All eyes on Dubai

Dubai World Cup night is one of the highlights of the racing calendar and this Saturday's renewal boast's a number of leading chances for Darley Stallions.

The showpiece race, the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup, was won last year by Monterosso, a son of Dubawi (pictured), and he bids for back-to-back victories under his regular pilot Mickael Barzalona. He is following a similar preparation to last season, coming here on the back of a seasonal debut in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3. The winner that day was another son of Dubawi in Hunter's Light, who was winning his second top-flight contest, and he re-opposes again on Saturday as market leader under Silvestre De Sousa. A very progressive colt, he has won five of his last six contests and has only ever been beaten once in five starts on synthetic surfaces, a debut second back in 2010.
Andre Fabre is always to be feared when sending runners outside of France and his son of Slickly, Meandre, represents him. The winner of the Grand Prix de Paris as a three-year-old, he had a fruitful 2012, registering a further two G1-triumphs in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Chances for Darley stallions are not confined to the night's top race. In the Dubai Sheema Classic, Prince Bishop (Dubawi) and Sharestan (Shamardal) both represent Godolphin. Prince Bishop has pedigree at this meeting, finishing third in the Dubai World Cup last year, while Sharestan may well improve for the step up in trip, as he is from the family of Derby winner Shahrastani.

Exceed And Excel's four-year-old son Fulbright, the winner of the G2 Challenge Stakes in 2012, has been the model of consistency this carnival with three excellent Group placings, goes for his first top-flight triumph in the Dubai Duty Free under the guidance of Ahmad Ajtebi.

The UAE Derby, a G2 contest won in 2011 by Cape Cross' daughter Khawlah, sees a pair of colt's by Raven's Pass face the starter. Secret Number, who is unbeaten in two starts, was the impressive winner of the Listed Al Bastakiya at the start of March and he will again to try to confirm his superiority over his paternal half-brother Snowboarder, who was nearly four-lengths back in third. A very consistent colt, Snowboarder will be having his ninth career start and he has never been out of the first three in his previous eight.

The inaugural running of the G3 Dubai Gold Cup last season was won by Opinion Poll, a son of Halling, and his sire is represented by two runners this year. The hardy and consistent Cavalryman, who has won over £1.2 million in his career, was a close second in the G2 Dubai City of Gold on his seasonal debut and takes this en-route to a possible tilt at the G1 Tenno Sho in Japan. Jutland, the winner of nine career starts, comes here on the back of his biggest career triumph, a G3 win in Abu Dhabi. Other stallions represented include Authorized, whose son Tenenbaum ran a very promising Godolphin debut in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, where the slow early pace was to his disadvantage, and the winner that day Ahzeemah, a son of Dubawi.