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Dubai: UAE Derby winner Asiatic Boy took a significant first step towards what could be a special season when winning the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint, the feature race at the second meeting of the 2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival on Thursday night.
Top Irish jockey Johnny Murtagh, who excels on the big occasion having won the Epsom Derby three times, rode a race even he would have been proud off.
Asiatic Boy looked to be in big trouble when the front-runners closed ominously in front of him approaching second half of the 1,200 metre. But Murtagh never panicked. He switched the five-year-old to the left of the field for his effort and galvanised him to fly past his toiling rivals and win impressively in the end by one and a quarter lengths.
Salaam Dubai, third in last year's $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (Gr 1), finished second, three and a half lengths in front of stablemate Mayaleem, a winner of two competitive handicaps this season.
Mike de Kock, who trains Asiatic Boy for owner Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, was all praise for his ward.
"He was caught flat-footed in the early stages, but the amount of speed he has helped him get out of trouble," said the trainer. "He a horse with a lot of confidence and that's what we need to win big races."
Asiatic Boy completed a fantastic three-timer for De Kock, the most successful international trainer at the Carnival since it's inception in 2004.
Drift Ice, unsuccessful in five previous starts on dirt at Nad Al Sheba, benefitted from the switch to turf as he recorded an impressive length and a half victory over Algharb with Santiago Atitlan, a Listed winner from Germany, one a quarter lengths further back in third.
Honour Devil, the winner of the middle leg of de Kock's treble, announced himself as a 2,000 Guineas horse, with an imposing five and a half length victory over Godolphin's My Indy in the Meydan Marina Stakes, an early trial for the UAE Classic on February 14. De Kock said he was surprised by the ease with which Honour Devil won and described him as an 'exciting horse.'
Saeed Bin Surour won a double with the Willie Supple-ridden Book of Music, a hugely popular winner with racing fans, and last year's Irish Derby seventh Al Shemali.
DDF hope Linngari landed the main support race.
Asiatic Boy third favourite for World Cup
English bookmakers Coral reacted to Asiatic Boy's victory in Thursday's Al Shindagha Sprint (Gr 3) by slashing his odds from 8s to 6-1 for the $6million Dubai World Cup on March 29. Breeders' Cup winner and Horse of the Year Curlin is the big 6/4 favourite with Saudi Arabia's Premium Tap, runner-up to Invasor in last year's race, a 4/1 second favourite.
Latest odds: Curlin 6/4; Premium Tap 4/1; Asiatic Boy 6/1; Happy Boy 8/1; Literato 8/1; Daaher 10/1; Daiwa Scarlet 14/1; Vermilion 16/1; Awesome Gem 25/1 Latency 25/1; Student Council 25/1; Forty Licks 33/1; West Virginia 33/1; Halicarnassus 50/1; Kandidate 50/1; Jack Sullivan 66/1 (Source Coral).
Results
1st race. Meydan Hotel Handicap (Thoroughbreds 95-110) 1,700m Turf: 1. Drift Ice (M de Kock) K Shea; 2. Algharb (A Manuel) R Hills; 3. Santiago Attilan (P Schiergen) M Kinane; 4. Strechworth Prince (E Charpy) T O'Shea.Distances: 1 1/2length, 1 1/4, 1/4. Time: 1:18.74secs.
2nd race. Meydan Business Park Handicap (Thoroughbreds 95-110) 1,700m Turf: 1. Prince Tamino (A Al Raihe) R Ffrench; 2. Mariol (E Charpy) T O'Shea; 3. Loyalist (S Seemar) R Mullen; 4. Beckermet (R Fisher) T Durcan.Distances: 1/2length, 2 1/4, 1/2. Time: 1:19.39secs. Note: Mariol won the race. But following an objection by jockey R Ffrench against the winning rider T O'Shea, for interferance, the placing were reversed by the Stewards.
3rd race. Meydan Marina Stakes (Thoroughbreds, Conditions) 1,400m Dirt: 1. Honour Devil (M de Kock) J Murtagh; 2. My Indy (S bin Surour) L Dettori; 3. Aquino (D Watson) M Kinane; 4. Lizard Island (J Moore) J Egan. Distances: 5 1/4length, 1/2, 4 1/4. Time: 1:24.45secs.
4th race. Meydan City Handicap (Thoroughbreds 100-110) 2,400m Turf: 1. Book of Music (S bin Surour) W Supple; 2. Gravitas (S bin Surour) T Durcan; 3. Longville (M Hofer0 M Dwyer; 4. New Guinea (S bin Surour) L Dettori. Distances: 1/4length, 1 1/4, 1 1//2.Time: 2:35.52secs.
5th race. Meydan Racecourse Handicap (Thoroughbreds 100-110) 1,500m Turf: 1. Linngari (H Brown) R Moore; 2. Divine Joy (M de Kock) K Shea; 3. Visionist (M Al Muhairi) W Smith; 4. With Interest (S bin Surour) T Durcan. Distances: 1 1/4length, 3/4, 3/4. Time: 1:31.85secs.
6th race. Al Shindagha Sprint, sponsored by Meydan (Gr 3) (Thoroughbreds) 1,200m Dirt: 1. Asiatic Boy (M de Kock) J Murtagh; 2. Salaam Dubai (A Selvaratnam) R Mullen; 3. Malayeen (A Selvaratnam) A Ajtebi; 4. Diabolical (S bin Surour) L Dettori.Distances: 1 1/4length, 3 1/2, Short Head. Time: 1:11.27secs.
7th race. Meydan Race to the Future Handicap (Thoroughbreds 95-110) 2,000m Turf: 1. Al Shemali (S bin Surour) L Dettori; 2. Teslin (S bin Surour) T Durcan; 3. Hazeymm (D Selvaratnam) J Murtagh; 4. Engrupido (M de Kock) K Shea. Distances: 2 1/2length, 1 1/2, Head. Time: 2:6.00secs.
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