Dubai

Meydaan
'I Slept With My Jeans On And My Passport In My Pocket': Racing Community Marooned in Dubai

Members of the racing community in Dubai for Super Saturday now face an anxious wait for the airport to reopen in the wake of the American and Israeli attacks on Iran which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Racing went ahead at Meydan on a day when the Fairmont hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah caught fire after being hit during an Iranian air attack. Overnight on Saturday, the Dubai International Airport (DXB), which serves some 250,000 passengers daily, also sustained damage which resulted in injuries to four passengers,...

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Title Role
Too Darn Hot's Title Role Edges Godolphin Pair In Jumeirah 2000 Guineas

Simon and Ed Crisford saddled a treble of winners during Meydan's Super Saturday card, and it was the Coolmore partners' Title Role (Too Darn Hot) who stepped up to spoil the party of heavy favourite Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett). Racing in midfield as Pacifica Pier (Palace Pier) showed the way, the eventual winner was given an efficient Ryan Moore ride. Motoring with just over 500 metres remaining, he fanned three deep and accelerated with a telling burst to reach contention at the furlong grounds. He clawed his way...

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'The Journey Isn't Over Yet': Redvers on the Bittersweet Success of Siblings Heart Of Honor and Brotherly Love

It's a tough old life. As we speak, David Redvers has just returned from a weekend in St Moritz for the White Turf meeting, one of the true spectacles of the horseracing world. Between racing on ice and dancing on tables, the Tweenhills maestro has been enjoying a rather good week for graduates from his farm on rather more conventional surfaces, from the turf at Caulfield to the Chantilly all-weather and dirt of Meydan. "We had the most incredible week last week in that we had Buckaroo, who came second...

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Shisospicy 'Perfect Now' After Missing Trip to Saudi Arabia

Shisospicy (Mitole), the champion female sprinter of 2025 and GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine, has recovered from infection that forced her to skip last weekend's planned trip to Saudi Arabia. "Shisospicy, she's perfect now," trainer Jose D'Angelo said of the 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard.' "I don't think that we have enough time to prepare in the way that we would like to go to Dubai, so we are on standby with her." Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Bentornato (Valiant Minister), meanwhile, is on schedule to...

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Title Role
Too Darn Hot's Title Role Gets Top Billing In The Jumeirah Guineas Trial For Coolmore

The Coolmore partners' Title Role (Too Darn Hot) rattled home a convincing winner of the Jumeirah Guineas Trial sponsored by DP World in the Meydan opener on Friday. Keen early under James Doyle, the Simon and Ed Crisford runner kicked four deep in early straight, seized command at the 300-metre mark and stormed away to victory, his second in four starts. "The slow pace did suit him, as the little worry was going up in trip," said Doyle. "He was the one to beat so the guys were happy to...

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Desert Doings: Saudi-Owned Authentic Colt Looms Large on Debut

In this series, we will have a look predominantly at American-bred first-time juvenile starters (through the end of 2025) and debuting 3-year-olds in maiden races at Meydan Racecourse, with a specific focus on pedigree and/or performance in a sales ring. The flagship venue for racing in the United Arab Emirates is Meydan Racecourse, which will host racing on Fridays through the end of March, with the exception of Super Saturday on Feb. 28 and Dubai World Cup night Mar. 28, 2026. Here are the horses of note for this Friday's...

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Walk Of Stars
Black-Type Analysis: Seemar Sends Six For Al Maktoum Challenge

Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 20:25, AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE-G1, AED3,680,000, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1900m Field: Walk Of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Imperial Emperor (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Heart of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.), Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), Artorious (Arrogate), Remorse (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Kabirkhan (Calilfornia Chrome), Killer Collect (Collected), Masmak (Vino Rosso). TDN Analysis: Walk Of Stars held Imperial Emperor to second in last year's edition for trainer Bhupat Seemar who saddles six here. Those two both step forward again, while Seemar stablemate Kabirkhan exploded to a 4...

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Burdett Road
Versatile Burdett Road Targets Middle East Prize-Money

A day after sending out Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly to win over hurdles at Huntingdon, trainer James Owen has advised of a return to the Flat for another of his dual-purpose campaigners, Burdett Road. The five year-old son of Muharaar was bred and is raced by the Gredley Family, for whom he has already won at Royal Ascot as well as landing two Graded hurdle races at Cheltenham. He has been placed twice this National Hunt season but now looks set for warmer climes. "He is going to Dubai just...

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Desert Doings: McKinzie Colt Look To Run Back To Promising Trial

In this series, we will have a look predominantly at American-bred first-time juvenile starters (through the end of 2025) and debuting 3-year-olds in maiden races at Meydan Racecourse, with a specific focus on pedigree and/or performance in a sales ring. The flagship venue for racing in the United Arab Emirates is Meydan Racecourse, which will host racing on Fridays through the end of March, with the exception of Super Saturday on Feb. 28 and Dubai World Cup night Mar. 28, 2026. Here are the horses of note for this Friday's...

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Desert Doings: Godolphin Duo Loom Large In Meydan Mile Maiden

In this series, we will have a look predominantly at American-bred first-time juvenile starters (through the end of 2025) and debuting 3-year-olds in maiden races at Meydan Racecourse, with a specific focus on pedigree and/or performance in a sales ring. The flagship venue for racing in the United Arab Emirates is Meydan Racecourse, which will host racing on Fridays through the end of March, with the exception of Super Saturday on Feb. 28 and Dubai World Cup night Mar. 28, 2026. Here are the horses of note for this Friday's...

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'A Strong Finish To A Remarkable Sales Season': Bishops Bay Tops Keeneland HORA Sale on Record $1.3m Bid

A day after the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale closed with new records in the average and median prices, there were more headlines made Wednesday afternoon when recent GIII Forty Niner Stakes winner Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo--Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile) was knocked down to bloodstock agent Pedro Lanz, agent for Saudi Arabia's KAS Stables, for a record $1.3 million in the first 30 minutes of trade during the auction house's standalone Horses of Racing Age Sale. The previous Keeneland HORA Sale record was the $1 million paid...

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Trainer Saeed bin Suroor
Setback Reroutes Tornado Alert From Bahrain To Dubai

Godolphin's Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot) has sustained a setback and will not contest the G2 Bahrain International Trophy on November 14, according to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. A winner of the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen in July, the three-year-old colt will instead point toward Dubai targets. He ran fourth in the G1 2000 Guineas, sixth in the G1 Derby and was runner-up in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot prior to his German tally. Bin Suroor said, "He has had a small setback, no real problem,...

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