Mickael Barzalona guides Matterhorn to victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Saturday. Pawan Singh / The National
Mickael Barzalona guides Matterhorn to victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Saturday. Pawan Singh / The National
Mickael Barzalona guides Matterhorn to victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Saturday. Pawan Singh / The National
Mickael Barzalona guides Matterhorn to victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Saturday. Pawan Singh / The National

Matterhorn in Dubai World Cup contention following Al Maktoum Challenge victory at Meydan


Amith Passela
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Results

4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.

Salem bin Ghadayer’s Matterhorn stormed into Dubai World Cup reckoning with an impressive win in the $600,000 (Dh2.2million) Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 at Meydan on Saturday.

Racing only for the second time on the dirt surface at Meydan, the five-year-old son of Raven’s Pass made every yard of the running under Mickael Barzalona to come home five-and-a-half lengths clear of Military Law.

“We have been expecting a lot from him,” Barzalona said after Matterhorn reversed the placings of his previous meeting with Military Law.

“It took him a little time to understand how to run on the dirt, but last time he ran really well over a mile (finishing second in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes).

“After that, he has improved a lot. We’re very pleased with him. His quality did the rest. We expect him to improve again.”

Bin Ghadayer already has Capezzano and Gronkowski, last year’s Dubai World Cup runner up, and now Matterhorn is set to provide him another opportunity at the $12million race on March 28.

“We always thought he would handle the dirt well and he has always trained well on it,” the Emirati said.

“We were very pleased with his first start when third to our Capezzano in the Firebreak. We knew this longer trip would suit him and the plan was always to be positive on him, so Mickael has given him a great ride.”

Barzalona completed a double when he brought Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby’s Loxley first past the finishing line in the concluding Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold.

Appleby too was completing a double on the night after Barney Roy landed the Group 1 Jebel Hatta.

Drawn in gate 12 of the 13-runner field, William Buick had Barney Roy racing in third last for most of the 1,800m trip on turf.

Buick then had to bring him around a wall of horses as they approached the final turn, and once they were on the straight and clear, there was no stopping Barney Roy who raced away to the front to lead the first four home for Godolphin.

Mickael Barzalona after guiding Loxley to victory at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National
Mickael Barzalona after guiding Loxley to victory at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National

“From that draw in 12, we decided we would have to ride him for luck,” his handler Appleby said.

“The horse has not made that easy for William, but that was a great ride in the circumstances.

“The horse is just so enthusiastic and keen to get on with things, but once William had him on an even keel in the straight, he was always going to win.

“He will go to the Dubai Turf and Magic Lily (runner up) may do so as well. She has had a brilliant year at Meydan. Spotify had run very well also.”

Buick added: “I’m very happy with it. We had a very tricky draw in 12 and I had to ride him the way I did.

“There were a lot of horses in the race with very little chance, but we still had to pass them all. He travels very strongly into the race. I brought him out into the straight and he picked them up easily.

“He has a nice cruising speed, which is helped by his big stride, but also he loves a flat track like Meydan, where he can use that stride."

Satish Seemar not only saddled a double but also sent the first two in the first two races at the meeting.

British champion jockey Oisin Murphy delivered Emblem Storm with a well-timed run to lead the first two home for trainer Seemar in Al Bastakiya, the UAE Derby trial.

Tadhg O’Shea on Wafy led another one-two finish for the Zabeel Stables trainer 35 minutes later.

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km

On sale: now

Price: Dh149,000

 

Squad

Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas) 

Second Test, Day 2:

South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Results

4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.