Super Saturday: race previews and quotes from connections

Rebel’s Romance and Tuz are just two of the equine superstars heading to Emirates Super Saturday – the official day of trial races ahead of the Dubai World Cup meeting in a month’s time.

As a nine-time Group 1 winner, Rebel’s Romance (pictured above) rightly deserves top billing on the nine-race card. He faces seven rivals in the G2 Dubai City of Gold, which offers automatic entry to the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic to the winner.

Rebel’s Romance won the Sheema Classic in 2024 and arrives here after finishing second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf in November.

“Rebel’s Romance returns to Dubai in great shape,” said trainer Charlie Appleby. “He is eight now, but you couldn’t knock his performances last season and he appears to have retained all his enthusiasm throughout the winter. I’m hoping that he can show us once again what he can do and everyone can appreciate what a great racehorse he is.”

One of Rebel’s Romance’s opponents is rising star Fort George, who steps up to this 2410metre distance after winning the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes over 2000metres a month ago.

“It was a straightforward decision to go for the City of Gold,” said trainer Ed Walker. “Obviously Rebel’s Romance is going to be a problem, but if you take him out it looks pretty open – there’s probably more depth in the Singspiel [Stakes].

“We thought not to run scared of one horse and we’re very happy with Fort George. Kieran [Shoemark, jockey] has been riding him in his work, his weight is good, and everything has gone well since his win last time.”

The featured G2 Al Maktoum Classic offers automatic Dubai World Cup qualification for the winner. 10 vie for the spot, with three top-rated on 111.

Heart Of Honor has drawn post one for Jamie Osborne and jockey daughter Saffie and arrives here after finishing third to Imperial Emperor in G1 Maktoum Challenge in January.

“It’s a fascinating contest for sure,” said the G1-winning trainer. “Almost certainly a pivotal race for us. I believe he marginally underperformed last time and I’m looking forward to seeing a sharper effort from him this week.

“Stall one, to a degree, restricts Saffie’s options but she’s proving quite adept at improvising. On all known evidence the return to 2000metres can only be in our favour. We are realistically hopeful.”

Imperial Emperor sit this one out but his trainer Bhupat Seemar runs three, Mendelssohn Bay, Killer Collect and Walk Of Stars. Mendelssohn Bay steps back up in trip after winning the G3 Firebreak Stakes last time and has drawn nine.

“We’re very excited to have a runner on Super Saturday and a chance to qualify for the big day,” said Paul Ebbs, Managing Owner. “Fingers crossed from the wide draw.”

Killer Collect returns quickly after winning the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes on 15 February, but jockey Tadhg O’Shea isn’t overly concerned about the turnaround time.

“It’s a quick back-up but he’s had a light campaign,” he said. “He’s stepped out of his Jebel Ali Stakes win well but has a bit to improve on the book. He’s a horse I’ve always held in high regard, but little things haven’t gone his way.”

The G2 Singspiel Stakes [sponsored by Emirates Airline] offers qualification to the G1 Dubai Turf for the winner and the Johnny Murtagh-trained Alakazi is among the field of eight. The four-year-old, owned by Aga Khan Studs, was last seen finishing third in the G1 QEII at Ascot in October.

“Alakazi has travelled over well and has put on seven kilos since he landed,” said the Ireland-based trainer. “I think he’ll need his first run. The plan was always to run Super Saturday and then he’ll have a month there before the World Cup [G1 Dubai Turf], so whatever he does this week he will improve.

“It looks the perfect race for him and we’re really looking forward to seeing him for the first time over nine furlongs, so we should learn a lot.”

Alakazi has drawn five, one place inside Tumbler who makes his third local start having run third in the G2 Al Fahidi Fort, before having excuses at Abu Dhabi last time.

“I think he is a really, really good horse, but he is a left-handed horse so Abu Dhabi wasn’t the best track for him,” said Marine Henry, wife and assistant to trainer Nicolas Caullery. “He can be a bit keen, but I think the 1800metres will suit him better here than in France because the pace is going to be regular.”

Tuz became the first horse to win all the domestic Group sprints last year, before a valiant third in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen – a race he won in 2024.

This time around trainer Seemar has given him a lighter campaign, beginning with Saturday’s G3 Mahab Al Shimaal [sponsored by Emirates SkyCargo], which he also won 12 months ago. He will be ridden as usual by O’Shea, who has been onboard for six of his ten career wins.

“Tuz is great, I’m happier more than anyone to have him back,” said the jockey. “He’s like a catapult at the moment – he’s ready to go and is going around the track like a two-year-old. It’s just shy of 11 months since his last race and he’s a big boy so there will be improvement to come.

