket maiden,
and came back in another 14 days for the Oh So Sharp, her third race in a month.
With connections nominating the Musidora as her next objective, Khawlah could
propel herself into the June 3 Oaks (Eng-G1) at Epsom.
Bred by Darley, Khawlah is the first foal from the winning Villarrica
(Selkirk). Her second dam is English stakes heroine Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra),
who is herself a half-sister to European Horse of the Year and dual classic
winner Sea the Stars (Cape Cross [Ire]); dual classic-winning European champion
and international sire Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells); multiple Group 1-winning
Italian highweight Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler’s Wells); Irish highweight Urban
Ocean (Bering [GB]); classic-placed Group 3 victress All Too Beautiful (Ire)
(Sadler’s Wells); and Grade 1-winning millionaire My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant’s
Causeway). Khawlah’s third dam is thus French highweight Urban Sea (Miswaki),
queen of the 1993 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). This is also the family of
Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) hero King’s Best (Kingmambo) and Prix du Jockey
Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) victor Anabaa Blue (Anabaa), both successful sires.
Bin Suroor was responsible for the top two finishers in an about six-furlong
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Always up with the pace on the rail, Charlie’s Moment put his head in front
on his own volition on the turn. The five-year-old kicked clear on cue at the
top of the stretch and had a length to spare over Global City while finishing
the sprint in 1:11 4/5. Charlie’s Moment’s scorecard now reads 14-5-3-2,
$300,045. His other career highlights include wins in the Gateway to Glory S.
and King Glorious H. and placings in such events as the Best Pal S. (G2) and
Real Quiet S.
Although Godolphin didn’t have any luck in the $150,000 Meydan Classic, the
team’s secondary trainer/jockey tandem of Mahmood al Zarooni and Ahmed Ajtebi
prevailed with Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s INTROVERT (Iffraaj). The
Irish-bred three-year-old was improving off his third in the February 3 Meydan
Classic Trial, and emphatically reversed form with Trial winner Lord of the
Stars (Speightstown) and runner-up Krypton Factor (Kyllachy).
“It was a good run last time, and we were very hopeful of reversing the Trial
Ahlaain (Bernstein), fourth in the Trial, rattled home late and grabbed
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Introvert’s first stakes credit increased his earnings to $106,480 from his
9-2-3-2 record. The bay colt broke his maiden third time out last summer, in his
first attempt on Polytrack at Lingfield. This was his third start of the
Carnival, with his debut being a sixth behind Zanzamar (Fort Wood) and Splash
Point (Street Cry [Ire]) in the January 20 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas Trial on
Tapeta prior to his third in the Meydan Classic Trial.
Bred by Mrs. T. Marnane, Introvert brought $121,117 as a Tattersalls December
weanling and later commanded $236,625 back at Tattersalls as an October
yearling. He is out of the Sunday Silence mare Isana, a full sister to the
French stakes-placed Celestial Lagoon, the dam of Group 3-placed stakes victress
Maria Gabriella (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]). Isana hails from the same female line
as Grade/Group 3 victor King of Happiness (Spinning World) as well as German
highweight and sire Robin des Pins (Nureyev) and his full brother, the Group
2-placed stakes scorer and sire Robin des Bois (Nureyev).
While de Kock was deprived in the featured Oaks, he did visit the winner’s
circle courtesy of another Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum colorbearer,
WONDER LAWN (Fort Wood), in the opener. Traveling much better than the stable’s
apparent first-stringer, Hunting Tower (Fort Wood), Wonder Lawn rolled from off
the pace for Kevin Shea and galloped to a 1 3/4-length score. The seven-year-old
veteran negotiated about 1 1/4 grassy miles in 2:03 2/5 to improve his resume to
38-7-4-4, $196,707. Wonder Lawn, whose lone stakes victory came in the 2008
Peninsula H. (SAf-G3) at Kenilworth, has also placed in the 2006 Selangor Cup
(SAf-G2) and the 2008 Astrapak 1900 (SAf-G2). The bay gelding has been racing
exclusively in Dubai since early 2010.
“This is probably his optimum trip around here and he picked up nicely,” Shea
said. “He is a tough and reliable performer who wins in his turn.”
Ali Rashid al Raihe, the reigning champion trainer in Dubai, also added to
his winning tally with MUFARRH (Marju). Owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al
Maktoum, the four-year-old gelding benefited from a textbook stalk-and-pounce
ride by Richard Hills to romp by 4 1/2 lengths over Godolphin’s Sahara Kingdom (Cozzene).
Mufarrh covered about 1 3/16 Tapeta miles in 1:58 3/5 while posting his second
win at Meydan, having captured a handicap on a rare Saturday card (not part of
the Carnival proper) on February 5. Most recently third to Haatheq (Seeking the
Gold) here last Thursday, Mufarrh has compiled a 10-3-1-3 mark to go along with
$107,378 in his account.
“That is a great result for all concerned and the horse really deserved a win
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Navajo Chief, just touched off by Win for Sure (Stravinsky) two starts ago,
was wheeling back off a fifth to Across the Rhine (Cuvee) last Thursday. His
scorecard now stands at 19-4-2-3, $194,338, reflecting a distant third in the
2009 Winkfield S. as a juvenile.