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CAN SWITZERLAND SAY GUNITE OR WILL LEMON SOUR TASTE FOR REST?

CAN SWITZERLAND SAY GUNITE OR WILL LEMON SOUR TASTE FOR REST? Mar 25, 2023

By Duane Fonseca

Bhupat Seemar’s defending champion Switzerland will look to become the third horse in the history of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen sponsored by Nakheel to win back-to-back editions of the race when he heads a strong line-up of globally renowned dirt sprinters in the 1200m contest, which is one of the highlights of the Dubai World Cup undercard.

The race can be compared to the 200m final at an Olympic Games and Seemar’s charge bolted (excuse the pun!) to a sensational length and three-quarters triumph ahead of Takayuki Yasuda’s Red Le Zele in 2022. Third behind Gunite and Lemon Pop in the odds to defend his title, Switzerland will have to be kept alert all along with the draw and thereby the importance of owning the rail weighing no secret when it comes to determining the winner in this event.

Switzerland flew out of gate six under Tadhg O’Shea last year and picked up just before the turn with the 400m of the straight allowing him to take over and hold his own comfortably against a fast finishing Red Le Zele, who will seek vengeance. Switzerland’s only run this term yielded a length and a quarter success in the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes over course and distance (C&D) on the opening night of the Dubai World Cup Carnival in January.

Switzerland is to line-up alongside stablemates Tuz and Sound Money, the latter an RRR Racing teammate and a two and three-quarter winner of Super Saturday’s C&D Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal, a race in which Tuz placed third. A 5yo Flatter entire, Sound Money marked his UAE debut there taking an instant liking to the surface on which he should prove tough yet again Saturday.

Also among the local hopes is Michael Costa’s first DWC night runner Mouheeb, third behind Switzerland in the Dubawi Stakes, winner twice from four starts this term, including the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint over C&D. Mouheeb’s last outing was a fifth behind Sound Money.

The top name in the field this year is that of Steve Asmussen’s Group 1 winning Gunite, who finished second behind Elite Power in the 1200m Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint a month ago, two starts after his fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland in November.

The Gun Runner 4yo entire won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes as a juvenile over 1400m and might be the one to beat in a field where Lemon Pop, trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka for Godolphin, easily looks next best having landed in Dubai on the back of successive wins in the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes and the Grade 1 February Stakes respectively. Interestingly, the full son of 5yo Lemon Drop Kid has won eight of his 11 starts and been placed thrice.


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