Fee Duty Lures Evenly Matched Field
An evenly matched field of fourteen middle distance specialists will vie for the lion’s share of the $3,000,000 Sand Castle Fee Duty which is fashioned at one mile and one sixteenth over the firm Dubai turf course. Ten of the starters are already G-1 winners and the other four have captured at least one G-2. All have earned at least half a million dollars in their stellar careers. Let’s meet the field in qualifying order.
Top qualifier is Lenny’s talented Snitzel gelding, Widow’s Blade. The son of graded placed, stakes winning Widowed Again (Awesome Again x Speightstown) is held at 7-1 favoritism along with two others and will go over the two million dollar mark in career earnings with any kind of check. The six year old was slow to come into form early in his career which led to his being cut after two lackluster efforts. He won only one time in his next six starts, but once the light bulb came on, he became quite a terror. Last spring and summer Widow’s Blade ripped off three successive graded wins including Newmarket’s G-1 The Suffix which he won in a blazing 1:33 flat while posting a 121 speed figure. He hasn’t won recently, but the deep closer got within a length of victory in his last two races, both G-1 efforts. Certainly more than capable of winning if he brings his “A” game.
7-1 Somewhereinasmile is the first of two Tenpoint entries. The son of Zoustar and brilliant broodmare Sleepswhenitrains (Ghostzapper x Danehill) punched his ticket to Dubai by virtue of a wire-to-wire score in The Breeders’ Bowl Mile. The front running four year old stopped inexplicably while favored in the G-1 Road Kill last time out. Pattern of declining speed figures recently is also concerning. Speed specialist has the talent to win this but needs an immediate reversal of form.
High percentage trainer Correction sends out Paul The Barber seeking desert glory. The deep closing son of Kingman arrives in splendid form having annexed a pair of G-1s in his last two starts. Two back he roared down the lane at Woodbine to nail the speedy King’s Fight right on the line (SP 115). And last time out he dropped from the clouds at 16-1 to upset a very solid field in the G-1 Winged Horse World Cup at Gulfstream. He breaks from the inside post and is generously held at 12-1. Seeks his fourth win in a row and seventh in his last eight outings. Cocked, locked and ready to rock!
The second half of Tenpoint’s duo is Xceptiontotherule. The rangy Camelot bay has won two of his last three starts, all longer affairs at the G-1 level. Three back he used his patented stalk and pounce tactics to take down The Osmonds Memorial in New Zealand (SP 113). Next came an utterly forgettable effort over a rain soaked course in Victoria. He bounced back nicely last time out destroying an excellent field in Gulfstream’s Kegasus Upper Deck Turf Extravaganza (SP 117). He should have no problem shortening up a bit for the Fee Duty. Serious contender.
Rockstar Turfstar finished a scant head back in the 2024 edition of The Fee Duty (SP118). The royally bred (Sea The Stars x Montjeu x Kingmambo) Kingranch gelding followed that up with a pair of Grade Ones in Berkshire. A victory in the Queen Sam (SP 117) and a third in The Queen Liz. Since then, he has fallen on hard times finishing no better than sixth in a trio of G-1 starts. Shipped to Dubai early and has been training well. Tuned up for The Fee Duty with a romp in the park over a short field of erstwhile claimers. Can he regain his form back in familiar circumstances? Tune in Saturday to find out.
Coolk’s ultra consistent Flaming Fire has finished first or second in nineteen of his twenty two career races. The five year old Frankel stallion defeated a classy field in the G-1 million dollar Big Shuffle in New South Wales three back. He finished a disappointing eleventh in the G-1 Hong Kong Mile before rebounding last time out right here in Dubai with a solid runnerup effort in a G-3 tuneup. Shows a pair of 117 speed figures in listed stakes wins last year. Needs to show a bit more to compete with the top ones here.
Former Eclipse champion House I Built has competed in twelve consecutive G-1 dashes. Beerkeg’s classy Frankel gelding has been victorious in two of those. He won the Firebird as a juvenile and the 2000 Guinea Pigz as a sophomore. He also finished second in the Breeders’ Bowl juvy turf at two. Current form is a bit drab with only one placing in his last five outings. Needs to regain his former luster.
Thegreatpretender finished a solid third in last year’s Fee Duty. Slowroll’s five year old son of Justify followed that up with a stunning upset against a very strong field in Equinics (SP 122). His best showing in four starts since was a third in the Breeders’ Bowl Mile. Another strong contender in a deep and well matched field.
Next comes Captain Mason. He has finished first or second in ten of his eleven career outings with his only G-1 effort resulting in a decent fourth place finish. Scored a solid victory last time out in the G-2 Jabba The Hut (SP116) right here in Dubai. Socalman’s Sea The Stars stalker cannot be taken lightly.
It is quite unusual to see one trainer not named Given or Lenny with more than two entrants in a rich and prestigious G-1 like the Fee Duty. But Padrebri has a trio of classy ponies ready for battle on Saturday. Svengooly is a deep closer by Dubawi. His main claim to fame is a fast closing win in the G-1 Melbourne Guineas (116). Last time out he went over the million mark when he picked up the final check in the Winged Horse World Cup. Needs only slight improvement to contend.
BTB Queen Spinround somehow manages to get enough writers to cover most of the big races and still train a top notch stable of her own. Front stepping Spinmaster won a pair of G-2 tests in 2024. Most notable was his win in The Boston Derby where he posted a solid 115 speed number. The lightning quick son of Kodiac should be on or near the lead Saturday. In a bit tough against these veteran G-1 winners.
Shootin Eight Ball from the Slowjet barn has a great pedigree. The handsome bay is by Kingman from Weary Kind who is not only regally bred (Gallileo x Kingmambo x Nijinsky II), she was a terror on the track winning multiple G-1s and earning a shade under three million dollars. Eight Ball himself is a G-2 winner having taken down the Gas Station in New Zealand two back. Four tries in G-1 company have not proved fruitful. Nice horse in very deep waters.
Second among Padrebri’s trio is Trojawi. The five year old son of Dubawi is out of the hard knocking race mare Trojanville (Dynaformer x Danzig). Trojawi looks like he could be the dark horse. I like that he is arriving in peak form having demolished a pair of listed fields before a bang up second in the G-1 Winged Horse World Cup last time out. Brian knows how to get them ready for the big stage and this guy has already won a G-1 in Vermont in 2023.
Last but not least is Padre’s Spirit of Lyphe. The deep closing son of Invincible Spirit is hotter than a bottle of Demon Semen! He pulled down a pair of listed stakes before charging home from last to win the Fairgrounds’ Strange Brew (G-3) last time out while posting a big time (118) speed figure. It would be no shock if this one were to greet the judges.