Top stars gear up for DWC

Derrinstown Stud, the Irish arm of the breeding operation of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will sponsor the Super Thursday meeting, the seven-race card designed as the preparation for Dubai World Cup (DWC) on March 27.

The night's features are the concluding rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge, both over 2000m but to be run on the all-weather track for the first time.

The Group 1 Purebred Arabian version opens the card and there has to be every chance the sponsor will maintain his 100 per cent strike rate in Purebred Arabian races at Meydan.

He owns five of the 14 runners and his main jockey, Richard Hills, elects to ride No Risk Al Maury on whom he rode the first Meydan winner in the opening round. That was over 1,600m but the horse, trained by Gill Duffield, stays and the jockey expects a big run: "He is a quality Purebred Arabian and fairly versatile. He has to have a big chance."

The same owner's Santhal, who chased Hills' mount home on that occasion, and Kandar Du Falgas appear the main dangers.

That is the prep race for the Dubai Kahayla Classic, while the Group 2 Thoroughbred Al Maktoum Challenge Round III is also over 2000m on Tapeta.

This is the race chosen by Godolphin for the mighty Dubai Millennium as his prep race in 2000, one of three occasions Saeed bin Suroor has won both races with the same horse and he has two live chances this year; Frankie Dettori rides UAE debutant Cavalryman, having his first start for Bin Suroor, while Ahmed Ajtebi is aboard Allybar, who won the second round.

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