Safety Check had to dig deep to defend his title in Meydan's Zabeel Mile, but he accomplished that while recording his fifth straight win when running at Meydan. Tried initially at the 2014 carnival on the all-weather, Safety Check made little impact but won a pair of handicaps on the grass in England that summer. Sticking to that surface at last year's carnival Safety Check went three-for-three, including wins in the G2 Al Fahidi Fort and this race. Tried twice over seven furlongs in Britain in the summer, he finished a game second to Toormore (Ire) (Arakan {Ire}) in the G2 Lennox S. but was a well-beaten 10th in Doncaster's G2 Park S. in September. The chestnut shook off that loss to defend his title in the G2 Al Fahidi Fort at Meydan first-up Jan. 21, and added another repeat win to his record Thursday. Settling midpack in a compact group as Ghaamer led the field down the backstretch with Zahee on his heels and Harry's Son (Aus) (Haradasun {Aus}) not far behind, Safety Check and William Buick swung three-wide off the turn. He took the length of the stretch to wind up, but Safety Check got up to nip a game Ghaamer in the shadow of the wire and win by the narrowest of margins. “It was a bit of a messy race where I was,” admitted Buick, who was recording a double having won on Marking a race earlier. “I had to fight for my place there and rode the race from halfway, but he quickened well in the straight. He's such a super horse; he's a stable favorite, and they've done such a good job with him and the rest of the horses this year. They deserve this.”
Buick noted that the trip was suitable for Safety Check, but said seven furlongs is ideal. “He sees out the mile but he's got such a turn of foot,” he explained. “Seven is perfect. He was on fumes but he got the job done. He's a very tough horse and he deserves a crack at the top level.” The rider said that chance could come in Hong Kong's G1 Champions Mile in April. “It's a similar flat track and a very stiff mile, so we'll see,” he said. “Let's enjoy today.”
Thursday, Meydan, Dubai
ZABEEL MILE SPONSORED BY AL NABOODAH CONSTRUCTION GROUP-G2, $250,000, MEY, 2-25, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:36.45, gd.
1–SAFETY CHECK (IRE), 130, h, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Doors To Manual, by Royal Academy
2nd Dam: Mercantile (Fr), by Kenmare (Fr)
3rd Dam: Mercuriale (Fr), by Pan II (Fr)
(125,000gns wnlg '11 TATDEC). O-Godolphin; B-Malih Al Basti
(IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. $150,000. Lifetime
Record: GSP-Eng, 24-10-5-1, $833,536. Werk Nick Rating: C.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ghaamer, 127, g, 6, Hard Spun–Teeba, by Seeking the Gold.
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Farm
LLC; T-Ali Rashid Al Raihe. $50,000.
3–Zahee (NZ), 127, g, 6, Dylan Thomas (Ire)–Zaheeya (Aus), by
Encosta de Lago (Aus). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al
Maktoum (NZ); T-Mike de Kock. $25,000.
Margins: SHD, 1, 1 1/4.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Also Ran: Harry's Son (Aus), Forjatt (Ire), Big Baz (Ire), Fanciful Angel (Ire), Johann Strauss (GB), Bossy Guest (Ire), Championship (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
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