Soft Whisper makes loud noise in UAE 1000 Guineas trial; Sheikh Hamdan, Al Rayhi score hat-tricks

By Duane Fonseca

Dubai: Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor enjoyed a 1-2-3 as Godolphin opened its account for the season with victory in the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial at Meydan Thursday night.

Big Bang: Saeed bin Suroor trained Soft Whisper opens Godolphin's account for the season in the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial under Pat Cosgrave (ERA)

Bin Suroor saddled the top three in the 1400m Conditions event where Soft Whisper, ridden by Pat Cosgrave, led home Last Sunset and Final Thought in that order.

It was a classy performance from the 3yo Dubawi filly who won her third straight race, which, in the process, also took her career tally to three in five starts. Soft Whisper went forward hesitantly and was ridden mid-field by Cosgrave to a furious pace set by Salem bin Ghadayer’s Jumeirah Beach.

The going was too fast and Jumeirah Beach found it hard to keep up until the end.

As she faded along the rail, Soft Whisper, who started to pick the pace 500m out, took over at the helm. There was 300m left to run and still a lot left to do with stablemates Last Sunset and Final Thought, ridden by Hector Crouch and Harry Bentley respectively, giving chase. In the end, Soft Whisper proved way too strong for her teammates as Crouch and Last Sunset finished two and a half behind in second, with Bentley and Final Thought a further three and a quarters back in third.

The PA Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 was won by Yas Racing’s Brraq trained by Jean-Claude Pecout who enjoyed a first Dubai success with his second dispatch. Ridden by Adrie de Vries, Brraq was raced in mid-division for most of the 1600m contest in which Eric Lemartinel’s RB Money To Burn decided she would try and make all.

Brraq winning for JC Pecout and Yas Racing under Adrie de Vries (ERA)

It turned out to be too quick and as she started to tire the chasing pack saw their chance and pounced, with De Vries switching gears and taking Brraq to the front 200m out from where the 8yo son of Mahabb built up a lead that was eventually cut down to three fourths of a length by visiting Omani schooler Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi’s Fettah Du Loup with Harry Bentley up. A further three and a half lengths behind in third was Ernst Oertel’s AF Alwajel ridden by Tadhg O’Shea.

Ali Rashid Al Rayhi was on fire during the course of the evening and though the Grandstand Stables trainer missed out on success in the major events, he did have a hat-trick to show for his efforts.

Three to tango: Emirati handler Al Rayhi scored thrice on the night

Al Rayhi’s treble was achieved in the colours of recently-crowned 2020 British Champion Owner His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose luck seems to have carried forward in 2021.

The Emirati handler and first choice rider Connor Beasley packed in a quick double for as Taamol clinched victory by a length in the 1200m handicap, the first of five Thoroughbred contests on the card. Eqtiraan doubled the tally with a massive four length success in the 1800m handicap that followed, while Sandro Paiva piloted the third win for Sheikh Hamdan and Al Rayhi, winning the card closing 1000m sprint with Etisalat.

French rider Mickael Barzalona opened his account for the season when steering the Salem bin Ghadayer schooled Hypothetical to a commanding three and a half length victory in the 1600m handicap, which was the penultimate race of the night.