Those who like head-to-head clashes of the superpower variety are in for a Dubai Dewhurst Stakes treat as Coolmore and Godolphin’s top classic hopes for 2016 face off for what will probably decide Europe’s two-year-old championship.
A total of seven colts line up for the Newmarket highlight, including course and distance winner, Sanus Per Aquam, who will attempt to give Jim Bolger a sixth success in the race.
Bolger's five previous winners include the future classic heroes New Approach and Dawn Approach, who contribute to an illustrious Dewhurst roll-of-honour which also includes legendary names such as Nijinsky and Frankel.
But there's little doubt this renewal is being billed as a face-off between racing's two ownership behemoths, with Godolphin's Emotionless taking on Coolmore's Air Force Blue in a mouth-watering clash between two promising colts.
They already dominate the betting for next May's 2,000 Guineas and besides the millions tied up in today's outcome, there is also the element of Sheikh Mohammed and John Magnier taking each other on yet again, in what might prove to be the first leg of a rivalry à la Galileo versus Fantastic Light.
Injury
Injury prevented
Ryan Moore
from teaming up with Air Force Blue in his Group 1 victories in the Phoenix and National Stakes, but he’s back on board the Aidan O’Brien trained colt for what could emerge as a hugely tactical contest with Emotionless’s jockey,
William Buick
.
Both Moore and Buick will stretch the Godolphin versus Coolmore theme to the Curragh's penultimate fixture of 2015 on Sunday, and the latter's sole ride of the day on Toscanini in the Waterford Testimonial Stakes can prove successful.
Toscanini has been narrowly denied over this course and distance this term, but his 113 rating makes a convincing case in this context.
Moore's nine winners in Ireland this year also include a classic winner and a 25 per cent strike-rate overall is encouraging ahead of the Englishman's four rides on Sunday.
The quartet include Found’s modestly named sister, Best In The World, in the Staffordstown Stud Stakes, but the best of Moore’s prospects could be in the opening maiden as he teams up with Black Sea, who ran an encouraging debut at Gowran last month.
Pat Smullen is closing in on a second consecutive century of winners for the season and is on the intriguing Silver Concorde in the €100,000 Irish Cesarewitch.
Dermot Weld’s 2014 Cheltenham Bumper hero runs off a mark of 92 on the back of two career flat starts, the most recent of which, at Killarney in July, wasn’t hugely impressive although he could be a different proposition now in such a valuable heat.
The Smullen-Weld team can also strike in the Listed Finale Stakes with Variable who is back to a mile and a half after disappointing on her second start behind Outstanding last July.
