Charlie Appleby completes Zabeel Mile hat-trick after D’bai edges close finish at Meydan

D'bai and William Buick win the Zabeel Mile at Meydan Racecorse. Antonie Robertson / The National

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby completed a hat trick of the Group 2 Zabeel Mile with D’bai in Week-5 of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan on Thursday.

William Buick, on the seven-year-old Dubawi gelding, produced a well-timed run from the outside to get in front in a tight dash to the finishing line, with just a head, neck and a short head separating the first four.

Satish Seemar’s First Contact, under Tadhg O’Shea, took second from another Appleby runner Art Du Val (James Doyle) and Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s Eqtiraan (Jim Crowley).

“I thought I’ll get there,” Buick said when asked if he would win the race coming from the middle of the field on the home stretch.

“The race tonight, there was never going to be a strong gallop, on paper. It went slow as I had expected. I would have loved to sort of drop him into last and get him properly switched off but I had to get him into a proper position.

“My worry was not to get trapped wide. But I got a good run behind Jim Crowley’s horse and he got into it nicely. When he sort of got into top gear I knew he had enough time to get there.”

Appleby completed a double on the night when Doyle made all on Summer Romance to take the Group 2 Balanchine from Roger Varian’s British raider Stylistique under Andrea Atzeni 35 minutes later.

Atzeni had earlier steered Charles Hills’ Equilateral to take the first of the three Group 2 prize that was up for grabs on the night.

Doug Watson clinched his third UAE Oaks when Pat Dobbs brought home Mnasek a convincing winner over Nayefah and Godolphin’s Last Sunset by six and-a-half lengths and two and-a-half lengths respectively.

“Super win for her,” Watson said of the American bred Empire Maker filly and the options she now has either to race in the United States or aim at the UAE Derby on the Dubai World Cup night on March 27.

“That’s her second win (in three starts) here. First of all, they should send her to America. That’s her second win (in three starts) here. She will have lot of options over there.

“But we’ll see if they want to run her in the Derby. You know if she stays sound and keep staying, as she is, who knows, she can pick-up a nice cheque. Who knows, they want to have those dreams of winning the race on the (Dubai World Cup) night too.”

Watson and Dobbs completed a double by taking the concluding Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint with Al Tariq.