The seven competitors in Thursday's G2 Balanchine S. at Meydan fall into two categories: Grade I winner Euro Charline (GB) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), and Very Special (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and the fillies who followed her home in the G2 Cape Verdi S. Feb. 4. Euro Charline searches for her first win since taking Arlington's GI Beverly D. S. in August 2014. She was fourth in last year's G1 Dubai Turf off a seven-month layoff, and this year will attempt that $6 million contest again with a local prep under her girth. Second, beaten a length, in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket in July, the Team Valor/Marco Botti representative finished fourth in an attempted title defense of the Beverly D. and was fifth behind Legatissimo (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) in the G1 Matron S. when last seen on Irish Champions Weekend Sept. 12.
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor relies on Very Special for an attempt at a third Balanchine. The 4-year-old, who has yet to finish off the board in six starts, ran just three times last year, all on the all-weather in Britain going a mile. She won a Kempton conditions race in April and finished second in a pair of listed contests at Lingfield and Kempton Oct. 29 and Nov. 18. She took her return to the turf, the surface over which she broke her maiden, with aplomb in the Balanchine, wiring the field after being allowed a soft lead, and she goes beyond a mile for the first time here.
“She won the Cape Verdi very well and we were delighted with her,” said bin Suroor. “Her work since has been very good and she has really thrived in the Dubai weather.”
Very Special carries three pounds more than her rivals Thursday.
“She has a penalty for the Cape Verdi victory, which makes it a bit tougher, but the extra 200 metres should suit her,” bin Suroor added.
The Tom Dascombe-trained Excilly (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}) finished second in the Cape Verdi in her second carnival outing. Her first was a seventh behind Cape Verdi third More Aspen (More Than Ready) in the Listed Singspiel S. Jan. 14.
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