Super Saturday
As we begin to head towards the climax of the Dubai season, we have reached the Super Saturday card. This card gets underway with the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge for the Arabian breds followed by 8 consecutive pattern races for the thoroughbreds. I will come to the Jumeirah Guineas races later on but we have a really competitive set of races to focus on, not least the Dubai City of Gold (R7) for which Rebel’s Romance is the headline act. We haven’t seen this global star since he finished 2nd to Ethical Diamond in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in November, but he has won on the turf in Dubai before (2024 Dubai Sheema Classic) and if anywhere close to race fitness, he should be hard to beat. Although perhaps slightly disappointed to see him beaten at the Breeders’ Cup, he was just 0.21s behind the winner and recorded a top speed of 66.37 km/h, which ought to be more than enough to hold his rivals on Saturday evening. That’s perhaps the headline act covered, but what about some of the other races on the card?
Jumeirah 1,000 Guineas Sponsored by Emirates Skywards (Listed) Stakes
We have 8 fillies going to post this year and on paper, it would look to be a tight race between Taifuu and Fairy Oak. Soren Jensen’s daughter of Japan came out on top when the pair met in the Mawj Stakes at the end of January, but as you can see from the data above, I think there are lots of reasons to think that Fairy Oak may well be able to reverse that form under Mickael Barzalona. Taifuu is clearly a very talented filly, but she enjoyed a comfortable trip round in the Mawj Stakes and got the first run in the straight. By contrast, Fairy Oak found herself virtually last as the field turned for home with a wall of horses in front of her. Miss Yechance helped to set that race up with some fast early fractions, running 24.34s for the opening 2 furlongs. That ensured a decent pace, with the winner coming home with a finishing speed of 100%, but I have to feel that the data supports the visual impression that the runner-up was an unlucky loser. At no point in the race did Taifuu manage to run the fastest individual furlong split and Fairy Oak, who ran the fastest final 2 furlong splits in the field, was 0.32s quicker over the final quarter of a mile and recorded a better late speed figure (59.73 km/h). A run-out speed of 56.81 km/h was over 1 km/h faster than any of the other 14 runners and if getting a clear run, which seems more likely in this smaller field, she should reverse the form with the extra furlong in her favour.
Mahab Al Shimaal Sponsored by Emirates SkyCargo (Group 3)
Much like 12-months ago, the Mahab Al Shimaal revolves around Tuz. When he won this race last season, he was entirely dominant, blasting out of the stalls with opening splits of 12.46 and 10.29s after reaching 30 mph in an incredibly quick 5s when the gates opened. That got all of his rivals in trouble and he kept up the pressure with race best times for the 3rd and 5th furlongs (11.24 and 11.65s) and ultimately ran out a very comfortable winner. His top speed of 71.14 km/h was simply too fast for his rivals and if he arrives in the same form on Saturday evening, he will be very hard to beat. However, we haven’t seen him since April and whilst he does have a good record fresh, he is now a 9-year-old and clearly hasn’t had an entirely smooth preparation this season. He finished 3rd in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in April behind Dark Saffron but he recorded a better late speed figure (57.41 km/h) and a faster final furlong spit (12.97s) than the winner, so there is a fair amount of evidence that he ran his race. The difference was that Dark Saffron was able to come across and get to the rail. He had to reach a speed of 72.67 km/h to do so, but it interrupted Tuz’s rhythm and once he was headed, he didn’t look comfortable behind the pace. He rallied once getting more room in the closing stages, but it wasn’t enough. Dark Saffron has not looked to be in the same form this year and regardless of his fitness, I’d be happy enough to think Tuz will reverse that form now. However, there are some other interesting form lines coming into this race, not least the presence of the Hong Kong trained Sing Dragon, who has some decent form in high level handicaps at home and who brings a different perspective to this race.
Singspiel Stakes Sponsored by Emirates Airline (Group 2)
Things didn’t pan out for Quddwah in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup, but the booking of Ryan Moore to ride and the fact the Zabeel Mile here in January will certainly make him a popular pick for this race. He clocked a top speed of 41.02 mph when getting the better of Aomori City last time, but the runner-up was faster in each of the final 2 furlong splits and recorded a better run-out speed, so I don’t think that Quddwah can be called a certainty by any means. Alakazi is a fascinating runner for Johnny Murtagh and he was perhaps beaten by the draw when 3rd in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. At 33.98 mph, his run-out speed was quicker than the 2 horses that finished ahead of him and if ready to run his race, he is clearly a danger on his first start at Meydan. They both bring interesting form into this race, but if there is a horse at the peak of his powers in this lineup, it is surely Dividend. He has won twice already this month for Dr. Richard Newland and Jamie Insole and it’s nice to see them rolling the dice whilst he is in such good form. He got the better of Masai Moon in a handicap over this course last week as he rattled home with a top speed of 66.03 km/h and the best final 2 furlong splits in the field. He reached a peak average stride frequency figure of 2.47 per second last week and with a turn-of-foot like that, he is definitely worth a try at this level.
Jumeirah 2,000 Guineas Sponsored by Emirates Holidays (Listed) Stakes
Charlie Appleby won this race with Ruling Court in 2025 and it would appear that he has a very good chance of rounding out this year’s Super Saturday card with another winner in the form of Talk of New York. The son of Wootton Bassett was a well backed favourite for his debut on the polytrack at Kempton in October, but he more than rewarded that market confidence with an incredibly impressive display to win by 5 lengths. At 41.67 mph, he had the highest top speed figure in the field, but he was also the only horse to register a speed above 40 mph and once asked to go and win his race, he pulled clear with ease, running the fastest final 3 furlong splits in the field including a very eye-catching 10.92s for the penultimate furlong. The 3rd has won since to boost the form and the fact that he is here, making his debut at Meydan in this race, for these connections, must surely point to the fact that he is thought to be one of their leading lights for 2026. His dam, Usherette, won the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot and there is no reason at all to think that he won’t be able to translate his polytrack form on to the turf. The Godolphin team have one of their established stars running earlier on the card, but if Rebel’s Romance is a household name, there is just the possibility that by the end of the year Talk of New York could be in that bracket.