Christophe Soumillon had already used the giant television screen at Meydan once to good effect, and he needed it again when he partnered Dolniya to victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Saturday.
The French mare led home a one-two for France in the US$6 million (Dh22m) contest to confirm that her win over Flintshire in a prep run at Chantilly 26 days ago was no fluke.
At the line, Dolniya was two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up and Breeders’ Cup Turf hero, while Japanese Derby winner One And Only was third.
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It was a second win on the night for Soumillon, after he enjoyed an arm-chair ride on Mubtaahij to win the UAE Derby. It was when he had glanced up at Meydan’s giant screen that he knew Mubtaahij had won, but this time the TV relayed that a few more taps were required before victory was in the offering.
“When I arrived at the screen I saw Flintshire coming quickly on the outside, and when I gave her a few smacks she reacted well,” the Belgian rider said.
It was a third win of the Dubai World Cup Carnival for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre. Cladocera, who finished sixth in the Dubai Turf, had won the Cape Verdi and Balanchine this season, and Dolniya put the icing on the cake for the Chantilly handler, who registered his first success on World Cup night.
Fillies or mares have won five of the last seven Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes, and Royer-Dupre has Paris in October firmly in his sights.
“We have to think about the Arc, but she is better on good going like at Meydan, where the ground is excellent, rather than soft ground,” he said.
Dolniya became the third mare to win the Sheema Classic in six runnings at Meydan, after Gentildonna last year and Dar Re Mi in 2010, and looks right out of the top drawer.
The race was run to suit her, however, and the slow pace up front ensured that the accent was on fleetness of foot, rather than grinding stamina over the 2,400 metres.
As soon as the gates opened, Soumillon and Dolniya leapt to the front, but they soon settled behind the pace set by Andrea Atzeni and Just the Judge, the British mare.
Cristian Demuro and One And Only were third, while Maxime Guyon kept Dolniya in his sights on Flintshire in fourth.
Halfway through, Rajiv Maragh used up too much petrol to get Main Sequence into a more prominent position, but once the leaders hit the straight they accelerated and left those held up in the dust.
For Soumillon, his first win in the Sheema Classic was particularly sweet. Rarely does the 5ft 7in (1.72m) rider sweat down to 54.5 kilograms, but Dolniya was worth the effort.
“Usually when the gates open, she stays in the gates for one of two seconds,” he said. “I prepared her really well and she jumped out really quickly. I was surprised to be out in front so fast.
“I made a big effort with my weight to ride her, so it paid off.”
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