IN our excellent headline photo by Andrew Watkins, four-year-old Tahanee (red cap), raced gamely to the line between three male rivals in the $175,000 Range Rover Handicap over 1400m on turf at Meydan and was beaten just a nose/shorthead/head into fourth.

Mike de Kock was excited about her chances pre-race and said afterwards: “Tahanee gave her best and we can’t complain about the result. It was heads up and down and with some luck she may even have won. She’s a talented filly.”

The other stable highlight of the evening came in the Meydan Classic Trial over 1400m on turf in which Dubai newcomer Daqeeq looked well and ran on well, just over two lengths adrift of Godolphin’s Top Score.

Daqeeq has been pencilled in for the Al Bastikya over 1800m on sand, but Mike said he would be discussing this with Sheikh Hamdan’s Racing Manager, Angus Gold. “We made the right decision in starting Daqeeq off on turf, I am loathe to go the sand after this good run, we’ve seen what can happen.”

Fursa, first time on sand in her Dubai debut, cantered across the line a distance behind the winner after simply hating her first, and undoubtedly her last experience on the surface. She pulled up with Atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular heart rate.  “I am a slow learner,” lamented Mike after Fursa’s run.

He said of the other runners on the night:

Megnaas (beaten 21 lengths in the Classic Trial): “He had some interference on the bend, but threw in the towel too quickly.”

Anaerobio and Johann Strauss (beaten 4 and 6.75-lengths respectively in the Range Rover Handicap:
“Anaerobio ran as well as he could, he’s rising 10 and in his place. Johann Strauss entered the straight last, he kept on very well, made up ground and this was a promising run considering his niggles and long layoff.”

Mastermind (5.5 lengths off Krypton Factor in the Jaguar Sprint: “He finished in the bunch, as noted his rating needs to drop before he’ll get closer again.

Whistle Stop (10 lengths off in the Jaguar Handicap over 1800m): “He dropped off the pace again and then stayed on. Jim Crowley reckons Whistle Stop needs a mile-and-half.”