Yulong Warrior looks good for Meydan success as Carnival preparations begin

A few Dubai World Cup hopefuls prepare to hit the ground running on Thursday

Yulong Warrior will be in contention at Meydan on Thursday. Pawan Singh / The National

With the Dubai World Cup Carnival two weeks away, a few Dubai World Cup hopefuls line-up for an early breeze down the Meydan racecourse on Thursday.

Yulong Warrior, Secret Ambition, Kimbear, Heavy Metal and Manguzi run in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile, the feature event in the six-race card that also includes the Group Three Madjani Stakes for Purebred Arabians.

Yulong Warrior is the choice of the Zabeel Stables retained jockey Richard Mullen, one of the two Satish Seemar-trained runners. Secret Ambition is the other.

Yulong Warrior won twice for Seemar; the more notable of the two being Listed Al Bastakiya, the UAE Derby Trial.

However, the Street Cry colt could only finish seventh in the Group Two UAE Derby before moving to trainer Doug O’Neil for whom he ran four times in the USA – the highlight of which was a second win in Emerald Downs’ Getaway Day Stakes.

Yulong Warrior returns to Meydan for his first start in nearly 10 months and Bhupath Seemar, assistant to Satish Seemar, said "he looks good".

"I think he probably wants a little farther than a mile, but this is a good place to start him. He looks a picture and this is where he performed the best, so it’s good to get him back."

Secret Ambition was sixth in last season’s Dubai Creek Mile before going on to win the Group Three Jebel Ali Mile two starts later. He was also 10th in the 2018 Godolphin Mile.

“They’re both doing really well and hopefully will keep doing well to the race,” Seemar added.

“Secret Ambition is a tough, consistent horse who has been working well and should run a good race.”

Challenging Seemar’s pair are Kimbear, Heavy Metal and the UAE Derby third Manguzi who was unplaced on his reappearance behind Military Law in the 2,000m Listed Entisar on December 5.

“He should benefit from that outing and more competitive over the shorter trip,” Manguzi’s trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe said of the three-year-old Planteur colt.

Kimbear has been one of the more consistent horses over the 1,600m distance and his handler Doug Watson was bullish about the chances of the five-year-old son of Temple City.

“Kimbear is a horse we have always really liked, but has had niggling hoof issues which, hopefully, he is over now,” Watson said.

“He’s doing great. His last work was exceptional. He’s going into the race great. We’re hoping for a better year than we had last year with him.”

Salem bin Ghadayer’s Heavy Metal has remained competitive despite his advancing age.

The nine-year-old won the $1.5million (Dh5.5m) Group Two Godolphin Mile in 2018 and was runner-up behind American raider Coal Front last March.

“Obviously, we know conditions suit him and he is ready for a race as he has been going well at home,” Bin Ghadayer said.

“He has the widest draw, but it is only a small field, so hopefully he can break well and get into a good early position.”

Completing the seven-runner field are Ahmad bin Harmash’s Listed winner Rodaini, and Carnival winner Thegreatcollection, Watson’s second entry in the race.