Magic Lily lands Balanchine for Godolphin and Appleby at Meydan

The Group 2 Balanchine was the highlight at Meydan's seventh meeting of the 2020 Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday and 11-8 favourite Magic Lily landed the spoils for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby under William Buick, completing a double on the card for connections.

Magic Lily won the Group 2 Cape Verdi at Meydan last time out and became the ninth horse in ten years to win both races, emulating former stable companion Poetic Charm who managed the feat in 2019.

William Buick won his third Group race of the year under Magic Lily

Settled just behind the leaders by Buick, Magic Lily was asked to close entering the long home straight before quickening past the Simon Crisford-ridden Maamora. Appleby's five-year-old stayed on strongly to defeat Cape Verdi runner-up Nisreen by one-and-a-quarter lengths.

Third to Laurens in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile as a juvenile, Magic Lily missed the whole of 2018 and ran just twice in 2019. She has now won both her Meydan outings this year in the style of a mare who could yet win at the top level. She is certainly bred to do so, being by Epsom Derby winner New Approach and out of Epsom Oaks heroine Dancing Rain.

Buick said: “We have always thought a lot of this horse but she has had her issues. We knew the extra furlong here would suit her and that she had improved for the run in the Cape Verdi.

“I would imagine the Group 1 Jebel Hatta over this course and distance on Super Saturday would be an option but we will sit down and plan ahead.”

The main dirt race was the 1m Group 3 Firebreak Stakes in which Capezzano dominated from the front under Mickael Barzalona, winning by seven lengths for Salem bin Ghadayer and Sultan Ali.

The Meydan Trophy, a turf conditions race for three-year-old's, went to Godolphin courtesy of Ya Hayati, a Dubawi homebred having just his third career start.

Settled just behind the leaders by Buick, he eased into contention on the home turn before quickening to the front two furlongs out, running on to defeat Timo Nurmos by a length.

Charlie Appleby recorded a double at Meydan on ThursdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ya Hayati's trainer Appleby said: “He has not always been the easiest, as he showed at the stalls at Wolverhampton, but he is hopefully a progressive horse. We will switch him to the dirt now and look at the Al Bastakiya.”

The 6f dirt handicap was turned into a procession by the Satish Seemar-trained Bochart, who was fastest out of the stalls under Richard Mullen and the pair were never headed.

Jim Crowley landed the 5f turf handicap aboard the Doug Watson-trained Waady, who was a Sandown specialist in his younger days, recording four wins at the course including the Group 3 Coral Charge. Having opened his local account over 6f on dirt in early November, this was his first turf success since September 2017 when trained by John Gosden.

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