Sand Castle Turf Sprint

The Grade One Sand Castle Turf Sprint is part of a deep card on the Dubai track this weekend. Run at six furlongs over a firm turf course the race has attracted a full field of fourteen. Leading the way is Unfarnan, the only horse with a prior grade one win on his CV. He’s a deserving favorite but there are several up and comers, especially among the four year old contingent who could upset. Let’s take a look at the field.

#1 Fireside Cat 17/1

Three time listed winner Fireside Cat is looking for his first graded win in this spot. He’s tried twice before, both at the grade one level with the most recent attempt coming two starts back in the Longchamp Sprint. That race came back in September and the then three year old colt was making his first start against his elders. He ran a solid fourth there in what was his only try on a yielding surface. He’s made only one start since then, an allowance back in February over this track. That six furlong contest saw him sit towards the back of the pack early before making a bold move towards the front only falling short by a neck when second. He ran a career best 109 speed in that spot. Fireside Cat is a son of War Front and comes from an illustrious family. He is the final foal for the grade two winning Pivotal x Storm Cat mare Inflection who produced two grade one winners already.

#2 Darkness Overcome 15/1

Another colt produced by a graded winning mare is Darkness Overcome. The five year old son of Dark Angel is the first foal and first graded winner for his dam Beautiful Lyrics. The Sea the Stars x Storm Cat mare was a grade three winning and multiple grade one placed turf sprinter. Darkness Overcome only has four wins in his twenty race career but he did score at the grade three level back in 2023. Two of his other wins came at the listed level with the most recent being a six and a half furlong event last July. Since then he has been off the board in three graded stakes.

#3 Booming Snow 10/1

Booming Snow has changed hands twice during his career. The first came via auction early in his three year old season. The second was in a $6,250 claimer in June of last year. The four year old gelded son of Thurnder Snow has won five of his eight starts for his current connections and was second three times, all in listed races. He does have one listed win during that time taking a five and a half furlong event back in December. He tends to come from midpack or slightly further back but he always closes strongly with two of his placings coming by a head and a neck. With a little luck he can certainly get his first graded win here. He is the only stakes winner so far for his Spirit of Boom x Not A Single Doubt dam.

#4 King’s Bow 9/1

Grade one winning Victory Moon x Giant’s Causeway mare Moon Queen only produced one graded winning foal during her second career and it is this colt, King’s Bow who is her final foal. The four year old son of Palace Pier earned his graded badge in his most recent start, the Grade Three Thank You Stakes at seven furlongs. That race came just last month going seven furlongs where he lead wire to wire and ran a 115 speed. His two prior races also came at seven furlongs and saw him win a listed and then run third in the Grade Two It’s Complicated Stakes. Those are the only three sprint races he has in his career so it will be interesting to see what he does going a furlong shorter. King’s Bow is a need the lead type but has the speed to back it up.

#5 Bragi Accla 14/1

This time last year Bragi Accla ran third in the Grade One Sultan’s Sprint as a three year old. He had previously won a grade one sprint as a two year old and later in 2024 added another grade one win going six furlongs against fellow three year olds. Those races, along with a grade three win gave him enough points to earn a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint although it was his first try against his elders and he split the field finishing seventh. He’s made one start this year in a six furlong allowance in early February which he won by a neck with a 106 speed. He’ll have to run faster than that to factor here but with seven wins under his belt this Acclamation gelding has shown he knows where the wire is. He was produced by the grade one winning Danehill Dancer x Seeking the Gold mare Dancer Meztle who has also produced a grade two winning three year old.

#6 Mecca Magic 6/1

Five year old gelding Mecca Magic was picked up by his current connections in the auction in 2024. It seems like a very smart move as, in his three starts since the purchase he was twice third in grade three races. The first of those came last November in the Japan Sprint. He was given three months off before the King Don Buffet. Each of those races was run at six furlongs; he lost by just a length and three quarters in each AND he ran identical 110 speeds. Mecca Magic does have a listed win going seven and a half furlongs for his previous connections. He’s a scratchbred son of Night of Thunder x Danehill x Street Cry.

#7 Awesome Circles 18/1

Awesome Circles debuted in a maiden claimer as a two year old in 2023 and was picked up by his current connections for $5,000. He’s done well for them winning five times including twice in listeds. He ended 2024 with seconds in a grade three and a listed against fellow three year olds while going five and a half furlong in each. He got two months off after that last start and resurfaced in early February in the Grade Two Oak Lee Plate which was also run at that distance. It was his first try against older rivals and he was a bit rusty, finishing a well beaten eighth. His lifetime best speed of 108 came when going six furlongs back in July but he’ll need to run faster here. He has speed but is capable of sitting just off the pace. He’s a gelded son of Awesome Rock out of an Invincible Spirit x More Than Ready mare.

