By Emma Berry
Entitled to be considered one of the most exciting colts in training anywhere in the world, the globetrotting Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) demonstrated not just class but also his versatility with a gritty victory in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic. His return to turf came just five weeks after his Saudi Cup win on the dirt in Riyadh.
Despite attracting just nine runners after the late defection of Berkshire Rocco (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), the Sheema Classic had by far the most depth of any contest on the Dubai World Cup card, boasting top-class contenders from America, Britain, Ireland and Japan. American turf champion Channel Maker (English Channel) went forward from the gate, towing Simsir (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in his wake as Mishriff was dropped in from his wide draw to tail the field in the early stages.
With a question mark over his stamina for his first attempt at 2,400 metres, Prince A A Faisal's homebred gave himself every chance of seeing out the trip, settling well, his head tucked in its customary low carriage under a cool ride by his 21-year-old jockey David Egan. Challenging widest of all on the turn and managing to keep clear of a mid-stretch barging match between the two Japanese mares Chrono Genesis (Jpn (Bago {Fr}) and Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Mishriff battled on down the centre of the track, eventually narrowly gaining the upper hand.
The 4-year-old claimed the $5 million Sheema Classic, following his sensational triumph in the $20 million Saudi Cup, by a neck from the GI Arima Kinen winner Chrono Genesis, with the 2019 Japanese Oaks winner Loves Only You another neck behind in third.
“This horse has brought me to the next level by winning the Saudi Cup and this is just the icing on the cake,” said an understandably delighted Egan, who was champion apprentice in Britain in 2017.
“After winning the mile and a half around here, hopefully he will have an exciting summer campaign around Europe. He's a champion. It was a strong battle inside the final two furlongs. I was just glad I was able to do my job and get him to settle and we know he's got an immense turn of foot—he showed that in Riyadh. I thought he had to dig deep today in the final furlong. I thought he was going to curl up on me, but it just shows how good he is. Over 12 [furlongs], if he's ridden with restraint and put in a rhythm, he could be deadly in Europe this year.”
This was a third win in the Sheema Classic for the Gosden team following Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) in 2010 and Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) seven years later. But if course it was the first since the partnership between champion trainer John Gosden and his youngest son Thady was formalised on Friday, but it was their second Group 1 success in that short time, with Lord North (Ire) having won the preceding Dubai Turf. Indeed, it has been quite a 24 hours for the family.
The Gosdens' sole runner in the UK on Friday, Regent (GB), a Frankel (GB) half-sister to former stable star Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), won at Lingfield. John Gosden oversaw four runners at Kempton on Saturday, saddling two winners including Global Giant (GB) (Shamardal), who had accompanied Mishriff to Saudi Arabia and landed the listed Magnolia S. on his return. Most poignantly of all, the stable's two runners at Doncaster on the first day of Britain's turf season included the Unibet Lincoln H. winner Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). The 4-year-old races in the name of Ms Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, the daughter of Sheikh Hamdan, whose death on Wednesday is still being mourned by the worldwide racing industry.
Thady Gosden has had plenty of opportunity to assess Mishriff's temperament, having travelled with him to Saudi and Dubai, and home to Newmarket in between. He said, “We thought before the race that if he was too 'on it' the whole way around, it wouldn't be good to send him up there to get a position and that would be for the worst. So David dropped him in there, where he's relaxed, and David just switched him off beautifully.”
Gosden added, “He made his move when he had to around the bend and gave him such a brilliant ride to get him to the line. He's such a tough horse and he's shown his versatility. He's a brilliant horse and obviously really talented. Hats off to everyone at home. They do all the hard work and take care of these horses every day doing such a fantastic job.”
Third-placed Loves Only You is likely to head next to Hong Kong, according to her trainer Yoshito Yahagi. He said, “She ran out of her stamina for the last 100 metres. She ran her race and gave a good run but she needed more pace. She will go to Hong Kong for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.”
Last year's G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Mogul (GB) (Galieo {Ire}), the sole runner for Aidan O'Brien in Dubai, raced in mid-division throughout, finishing seventh, more than six lengths behind the winner. The front-running Channel Maker faded notably from his early charge to finish a length and a half behind him in eighth.
Pedigree Notes
Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud already exerts signficant influence on the European breeding industry as the breeder of stallions Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB), both sons of his G1 Prix de Diane winner Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}), and it is that celebrated mare who features as the third dam of Mishriff. Rafha's daughter Acts Of Grace (Bahri) is one of her three stakes winners and is now best known as the dam of Massarra (GB) (Danehill). Bought by Coolmore for 600,000gns in 2009, Massarra's five stakes winners include the G1 Gran Criterium winner and stakes producer Nayarra (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), G2 Superlative S. winner and young Coolmore sire Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and G3 Silver Flash S. scorer Wonderfully (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Mishriff's dam is the winning Raven's Pass mare Contradict (GB), who has thus far outdone herself in the breeding shed with her first three foals all being stakes horses. Her first foal, Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), won the listed Prix de Saint-Patrick victor, while her second, Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}), was runner-up in both the G3 Craven S. and G3 Supreme S. Mishriff is Contradict's last reported foal.
Another branch of the family includes the G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Chinese White (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), who is out of a half-sister to Rafha, and the dual Australian Group 1-winning 2-year-old Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), who has made a promising start to his stud career in Australia and Europe.
Mishriff is the stand-out member of the first crop of Ballylinch Stud's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Make Believe (GB), who is in turn a son of 2000 Guineas winner Makfi (GB).
In a year in which the organisers have been celebrating 25 years of the Dubai World Cup, a Group 1 victory for a fourth-generation male descendant of one of the race's most memorable winners, Dubai Millennium, is particularly apposite.
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
LONGINES DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G1, $5,000,000, Meydan, 3-27, 3yo/up, 2410mT, 2:26.65, gd.
1–MISHRIFF (IRE), 125, c, 4, by Make Believe (GB)
1st Dam: Contradict (GB), by Raven's Pass
2nd Dam: Acts of Grace, by Bahri
3rd Dam: Rafha (GB), by Kris (GB)
O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Limited; T-John Gosden;
J-David Egan; $2,900,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-
Eur/Fr/Eng at 9 1/2-11f, SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, 10-6-1-1,
$13,842,225. *1/2 to Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), SW-
Fr; and Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}), MGSP-Eng. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Chrono Genesis (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Bago (Fr)–Chronologist
(Jpn), by Kurofune. O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm
(Jpn); T-Takashi Saito. $1,000,000.
3–Loves Only You (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Loves
Only Me, by Storm Cat. (¥160,000,000 Ylg '17 JRHAJUL).
O-DMM Dream Club Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm (JPN); T-Yoshito
Yahagi. $500,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 3.
Also Ran: Walton Street (GB), Dubai Future (GB), Star Safari (GB), Mogul (GB), Channel Maker, Simsir (Ire). Scratched: Berkshire Rocco (Fr).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.
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