Dundonnell and Fabulous One will represent Hong Kong at Meydan's celebrated Super Saturday fixture on 4 March, an exciting six-race simulcast production featuring two Group 1 contests from the track's second biggest attraction behind Dubai World Cup Night (25 March).
Dundonnell will make his third start on a dirt surface, kicking off the programme against nine rivals around the left-hand bend in the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal (1200m). And his inside draw in gate two may encourage an early move from the Casper Fownes-trained and Christophe Soumillon-ridden speedster, bearing in mind that all the dirt races on this programme last year were won from the front.
Later on, the Chris So-trained Fabulous One reverts to the grass in the new Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint over the straight 1200m. Hong Kong's Most Improved Horse last season loves to grab an early lead and could be prominent under Oisin Murphy. The five-year-old will attempt to put a disappointing Meydan debut behind him, though some swift rivals include Baccarat and Jungle Cat, a pair of classy speedsters from Charlie Appleby's red-hot Godolphin stable.
Appleby and his fellow Godolphin trainer, the long-serving Saaed bin Suroor, are trading friendly blows at the top of the Dubai Carnival trainers’ table, with Appleby chasing a first title and bin Suroor an eighth consecutive. Both field big players in the two G1’s that climax this spectacular programme.
In the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 - over 2000m on the dirt - bin Suroor has a fascinating candidate in Move Up who switches to the sand after some exciting turf performances in England and Turkey last year. He will be ridden for the first time by Adrie de Vries, an increasingly popular choice for trainers after a winning blitz at recent meetings.
Move Up’s rivals boast an exotic international flavour. Ryan Moore’s mount Lani was a stylish winner on Dubai World Cup Night last year and subsequently became the first Japanese-trained horse to compete in all three legs of the American Triple Crown. Triple Nine (Pat Cosgrave) was South Korea's Horse Of The Year in 2016 and triple G1-winning former South American star Furia Cruzada seems to have recaptured her brilliance since arriving in Dubai.
In the concluding G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m turf), bin Suroor's Promising Run (Ryan Moore) and Appleby's Folkswood (William Buick) both arrive here having posted career-bests in recent weeks.
However, this is another intense international show-down with snappy rivals from the UK, France and Ireland, not forgetting Mike de Kock's three contenders - Light The Lights, Ertijaal and Sanshaawes. De Kock has suffered his worst Carnival in recent years but a winner last week ended a drought so perhaps the best is about to come from the South African maestro.
