Oisin Murphy provided a winning first ride aboard Silva for French trainer Pia Brandt in the UAE 1000 Guineas at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday.
Murphy made most of the running early on before going clear on the home stretch to win the season’s first Classic by more than nine lengths. It was the highlight of Week 5 of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
“It was a good job from my agent to pick her up and the trainer has done a super job,” Irish rider Murphy said. “It was my first ride for Pia Brandt. I gave her a good run-up and she jumped, and she probably avoided all the kickback. Her next assignment might be tougher, but that was a great result.”
Meanwhile, British jockey William Buick did well to work his way up the 1,600-metre distance on the dirt surface as Godolphin’s Divine Image finished runner-up in the 15-runner field.
“She was a little bit restless in the gate,” Buick said. “She ran a great race to be second in her first time on dirt. She got a lot of kickback and she’s a very game and honest filly.
"I think she’ll improve for the step up in the UAE Oaks [on February 21].”
Pat Dobbs atop Drafted claimed the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint to give UAE champion trainer Doug Watson a belated first carnival win the season.
Irishman Dobbs moved outside the six-runner field to avoid the kickback before taking over the running on the final 200m to win from the Shane Foley-ridden Tato Key by three-quarter lengths.
“He just does not have that natural speed, but he tries every time for us and he has been a delight to train,” Watson said of the five-year-old gelded son of Field Commission. “The smaller field tonight probably helped him a little bit, because it kept him out of the kickback early. So he travelled a little bit better.
“He was able to get a nice position early. He travelled a lot better early and was able to use that kick at the end.”
Dobbs said Drafted was unfortunate to finish only second in the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes earlier this month.
“The small field was good today because he had no kickback today [when staying on the outside]," Dobbs added. "I got into the race a little earlier than [I wanted], but he ran really well.
“He has to warm up into it and [close ground]. I just get him out of the kickback for the first two or three furlongs and then halfway around, he picked up the bridle and did it himself.”
Golden Jaguar made two from two with an impressive victory in the Meydan Classic Trial.
Drawn in the widest gate of the 15 runners, Connor Beasley cruised from around the wall of horses to win from Irish Trilogy under Carlos Lopez and Sporting Chance with Patrick Cosgrave atop.
Gowshake claimed his biggest career prize by winning the US$75,000 (Dh275,437) Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2.
Fernando Jara raced behind the pacesetter Sauternes Al Maury until the field swept on to the home stretch and then battled on in a duel to the finishing line to win by a head from Mawahib ridden by Cosgrave.
