Mendip, Presvis among stellar cast assembled for Meydan's Super Saturday

Mendip, Presvis among stellar cast assembled for Meydan's

Super Saturday

by Brisnet.com

Super Saturday, the second biggest meeting of the UAE season and the dress

rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup, takes place Saturday. It is a landmark

occasion, with Group 1 Thoroughbred racing to be staged at a meeting other than

the Dubai World Cup for the first time with both the concluding round of the Al

Maktoum Challenge and the Jebel Hatta being elevated to Group 1 status this

year.

The official feature is the Al Maktoum Challenge over the same 2000 meter

all-weather course and distance as the world's richest horse race, the Group 1,

$10 million Dubai World Cup.

Only three horses have won both races, with all three -- Dubai Millennium

(2000), Street Cry (2002) and Electrocutionist (2006) -- trained by Godolphin's

Saeed bin Suroor, who saddles three of the 14 runners this year.

Frankie Dettori rides Prince Bishop, with Kieren Fallon on Mendip, who won

the Group 3 Al Maktoum Challenge Round I in 2010 and the Group 2 Al Maktoum

Challenge Round II this year. John Murtagh has been booked to handle Spring of

Fame

"All three are nice horses and deserve their chance," bin Suroor said. "Mendip

won well last time and he came out of that race in great form. This looks a

better race than the second round but he is in good form at the moment and I am

hopeful that he can run another nice race.

"Prince Bishop has been working very well and really impressed us when

winning on his seasonal return. We are hoping he can run well but again this is

a good race. Spring of Fame is a tough horse who always tries his hardest. We

need to give him a chance in a big race like this and see how he gets on."

Fellow Godolphin trainer Mahmoud Al Zarooni is doubly represented with the

fast improving Capponi and Monterosso, the latter of whom was a winner on this

night last year in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold before finishing third in the

Dubai World Cup. Mickael Barzalona will rides Monterosso.

"Monterosso's target has always been the Dubai World Cup and this is the

obvious prep for him," Al Zarooni said. "He will almost certainly need the run

as we want him spot on in three weeks-time for the big race. Capponi has shown

that he is an improving horse this year and there are no other options for him.

I wanted to take a chance with him in a Group race and see how he gets on."

Capponi will be the mount of Emirati Ahmed Ajtebi.

South African Mike de Kock has saddled the winner of this race twice before

and has both Irish Flame and Bold Silvano in the field this year.

"Irish Flame just does not seem to act on the Meydan turf so we are trying

him on (the all-weather)," the trainer said. "Bold Silvano we have always

considered a (Dubai) World Cup horse and that has been his target all along."

Al Shemali was sixth in this race in 2010 before winning the Group 1 Dubai

Duty Free on the big night for local champion trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe, while

Musabah Al Muhairi saddles Treble Jig, who won both the listed Jebel Ali Stakes

and Jebel Ali Mile earlier this season.

Fly Down, trained in Saudi Arabia; Green Destiny, in his first start for

Herman Brown; and Silver Pond complete the quality field.

Silver Pond will be having his first start for Doug Watson, who then saddles

Albaasil in the concluding Group 1 Jebel Hatta, over the same 1800 meter turf

course and distance as the Dubai Duty Free, one of the four turf features on the

Dubai World Cup program. Albaasil has finished second in both his local starts.

"I am really looking forward to running both Silver Pond and Alsaabil,"

Watson said. "We are taking a bit of a risk regarding the surface with Silver

Pond who has only run on turf until now but he seems to work nicely on (the

all-weather). Albaasil ran a great race last time and is a lovely horse. I

really think this pair are the best two horses I have been lucky enough to

train."

The past two Jebel Hatta winners are also in the field with Presvis, first in

2010 and third last year to Wigmore Hall when the race was a Group 2, set to

have his second start of the season. Well beaten in his latest start in January,

the eight-year-old bay has been pleasing trainer Luca Cumani.

"That first run was a slowly run race which was never going to suit him,"

Cumani said of Presvis. "He is in good form and this should put him spot on for

the Duty Free."

"He is very relaxed and seems in great form having had virtually the

identical preparation as last year," a please Michael Bell spoke of his trainee

Wigmore Hall.

The UK challenge is completed by the Richard Hannon-trained Dubawi Gold.

"He is drawn high but we were always going to hold him up as he has never

tried 1800 meters before and he has been working nicely," said Richard Hannon

Jr., the trainer's son and assistant.

The Godolphin trainers are again well represented with Al Zarooni's City

Style joined by Pisco Sour (Silvestre de Sousa), Rio De La Plata (Dettori) and

Secrecy (Fallon) for bin Suroor.

"Mickael Barzalona rides again and gets on very well with his horse who seems

to be improving and worked very well the other day," Al Zarooni said of City

Style.

"All three were a bit disappointing last time but Rio De La Plata would have

needed his run badly and this trip will suit him as he gets older," bin Suroor

remarked about his trio.

De Kock is also triple handed with Christophe Soumillon piloting Mutahadee,

who is seeking a third course and distance win of the year having already won

two handicaps. He is joined by Master Of Hounds, the mount of Kevin Shea, second

in last year's Group 2 UAE Derby (then trained by Aidan O'Brien) and River Jetez,

who will be steered by Pat Cosgrave and was second in last year's Dubai Duty

Free while splitting Presvis and a luckless Wigmore Hall.