Turf The Ultimate Test For Tryster

What a difference a year can make. This time in 2015, Tryster (Ire) (Shamardal) was a synthetic specialist who had just taken out his first stakes race, Lingfield's G3 Winter Derby. Fast forward 12 months and the 5-year-old gelding, now a Group 1 winner, is the favourite for Saturday's $6 million G1 Dubai Turf.

Tryster developed a reputation as an all-weather specialist after winning five on the fly over synthetics in Britain last winter, but the bay quickly proved his ability to transfer his talents to the big leagues on the turf, streaking from last to first to win the G3 Dubai Millennium S. by 2 3/4 lengths Feb. 18 and following up in similar style in the G1 Jebel Hatta S. over this track and trip Super Saturday Mar. 5 over Farrier (Tapit) and the South African Group 1 winner Ertijaal (Aus) (Hard Spun). Jockey William Buick has been bullish in his praise of Tryster throughout the season, and he said this week, “He's very exciting. He's been very impressive in his last two races out here. He goes into the race in top form. He's going to have to up his game because it's a better race, but we think he can do it.”

Trainer Charlie Appleby added, “You have to have confidence to ride him and that's what William and the horse have in one another. William rides him at home plenty and he knows him inside and out; he knows his idiosyncracies. I don't think he could have a better platform to go into the race than his two starts out here.”

Appleby pointed out that the spacing between Tryster's races has been the same as last winter when he won a Kempton handicap, the Winter Derby and the Easter Classic.

“Timing-wise it's exactly the same as the way it was last year,” Appleby said. “He went to Kempton, 10 days later he then went and won the Winter Derby. Two and a half weeks later he pitched up and won the Easter Classic, so on timing it's exactly the same. I'm hoping history will repeat itself on last winter.”

Godolphin's chances are bolstered further by the presence of its dual Group 2-winning filly Very Special (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) from the Saeed bin Suroor stable. Like Tryster, the 4-year-old filly has recorded back-to-back stakes wins at Meydan, but unlike her silk mate, she has done her winning from the front end. The chestnut made the most of a slow pace in the one-mile G2 Cape Verdi S. Feb. 4, lulling her rivals to sleep before drawing off to win by three lengths. She proved that performance was no fluke, however, when stepping up a furlong to win the G2 Balanchine S. over Grade I winner Euro Charline (GB) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) Mar. 3.

The Maktoum family is further represented by the lightly raced but heavily talented Intilaaq (Dynaformer), who carries the colours of Sheikh Mohammed's elder brother Sheikh Hamdan. Intilaaq earned 'TDN Rising Star' status courtesy of an eight-length maiden win last April, but couldn't cut it in the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas, finishing 15th, and was subsequently given a break. The bay returned to win the Listed Steventon S. over 1 1/4 miles and the G3 Rose of Lancaster S. over 1 5/16 miles last summer, and trainer Roger Varian has been outspoken about his opinion of the 4-year-old this week.

“He is a huge talent,” Varian said. “He is lightly raced and I am sure that the best is yet to come. Since Christmas we have wound his preparation up for this weekend and he is a very exciting horse for the year ahead. His work has been excellent and I think and hope he will make a better 3-year-old than 4-year-old.”

Forries Waltz (SAf) (Greys Inn) made a big early season impression when winning a pair of handicaps–the later being over this trip Jan. 28 over Ertijaal–but defies a layoff, having not been seen since then. Last year's G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) runner-up Real Steel (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) carries the hopes of Japan, and while he has not won in more than a year he finished just 3/4 of a length shy of G1 Dubai Sheema Classic contender Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the G2 Nakayama Kinen Feb. 28. Flamboyant (Fr) (Peer Gynt {Jpn}) represents California trainer Patrick Gallagher and comes off wins in the GII San Gabrial S. Jan. 2 and the GII San Marcos S. Feb. 6.