Thunder Snow wins UAE 2000 Guineas, Godolphin lands four winners at Dubai World Cup Carnival

Ridden by Christophe Soumillon and trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, Thunder Snow’s easy win was one of four victories for the Godolphin contingent on the night, making it a total of seven over the double-header weekend.

Having been victorious with Soumillon at the helm on his previous outing in the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint Cloud at the end of October, the pair never looked in trouble as they came in five and three-quarter lengths in front of Bee Jersey in second and Capezzano in third.

Bin Suroor’s double came up in the final race on the card as the aptly-name Prize Money won the Meydan Hotel Handicap.

Run over 2435 metres on the turf, the fast-finishing Prize Money under jockey Adrie de Vries just pushed Rembrandt Van Rijn into second by a neck, with Dylan Mouth a close third.

The main support race of the evening was the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes , run over 1600 metres on dirt, and despite looking a competitive race on paper, it was anything but that as North America coasted to victory.

Ridden by Richard Mullen for trainer Satish Seemar, North America crossed the line seven lengths ahead of runner-up, Ennobled Friend, to make it four wins from all of his starts in the UAE with improved times in each outing.

The meeting opened with Ostaad winning the Meydan Tennis Academy handicap.

Run on the turf over 1800 metres, Doug Watson’s-trained Ostaad, ridden by Dane O’Neill, landed the spoils by a neck to deny the same owner’s Jaaref, the mount of Jim Crowley and saddled by Ali Rashid Al Rayhi. Tried And True took third.

The first race on the dirt was The Track Meydan Golf where Godolphin’s Comicas took the honours for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey, William Buick.

The handicap was run over 1200 metres and having been sent straight to the front early on Comicas never looked in any trouble over the shortest trip he has encountered in his career. Dundonnell was second a length back with Shaishee a distant four and a half lengths further behind in third.

The Buick and Appleby jockey and trainer combination completed a double thanks to Bravo Zolo who landed the penultimate race on the card, the Zabeel Feedmill.

The handicap race, run on the turf over 1600 metres, saw the winner come through the line a length and a half in front of Suyoof in second and Diferent Dimension in third.

The Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa 1200 metre turf handicap went to the Paul Midgley-trained Final Venture who was recording a second course and distance victory this year under Pat Dobbs.

Never far off the speed, Dobbs sent his mount to the front shortly after halfway, a position they never looked likely to be caught, coming in three-quarters of a length ahead of Fityaan in second and Polybius in third.

The next action in the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan is on Thursday, 16 February.