The opening race on Meydan's Super Saturday program, the Listed Al Bastakiya S. figured a two-horse race between G3 UAE 2000 Guineas romper Market Rally and Godolphin's bred-in-the-purple Blue Creek. But despite sweating up noticeably across his breastband on a warm Dubai afternoon, Market Rally turned the course-and-distance prep for the G2 UAE Derby into a one-horse affair.
The $210,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase pinged the gates and soon led, albeit keenly, from Blue Creek, who missed the break ever so slightly, but was then ridden forward to keep Market Rally close company. The odds-on favorite was gifted a fairly easy time of it on the lead, covering the opening six furlongs in better than 1:17, and Blue Creek was under a William Buick drive with fully three furlongs to race. Blue Creek, with cheekpieces added on this occasion, tried his best to keep pace turning for home, but he was no match as Market Rally stretched away to win comfortably in the finish. Lazzam (GB) filled out the exacta, same as he did in the 2000 Guineas.
“He is still learning about racing,” said winning rider Pat Smullen. “He will develop physically and is still immature mentally. He was fractious in the gates, then having broke well he just wanted to get on with it. There was no point fighting him so I let him find his stride and he was soon in a lovely rhythm. He stayed the trip well and is going to be a really nice horse for Sheikh Ahmed and Dhruba. He must have a genuine chance in the UAE Derby.”
Market Rally debuted as the 3-5 chalk in a one-mile maiden at Monmouth Park last August and made light work of that field, drawing clear to score by 4 3/4 lengths. Subsequently sold to Sheikh Ahmed, the cantankerous chestnut was likely in need of the race when 3 3/4 lengths fourth in back of G1SP Steady Pace (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial over 1400 metres Jan. 14, but stretched out to the mile last time and turned the Guineas itself into a front-running tour-de-force.
Boodles, whose son Watchyourownbobber (Hard Spun) was set to run in the Barbados Gold Cup later Saturday, is the dam of a yearling colt by Sky Mesa and was bred to Verrazano in 2015.
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
AL BASTAKIYA SPONSORED BY EMIRATES SKYWARDS-Listed, $250,000, MEY, 3-5, NH3yo & SH3yo, 1900m, 1:58.52, ft.
1–MARKET RALLY, 126, c, 3, by Unbridled's Song
1st Dam: Boodles, by Mr. Greeley
2nd Dam: Tricky Laura, by Phone Trick
3rd Dam: My Dream Come True, by Vice Regent
($210,000 yrl '14 KEESEP) O-Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum; B-Ashview Farm LLC, Colts Neck Stables LLC &
Unbridled's Song Syndicate (KY); T-Dhruba Selvaratnam;
J-Pat Smullen. $150,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, 4-3-0-0,
$324,270. *1/2 to Watchyourownbobber (Hard Spun), SW &
GSP-US, $175,990.[bullet ad=”ashview-co-bred-sold”][bullet ad=”56175″]
2–Lazzam (GB), 126, c, 3, Archipenko–Empire Rose (Arg), by
Sunray Spirit. O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
$50,000.
3–Blue Creek (GB), 126, c, 3, Street Cry (Ire)–Blue Bunting, by
Dynaformer. O-Godolphin. $25,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, HD, 8HF.
Also Ran: Hombre Rojo (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
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