UAE 2000 Guineas Trial

It's been a torrid beginning to 2025 for champion freshman sire Vekoma, who racked up yet another potentially important horse when Golden Vekoma ran out a good-looking winner of Friday's UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Sponsored by Kentucky Derby, a 1400-meter contest run under allowance conditions at Meydan. Making his first start since finishing a distant third in a 1600-meter maiden Dec. 6, the bay colt broke running from a double-digit gate and parked right off the speed in a three-wide third, then dropped down into the two path when the...

The Dubai Racing Club has announced a new partnership with Churchill Downs which will see the Louisville-based operation sponsor the AED300,000 ($81,660) UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (allowance) to be held Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at Meydan Racecourse. The 2024 renewal was won by the Michael Costa-trained Ma Yetal (Flameaway). Commenting on the partnership, Erwan Charpy, Manager, Racing Operations & International Relations for Dubai Racing Club, said: "We are constantly inspired by our leaders to set the bar higher and in working with international partners such as Churchill Downs, we are...

8th-Meydan, AED300,000, Cond., 1-5, NH & SH 3yo, 1400m, 1:25.08, ft. MA YETAL (c, 3, Flameaway--Delightful Melody, by Tapit), already a 13 3/4-length winner of his debut at Jebel Ali on Dec. 16, continued to progress with an easier-than-it-looked three-quarters-of-a-length victory at Meydan on Friday. Stirred up once the gates flew, the blaze-faced bay raced in between horses as Million Doro (Bolt d'Oro) cut out fractions. The four-for-six Quartier (Uru) (Matterhorn) blew the break and raced several lengths behind the main body of the field. In a good rhythm under...

by J.N. Campbell & Heather Anderson The pulse intensifies week-to-week at Meydan Racecourse, as it's almost a fortnight into the Dubai World Cup Carnival. A seven-race card this Friday sports the 1800-metre G2 Al Rashidiya Presented By Azizi, and a well-matched field of 11 will vie for group honours over the Meydan turf. That distance might be a touch long for Godolphin-bred, Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). He is poised to make a splash in what is his 7-year-old debut for trainer Saeed bin Suroor as he points towards what...

Friday marks the second week of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan in Dubai, and three group races are slated to go ahead, as well as two G2 UAE Derby preps on the seven-race card. Godolphin fields a typically strong hand in the 1800-metre G2 Al Rashidiya Presented By Riviera Beachfront By Azizi on grass, which is an early pointer to the G1 Dubai Turf at the end of March. Aiming for a sixth consecutive renewal, the royal blue silks will be carried by a quintet from trainers-Charlie Appleby...