Stakes Quotes: MEYDAN SPRINT (GROUP 2)

OFFICIAL STAKES QUOTES

MEYDAN SPRINT (GROUP 2)
$250,000 | 1000m (turf)

Giving HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum win number 900 in the UAE, Doug Watson-trained Waady returned from just one week’s rest to land the Group 2 $250,000 Meydan Sprint over heavily favoured Equilateral. Always involved, the gritty son of Approve followed the swift pace set by G2-winning 11-year-old Caspian Prince (Ben Curtis) before challenging in the final 300m of the straight 1000m dash. Engaged with Equilateral in the final furlong, he outlasted the Juddmonte colour-bearer to win by three-quarters of a length and for the third time this season. The final time was a swift 56.87, with American sprinter-miler Blitzkrieg closing well to finish third under William Buick, 1¼ lengths astern the runner-up. Caspian Prince, Yaalail, Angel Alexander, Poet’s Society, Mazzini and Inverleigh completed the order of finish. Last Thursday, the 8-year-old won a 1000m handicap in a time of 57.24, his ninth victory from 32 lifetime starts.

Winner: WAADY
Pedigree: Approve – Anne Bonney (Jade Robbery)
Owner: HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Trainer: Doug Watson
Jockey: Jim Crowley
Official Time: :56.87
Track and Stakes Record: :55.90 – Ertijaal, 2017
Margin of Victory: ¾ Length

Jim Crowley, Jockey, WAADY (1st)—“I think he’s improved. It was a better performance than last week. A lot of credit must go to Doug Watson and his team. He’s not an easy horse in the mornings. They’ve done a great job with him to come back a week later and put in a better performance. The key to this horse is that he stays five (furlongs) so well and gallops past the line. It was a job to pull up with him. He just keeps going. He’s come out here and he’s thriving out here. At the age of seven, he’s really found his form.”

Doug Watson, Trainer, WAADY (1st)—“This horse surprised us all season, his third with us and we have changed his preparations and training routine this campaign. Everything has gone well. He has natural speed for 1000m, but we will have to go back up to 1200m now, but he deserves a crack at another big prize.”

James Doyle, Jockey, EQUILATERAL (2nd)—“Obviously, I’m very disappointed. I am not sure. We will see how the horse comes back. Nothing he did before in his last race suggested he would get beaten tonight. That is horse racing, so we will see how he comes back.”

William Buick, Jockey, BLITZKRIEG (3rd)—“He ran great. Obviously five furlongs is probably a little bit sharp for him. Ideally he probably wants six furlongs. He stayed on well. He just got a little bit outpaced at half-way, but all in all it was a good effort. When the race reopened, they made the right choice to run him. I think the ground today is a little bit loose and maybe had to find his feet again when he was a bit outpaced, but then he finished well.”

-END-

Photo Credit: Dubai Racing Club | Erika Rasmussen

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