The first classic of the season, the UAE 1000 Guineas, appears to be heavily stacked in favour of the Fawzi Nass-trained Shahama.
The race is one of the highlights of the eight-race card meeting on Week 3 of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan on Friday.
The Listed race over the 1,600-metre distance on dirt has drawn only six runners and going by Shahama’s two impressive victories on the track, she appears to be a cut above the rest.
“She has done nothing wrong to date and remains in good form at home,” Adrie de Vries, who was in the saddle in both her wins, said.
“She won easily first time and improved for that experience and showed her class in the trial when we had a few traffic problems. Hopefully, she is the one to beat.”
Also undefeated, but after just one start over 1,200m on the all-weather surface at Bro Park in Sweden, is Uchchaihshravas - the mount of nine-time UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea.
“We think she is a very special filly but she needs to prove it on the track,” trainer Kahlil De Burca said of the Cotai Glory filly.
“I saw Shahama win and she looked very good but our filly won in a quick time without coming off the bridle and has been working well in the mornings. Hopefully she will run a big race.”
Godolphin scooped five of the six prizes they had entered in the carnival’s second meeting and they have entries in five of the eight races on the night, including a trio in the Group 2 Zabeel Mile on the turf.
Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor’s Real World, under Frankie Dettori, spearheads the 13-runner field that also includes Charlie Appleby’s pair Path Of Thunder, the choice of William Buick, and One Ruler with James Doyle in the saddle.
“Real World really improved in Europe last year, winning all four of his starts including the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on his latest appearance,” Bin Suroor said of the five-year-old son of Dark Angel.
“A mile looks a nice starting point for his campaign and he has been working well, although we expect him to improve for his first run of the year.”
Path Of Thunder and One Ruler both have the benefit of a run. Path Of Thunder won the Zabeel Trophy over the track and trip with One Ruler more than four and-a-half lengths behind in sixth.
“Path Of Thunder produced a good performance on his first start in Dubai,” Appleby said.
“He has risen to a mark of 112 for that and deserves to be in a race of this calibre. He will have to improve again to win but we are confident that he can be competitive.
“We are pleased with how One Ruler has come out of the Zabeel Trophy, when he met traffic before finishing his race off well. He is a Group 1 runner-up and brings some of the strongest form into the race, although Real World looks the horse we all have to beat.”
