For Mendip, history is in the making at Meydan in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 on 12th January
Saeed bin Suroor has set Mendip for a target that has not been achieved by any other horse in the last seventeen years. He wishes the horse to win the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1, to be held on 12th January, for the
second year in a row.
It has been tried before by trainers and owners, but none have succeeded yet.
Saeed bin Suroor, being the Godolphin trainer, with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, the owner of Mendip, is giving it a try for the first time as well.
It was in 2002 that China Visit tried pursuing the victory a second time in a row, but failed to accomplish it.
Trying his luck in 2009 was Gloria de Campeao, who eventually got hold of the title in the 2010 edition of the race, still after a year gap, not two consecutive wins.
Wathik stands out to be the only horse that came back to Meydan thrice for trying to win the Al Maktoum Round 1 Challenge. He came second in 1996, third the next year, and finally got crowned in 1998.
Trying to win it just once has been an ordeal for many, attempting for a second time is close to impossible.
The most flourishing age group for this particular race has been the four-year-old thoroughbreds, who have won it at nine different instances, and Mendip is a five-year-old.
However, that does not really shadow his chances for victory.
Mendip has had a winning chemistry with jockey Frankie Dettori, with whom he won last year’s Challenge by a staggering 2 ¼ lengths, and to top it off, he was the evening’s favourite.
He has been sent as a favourite four times out of his seven career starts. The Detorri-Mendip duo will be riding together again this time.
Mendip has set another record for the trends of the Al Maktoum Round 1 Challenge by completing the race in a record time of a minute and 36.45 seconds, the fastest time a horse ever took to get through the wire in the last seventeen years of the Round
1 Challenge.
"These are Mendip's optimum conditions and he's unbeaten over a mile. This has been the target since World Cup night. He had the summer off to come here again fit and well and is in great form. Secrecy won on Polytrack the only time he tried it in
the UK and works very well on our Tapeta. He should run well”.
This in itself is a sacrifice that the trainer and owner have made by not being able to win anything out of such a capable horse for a year.
However, if their horse reaches the set benchmark then they will be making history after all.
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