There will be no surprises for Ihtimal in the UAE Oaks at Meydan Racecourse on Friday after the Godolphin filly was entered alongside eight rivals that she beat in the UAE 1,000 Guineas three weeks ago.
Ihtimal became Godolphin’s 10th winner of the UAE 1,000 Guineas and will bid to secure the same Classic double that trainer Saeed bin Suroor achieved with Satin Kiss and Cocoa Beach in 2005 and 2008, respectively.
The daughter of 2005 French Derby winner Shamardal, Ihtimal will have to draw from her breeding to last the extra 300 metres of the Oaks distance.
As was evident last week with Godolphin’s Certify, it does not matter if class is on your side if you cannot last the longer distance, but there are signs that Ihtimal can perform over 1,900m of the Oaks.
When Silvestre de Sousa got off Ihtimal after their win this month, he had no hesitation in nominating the UAE Derby over 2,000m as a possible target. Bin Suroor, who has won the Oaks eight times, feels the filly can last.
“The 1,000 Guineas trip suited her and we can take her to the Oaks and go from there,” he said. “She is a nice filly and although she is tiny, she will improve. Between a mile and a mile and a quarter will be fine for her.”
Ihtimal could face a Mike de Kock trio of Mensoora, Magrooma and Magroora, while Satish Seemar entered Letterfromamerica and More Aspen. Doug Watson could run Sign Of Lucky, while Qatar Racing’s Illuminating Dream could complete the field.
sports@thenational.ae
