'Reynaldo' Aims for Dubawi Quintet

The evergreen 12-year-old Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown) will attempt to win the 1200-metre $175,000 G3 Dubawi S. sponsored by Borealis for a fifth time at Meydan on Thursday. A winner of this event when it was only a conditions race over the synthetic in 2013, it had gained listed status by his second victory in 2015. The Satish Seemar trainee, a winner of the Golden Shaheen in 2013, is looking for his third consecutive victory in the Dubawi, having saluted in each of the past two seasons and faces six rivals. He exits an eighth-place run in the 2017 Golden Shaheen.

“He is 12 now and has been an amazing horse for all of us at Zabeel Stables,” said champion jockey Richard Mullen. “He has never been much of a work horse in the mornings which has probably aided the longevity of his career; he saves it for the track and hopefully, has another big run in him Thursday but it will not be easy.”

Shadwell's 2016 Shaheen hero Muarrab (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) enters on the back of a win over Godolphin's runner-up Comicas (Distorted Humor) in the Dec. 21 Listed Garhoud Sprint following an unplaced run in last year's Shaheen.

“We were very pleased with that comeback win and it was a good team effort as he had a few issues we had worked on,” said trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi. “Hopefully he is back to something approaching his best, in which case he will run a big race.”

“The Golden Shaheen, obviously over the same course and distance, was a career best from Comicas,” Appleby said, “He has definitely come on a lot for his comeback run and, on his best form, he has to be thereabouts on Thursday.”

Completing the Garhoud trifecta is My Catch (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), a winner of the Garhoud in 2014, he is back for another crack for trainer Doug Watson.

Watson said, “He was not really himself and misbehaved on the evening of the Garhoud Sprint when he did not really fire. He is better than that and seems in great shape at home so, if he breaks well, can hopefully go close.”