The G2 Zabeel Mile, sponsored by Phi Advertising, is the official feature of Friday's Sword Of Honor race day in Meydan with last year's winner San Donato (Irish) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) joins a nine-strong field as he looks to emulate Safety Check (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the race's only previous double winner in 2015 and 2016.
Nine-year-old San Donato, who enjoyed success in 2024 when trained by Doug Watson, is now with Michael Costa and, with plenty of encouragement, finished second in the Listed Business Bay Challenge in his first start for the stable.
“We’re really content with him,” Costa said. “We let him walk at first because we thought he was too compact [on fitness]but we wanted to put on his coat. He has developed well and is getting better with increasing distance. It looks like a tougher race than last year, but the horse is a content horse.”
Safety check trainer Charlie Appleby is responsible for both Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Noble dynasty (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) aims for a record-breaking seventh win in the race as Lucia Botti saddles up Royal Dubai (Fri) (Seahenge), last seen third in the G2 Al Rashidiya.
“Royal Dubai are looking fantastic after their impressive performance in Group 2,” said Botti. “It’s a brief break between two very competitive races, but he’s straightforward and up for the challenge.”
Tuz is prepared to defend Dubai
The other group race on the card is the Binghatti Developers sponsored G3 Dubawi Stakes, where Salt (Oxbow) is another returning champion. His coach Bhupat Seemar is aiming for his third win in a row after also being successful with Switzerland (Speightstown) in 2023.
Tuz returned after a break of over eight months with a clear victory in the Listed Garhoud Sprint and beat his opponents Color up (Irish) (Mehmas {Ire}) by five and three-quarter lengths.
“Tuz is one of the fastest horses in the world and in good form,” Seemar said of last year’s G1 Dubai winner Golden Shaheen. “He’s his usual guy, so there’s nothing wrong with him.”
Tuz's rivals include: Desperate Hero (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}), making his dirt debut for Salem Bin Ghadayer after winning six of his 24 starts while trained in the UK by Jack Channon.
“Desperate Hero has only galloped since he arrived,” Bin Ghadayer said. “He has performed well on supple and firm ground in Europe and I am really content with him. He's a nice horse and could develop into one of the good sprinters here.
“This weekend’s race is just a starting point for him as it is a tough field with a super champion [Tuz] in there. But he will be a very nice horse, especially over five furlongs.”
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