DUBAI // The 1,800-metre Group 2 Al Rashidiya, on the turf, was the feature at Meydan on Thursday evening and won was in scintillating fashion by Vercingetorix – a fourth consecutive winner in the race for South African trainer Mike De Kock and Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon.
The result, a record seventh winner in the race for the trainer, was never really in doubt, with Soumillon hunched motionless throughout. With minimal effort, he and his mount hit the front just over 200m from home.
“The team always told me he was a nice horse,” Soumillon said. “I won a big Group 1 on him here last year before a great second on World Cup night in the Dubai Duty Free.
“However, this was a different class of effort. He is exciting.”
The Group 2 Cape Verdi, restricted to fillies and mares, went to the combination of Alain De Royer-Dupre and Soumillon, who also teamed to win the race in 2007 with Sanaya.
This time Soumillon was aboard Cladocera, initiating a big-race double for the jockey.
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor and jockey James Doyle combined to land the opening 1,900m dirt handicap with I’m Back, Doyle repeating his course and distance victory of three weeks earlier.
“I did not ride him the last time, but he has won very well today, seems to love the dirt and is hopefully improving,” said Doyle, who wasted no time in completing a double by winning the following 1,000m turf handicap aboard the Charlie Appleby-trained Ahtoug.
“He really needed his first run back – more than we thought, perhaps,” Appleby said. “The big turf sprints are his main aims, as they were last year when he was runner-up in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup night.”
Doyle would complete a treble, and a double for Godolphin and Bin Suroor, with the smooth success of Hunter’s Light in the concluding turf handicap.
The lesser event on the card, a 1,600m dirt handicap, went to One Man Band, who made all for trainer Doug Watson under UK champion jockey Richard Hughes, the latter having his first competitive mount of the year.
That was the first half of a double for Watson, who later saddled Muaanid. Like his stable companion, Muaanid led virtually all the way in a 1,400m dirt handicap, with Paul Hanagan in the saddle on this particular occasion.
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