#8 Ducking Bullet 11/1

Ducking Bullet has been a little unlucky in recent starts. The four year old broke through with his first graded victory last September in the five and a half furlong Grade Two Get Shorty. IT was his first try against older horses and he sat just off the early pace before ranging up impressively on the turn and getting the win by three parts of a length while running a 105 speed. Since then he has run four times, all in grade one races at six furlongs. Two of those races came over yielding turf surfaces which he doesn’t seem to care for. The two firm track races saw him finish a solid fourth in the King Kong Sprint back in December and most recently he was third in the New Market Handicap. He’s a son of Sottsass out of an I Am Invincible x Northern Drake mare.

#9 Masterabandon 11/1

Masterabandon won three of his first five starts for his breeder but was lost in a $50,000 claiming event at the end of his two year old season. For his new connections he has only won four times but his form has been on the up and up over the past eight months. He is still looking for his first stakes victory but he was second in a listed last summer going six furlongs. Perhaps a bigger question mark than his class is his distance preference. He’s run 109 or higher speeds in three of his last five starts but two of those races came at a mile and the other was at seven and a half furlongs. On his best days he likes to go straight to the front but with the other speed in this spot that won’t be an easy feat. He’s a four year old gelded son of Masterofthehorse out of a Reckless Abandon x Redoute’s Choice mare.

#10 Unfarnan 4/1

The class of the field is our favorite Unfarnan. He is achingly close to being a Hall of Famer with five grade one wins under his belt as well as an End of Year Award for Champion Two Year Old Turf back in 2022. I say achingly close because not only has he won five grade ones but he’s been second two times in his last three starts by a half length in November’s VIC Champions Sprint and by three quarters of a length in his most recent start, the Ye Ole Shopping Exchange. Both of those races were at six furlongs and sandwiched a win in the Grade One Pekays Rememberance Stakes. Unfarnan would have loved some give in the turf today but he’s still effective on a firm surface. He is perhaps the oddsmaker’s favorite but also the fan favorite as well. Unfarnan is a scratchbred son of Farnan x Unfuwain x El Prado.

#11 S Is For Speedy 27/1

S Is For Speedy is our longshot of the race. The four year old colt won his first listed back in September when going five and a half furlongs against then fellow three year olds. His next two starts saw him run short distances as well. In November he finished fifth in a grade three but it was a blanket finish and he was beaten less than a length for all the marbles. He took about ten weeks off before returning in a grade two in February and finishing fourth. That was his first race versus older rivals and it was a decent effort. Interestingly he is undefeated in two starts going six panels. His speeds are on the short side but with only ten starts to his name he certainly has room for growth. He’s a scratchbred son of Sepoy x Shamardal x Sebring. A few speedy S’s there!

#12 Quais Relation 8/1

Four year old Quasi Relation is looking for his first graded victory but he is twice grade three placed. Those two races came last season when going a mile, a distance his connections thought might be his sweet spot. However in October they decided to drop him down a sixteenth to a long sprint and he responded with a spectacular allowance victory where he sat near the back of the pack before exploding down the stretch to win going away with a 111 speed. He dropped down again to five and a half furlongs in a listed and won again. Those races came against fellow three year olds but his 2025 debut saw him up against older runners going seven furlongs in a listed. He used a similar running style and got up for the win but it was a shorter margin of victory. That said he ran a career best 114 speed. He was off the board in a grade one just three weeks ago, his aggressive schedule may be catching up with him. He’s a son of Uncle Mo based on a Tapit x Danehill hemare.

#13 Star Of Sepoy 7/1

Star of Sepoy is a five year old in search of his first graded victory in this his twenty first start. He has one listed victory which came in a residency restricted stakes last May. Since then he has hit the board in four listeds as well as running second in the Grade Three Mute Button. That race came at six furlongs and was run in August of 2024. It saw him stalk the pace and make a mild bid down the stretch. He’s made four starts since November with just one on the board finish which came two starts back in a listed. His speeds are consistently in the 106 range which is probably a little low for what will be needed to win this spot. Star of Sepoy is a son of Sepoy based on a Star Witness x Frankel hemare.

#14 Church’s Lope 11/1

Church’s Lope is a mixed bag for handicappers. He earned his first stakes victory four starts back going six furlongs the first week in January. In that spot he sat near the back of the pack before systematically picking off opponents to get up for the win by a quarter of a length while running a 104 speed. It was a good race but his best have come when routing. He’s twice run 112 speeds going a mile and an eighth. Since that listed win he’s been off the board in three starts, once in a dirt sprint, once in a turf route and most recently in another turf sprint. Overall he’s got two wins from five sprint starts. It’s hard to see him getting a third sprint win here but stranger things have happened. He’s a five year old scratchbred gelding by Church Pictures x Jeune Homme x Lope de Vega.

Good luck to all!