First City dominates the feature race of the fourth fixture at Meydan, the Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group on 20th January in the Dubai World Cup Carnival
The Group 2 Cape Verdi sponsored by the Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group on 20th January at the Meydan was won by Al Raihe trained, First City, who was the first one to race through the one mile track.
This stood out as the feature race for the fourth fixture of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, 2012.
The 2 to 5 favourite of the race, Mahbooba, under De Kock’s charge was entered into the race to bag her second success at the Carnival after she had won the Al Rashidiya Trial presented by Longines on 5th January that was raced
over a mile and a furlong.
The winner of the 2011 UAE 1,000 Guineas, Mahbooba, soon led the pack after breaking from the seventh stall, succeeded in over riding the rest of the lot with two furlongs into the race.
Plotting for the wire from far behind was Al Raihe trained First City, she initially stayed in the rear and broke into a high gear only towards the final two and a half furlongs, where she threatened Mahbooba by reeling her in, and taking command of
the final strides.
Ffrench said: "Neither Christophe or I were sure who had won when we flashed past but we knew it was close. Our filly's form in Europe was very good, with some big runs in Group 1 company and she had been working well enough so we were hopeful”.
The clash between the two for the wire was so mesmerizing that the rest of the lot was soon forgotten, as they were tracking lengths far from home.
First City notched up his debut race for the 2012 season, while riding with Royston Ffrench.
2011 was an uneventful season for the mare, as she was placed in three of her six starts during the season, but not being able to win any.
Excited with the victory, the trainer has already planned out for his mare:
"The Balanchine Stakes is the obvious next target and the boss has mentioned perhaps Super Saturdayand maybe the Dubai Duty Free but we will take it one step at a time”.
If First City can string together a couple of wins, she might well be on her way to compensate for her last winless season.
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