The eighth meeting of the 2018 Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan Racecourse brings us another great fixture. The Dubai Millennium Stakes a Group 3 race run over 2000m on turf for prize money of 200,000USD.
The race includes four Godolphin runners and a pair for De Kock in one of the few carnival turf features he has yet to win. He is pinning his hopes on Light the Lights and Al Sahem, both owned by Sheikh Mohd bin Khalifa with Soumillon opting to ride the former. The Godolphin quartet include Appleby’s Folkswood (post 1, William Buick), who last raced in Australia in November when fifth in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes, having previously finished third behind the imperious Winx and winning a Listed race before that. Appleby won this race with subsequent Group1 Jebel Hatta winner, Tryster, in 2016, a race in which Folkswood was second last year.
Appleby said: “His run behind Winx was probably his best yet and he then ran well in the Emirates Stakes. He is in good form and however he goes, this should put him spot on for the Jebel Hatta.”
Interestingly, Maria Ritchie, who also trains the aforementioned Fityaan, reintroduces Special Fighter (post 9, Fernando Jara) in this turf race. Winner of the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 in 2016, he has only run three times since, finishing fourth in that year’s Dubai World Cup and second, attempting to defend his crown, in Al Maktoum Challenge R3 in March. Last year he failed to fire in the Dubai World Cup. His most recent turf outing was actually in China when winning a 2200m handicap at Jinma Lake in April 2015.
Credit: Dubai Racing Club
| Gate | Horse Name | Age | Origin | Pedigree | Trainer | Owner | Jockey | Race Form |
| 1 | Folkswood | 5 | GB | Exceed And Excel-Magic Nymph(Galileo) | C Appleby | Godolphin | William Buick | 15 Starts, 4 Wins, 4 Places |
| 2 | Carry On Deryck | 6 | GB | Halling-Mullein(Oasis Dream) | S bin Suroor | Godolphin | Gerald Mosse | 19 Starts, 3 Wins, 2 Places |
| 3 | Leshlaa | 4 | USA | Street Cry-Vine Street(Singspiel) | S bin Suroor | Godolphin | Patrick Cosgrave | 12 Starts, 4 Wins, 1 Places |
| 4 | Gilt Complex | 6 | NZ | Gold Centre-San Ysabeel(Zabeel) | C Brown | Graham Christopher Mackie | Bernard Fayd'Herbe | NA |
| 5 | Team Talk | 5 | GB | Teofilo-Native Blue(Seeking The Gold) | S bin Suroor | Godolphin | Oisin Murphy | 3 Starts, 2 Wins, 0 Places |
| 6 | Earnshaw | 7 | USA | Medaglia D'oro-Emily Bronte(Machiavellian) | S bin Ghadayer | Sh Hamdan bin Mohd Al Maktoum | Mickael Barzalona | 22 Starts, 2 Wins, 4 Places |
| 7 | Jubilance | 9 | IRE | Oratorio-Literacy(Diesis) | B Olsen | Lone Kaj Nielsen | Elione Chaves | 58 Starts, 4 Wins, 6 Places |
| 8 | Special Fighter | 7 | IRE | Teofilo-Susu(Machiavellian) | M Ritchie | Sh Mansoor bin Mohd Al Maktoum | Fernando Jara | 20 Starts, 6 Wins, 3 Places |
| 9 | Al Sahem | 4 | SAF | Silvano-Alderry(Al Mufti) | M de Kock | Sh Mohd bin Khalifa Al Maktoum | Colm O'Donoghue | 8 Starts, 3 Wins, 4 Places |
| 10 | Light The Lights | 6 | SAF | Western Winter-First Arrival(Northern Guest) | M de Kock | Sh Mohd bin Khalifa Al Maktoum | Christophe Soumillon | 26 Starts, 5 Wins, 5 Places |
Trifecta:
1) Earnshaw
2) Folkswood
3) Al Sahem