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Singapore may well see its last flagbearers go around at this year’s Dubai races when Gilt Complex and Newlands face the Meydan starter in the US$250,000 Dubai City Of Gold (2410m) this Saturday.
The Group 2 race is the last event on the seven-race Super Saturday programme (run at 11.30pm Singapore time) – the most famous Dubai World Cup Carnival (DWCC) meeting before the iconic Dubai World Cup meeting itself on March 31.
Cliff Brown’s Gilt Complex, and Stephen Gray’s pair of Bahana and Newlands have been the Kranji trio taking part in the DWCC lead-up races in the last four weeks this year, unfortunately, with mixed results.
None of them have won, with Newlands, arguably the least credentialled of the three, putting in the best run last Thursday week (March 1) when a surprising closing fourth to Godolphin’s Kidmenever in the Al Naboodah Trade School Trophy over 2000m, missing third place by a neck for young English jockey Tom Marquand.
The Mugharreb six-year-old will be backing up for the second week running while Gilt Complex will be at his third Dubai start, with two weeks between runs. Last year’s Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) winner (seen above beating Bahana) ran ninth and 10th (last) at his last two Meydan runs, the latest in the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes over 2000m on February 22.
Unplaced in two starts, Bahana, the 2016 Singapore Gold Cup winner, is not running. He is already booked to fly back to Singapore on Monday.
Gray has indicated it will be the last throw of the dice for Newlands while Brown said Gilt Complex should be joining Bahana on the airplane pallet “unless a miracle” happens (see other reports).
Three other Singapore-based horses are entered for the various glamour Group races on Dubai World Cup night, namely Infantry, Nova Strike and Speedy Dragon, but a confirmation whether they race or not will not be known until the invitations are sent out by the Dubai Racing Club in the coming days.
Trainer Alwin Tan (Infantry and Nova Strike) has already hinted he was leaning more towards the local riches while trainer David Kok has already locked in the Group 3 JBBA Rocket Man Sprint (1200m) on April 1 for Speedy Dragon, should the Group 3 New Year Cup winner not make the cut for the US$2 million Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m).