Dubai-owned horses out of luck

Saturday, Jun 24, 2017

Dubai A neck, half a length and a neck. Those were the distances by which Dubai-owned horses were denied victory on a luckless final day’s racing at Royal Ascot, British racing’s most high-status and glittering festival.

Perhaps the most agonizing defeat came in the Group 1 Diamnond Jubilee Stakes, the event’s most prestigious sprint, where Tasleet narrowly went down to Ascot specialist The Tin Man.

Ridden by Jim Crowley, sporting the famous blue and white silks of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, Tasleet appeared to have had the race won before he was involved in incident with The Tin Man and Limato, bother of who raced perilously close in the final stages forcing a Stewards’ inquiry.

However, after interviewing the riders of all three horses, the Stewards allowed the result to stand.

Despite the reverse Tasleet’s trainer, William Haggas, was thrilled with the four-year-old’s performance and said: “I’m delighted with the way the horse ran.

“To run on fast ground today and soft ground last time (at York) shows that I’ve been an idiot not running him over six furlongs before now.

“I think in the last furlong it was one of those things. Jim (Crowley) said there was one hell of a headwind and they were blown all over the place. I’ll just have to swallow that.”

Tom Queally, who was aboard the winner commented “It’s very hard to get a ride here and it’s ever harder to ride a winner.

“I’m riding as good now as I was then (when Frankel was racing) and I will be for a few more years.

“He (The Tin Man) is a good horse in this division and he showed his authority there.

“It’s not life or death but it’s nice to get a winner here.”

Dubai’s hard luck story began in the second race when the Khalifa Bin Dasmal-owned Majeed narrowly missed running down the winner, Snoano in the Listed Wolferton Handicap.

Godolphin’s Kidmenever, ridden by William Buick and Maverick Wave, the mount of James Doyle, finished third and fourth respectively.

Favourite Khairaat, looking to secure a first win of the meeting for owner Shaikh Hamdan raced below par.

Majeed’s trainer David Simcock said: “They went very hard. He doesn’t often get that and when he does he has just shown what he can do. He needed just a few more strides.

“He’s run very well.”

Appleby was delighted with Kidmenever and was happy to look ahead to campaigning his youngster over the rest of the season/

“ Without making excuses, William (Buick) felt he’d be better with juice in the ground.

“It was quick enough for him, but it was a good run after a break. Hopefully we’ll have lots of fun with him during the course of the season. No targets as yet.

“We’ll see how he comes out of it and look for a bit of cut in the ground.”

Finally it was the turn of Barsanti, raced by Derby-winning owner Shaikh Mohammad Obaid Al Maktoum, to settle for the runner-up slot behind Irish raider Idaho, in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes

By Leslie Wilson Jr Racing & Special Features Writer