She was the flagship horse out of a shadowy band of 22. There were some horses that had pretty names such as Desert Blossom, Sweet Rose, and Ghostflower; promising fillies who had yet to produce the fruits that their breeding had suggested. Others such as Encke had already shown their hand with a win in the 2012 English St Leger.
Certify, however, was unbeaten in four starts during a juvenile campaign in 2012 that had culminated in a victory in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
Her performances demanded she was considered one of the winter favourites for the English 1,000 Guineas before she was administered anabolic steroids along with her stablemates in Newmarket last year.
Having served her time with a ban for six months, Certify’s career is being resurrected on Thursday night at Meydan Racecourse in the Group 2 Cape Verdi by Charlie Appleby, the Marmoom Stables trainer tasked with bringing back Godolphin’s previously banned horses.
All eyes are on Dubai – the world is curious.
“It is, of course, interest to the public, but it is also very interesting for me,” Appleby said. “When they are juveniles, you never know if they are going to train on at three.
“We’ve missed that whole season with Certify but on the evidence of what I have seen of her work at home, she has.
“She has done well and is now a good-sized four year old. She has grown a little bit bigger and is a little bit stronger.”
Certify arrived in Dubai in November and has been put through a thorough conditioning programme to get her up to race fitness after 489 days off the track.
Her workload has been increased as tonight’s 1,600-metre contest approaches and the Balanchine, over nine furlongs on February 20, has been pencilled in providing she runs a solid race on her UAE bow.
So far Appleby has saddled six of his previously banned horses at Meydan, none of whom have won, but Steeler will be the first to have a second outing in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya over 1,800m, after he made eye-catching headway off a tardy start three weeks ago.
Steeler was in last place on the bend in Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge but came with a very late run under Mickael Barzalona to finish fourth behind fellow Godolphin runner Shuruq.
Steeler was considered an English Derby horse before his ban, and looks tailor-made for the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night over 2,400m on turf.
“I am happy with them all as just getting them to the track after so much time is an achievement in itself,” Appleby said.
“Now is the important time, because in two weeks I might tell you that their races have knocked them for six, or that they have come on for the run with natural progression. Steeler has come on very nicely but most importantly he has come on mentally. He was a bit slow during his first race and was shuffled back.
“He is a horse that has run over a mile as a juvenile and he has shown a lot of natural speed, which is why we started him off over a mile. We will look to step him up in distance.”
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