“It’s a very good race, but I wouldn’t swap him as he’s a legend around here.”  

Tuz has nine to beat, including two from his own stable. Both World Record and Mufasa are owned by RRR Racing, who also run Cats By Five, trained by Doug Watson.

G1-placed World Record is a newcomer to Dubai, having been purchased out of the Rodolphe Brisset stable in the US.

“He’s a very nice horse, he’s a Group 2 winner who has recently come over here,” said Muammer Ameen, Racing Manager for RRR Racing. “He’s acclimatised really well and show us some nice speed in his gallops. He’ll need the run, but he will improve tonnes after the race.

“He has a difficult task against the best sprinter in the world, Tuz, but I think he’s going to give him a race.”

Mufasa is yet to win in four local starts and finished fourth, two spots behind the reopposing El Nasseeb, in the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint last month.

“We have Ryan Moore on Mufasa and he has watched all his races,” said Ameen. “He has loads of ability, he accelerates well from the gate and has a nice turn of foot. He doesn’t like the rail or the kickback so you have to be sensitive with him.”

Cats By Five comes here in search of a hattrick and Ameen is confident he too will show up here.

“Cats By Five won his first handicap and was impressive the second time, winning by four and a half lengths,” he said. “If he jumps in the first four and stays there until the bend, he’ll be very competitive.”

The G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint [sponsored by Emirates Courier Express], race three, looks very competitive and 16 go over the straight 1200metres.

They include Monteille and Rayevka, two newcomers from France, as well as two trained by UK handler Richard Spencer; Two Tribes and Run Boy Run. Both have already won this Carnival and they are hard to choose between.

“Run Boy Run and Two Tribes are in good order,” said Spencer. “I suppose on ratings Two Tribes slightly edges Run Boy Run and Oisin Murphy is going to ride Two Tribes this week.

“Run Boy Run has taken a step forward each run and he thrives on racing, while Two Tribes came out of his last run very well and worked extremely well last week.”

A spot in the G2 Godolphin Mile is among the rewards for the winner of the G3 Burj Nahaar [sponsored by Emirates Airline], race eight.

At 111, Seemar’s Commissioner King is the highest rated in the 11-strong field. The 2023 Saudi Derby winner finished second to Mendelssohn Bay in the Firebreak Stakes last time. He will be ridden by O’Shea, who is confident of another big run.

“Commissioner King is probably the biggest horse we have in the barn,” he said. “He’s a bit like Tuz – he likes to jump and get on with things. I won’t be upsetting him and hopefully he’s going to give a very good account.”

Commissioner King is rated three pounds higher than Group 1 winner King Gold, who makes his second start of the season for the Caullery team, having finished fifth in the G2 Al Maktoum Mile in December.

“You need to forget about that run as the track wasn’t to his fancy,” said Marine Henry, who rides the horse each day. “He’s nine now, so you’ve got to consider that, but he’s a happy horse. He did a piece of work last time which was amazing.

“Having him run is exciting and stressful at the same time, as he’s given us so much and he’s a superstar.”

The Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas [sponsored by Emirates Holidays], race nine, last year produced subsequent G1 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court. This year the 1600metre contest has a field of nine, with impressive Kempton debut winner Talk Of New Yorkone of three runners for Charlie Appleby, who also sends out Pacifica Pier and Pacific Avenue.

 “There has been plenty of chat about Talk Of New York following his maiden win and we feel he is a nice horse in the making,” said Appleby. “He is the least experienced horse in the field and this will be another step in his education, as well as hopefully giving us a guide on what sort of horse we are dealing with when he heads back to Europe. He had a spin around Meydan, just to get used to the place, and we were very pleased with what we saw.

“Pacific Avenue didn’t really get the rub of the green on his latest start in the Al Rayyan Mile, but it was still a solid performance, and he came out of the race well. He doesn’t look out of place in this field. We are putting some cheekpieces on Pacifica Pier to hopefully rekindle some of his better form.”

The Jumeirah 1000 Guineas is a rematch between Mawj Stakes first and second Taifuu and Fairy Oak, with six others also declared.

“It looks like pretty much the same field as last time,” said Taifuu’s trainer Soren Jensen, who has just 15 horses at his base in Denmark. “A mile [1600metres] should suit her better than the seven furlongs [1400metres] so I have to be optimistic.

“Rebecca [Gray, Exercise Rider] says she has improved, so I believe that.”

The action gets underway at 5:30pm UAE with a loaded edition of the G1 Maktoum Challenge R3 for Purebred Arabians [sponsored by Arabian Adventures]. Mubeed, winner of this race 12 months ago, takes on 13 rivals including recent 10-length handicap winner Uptown Walk The Line.