Auguste Rodin and Japanese superstar Liberty Island clash in mouthwatering Sheema Classic

Where to start with this year's Sheema Classic? Between them the 12 runners have 23 top-level victories. It's a treat of a race.

The headliner from a European perspective is Auguste Rodin. He has five top-level wins, more than any of his rivals.

There are also a couple of blemishes on his record but wins in the Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf on his final two starts of 2023 suggest connections have him well and truly figured out now, and this test – a mile and a half on a sound surface – is what he wants.

Still, some firms didn't see him as the most likely winner in the early markets and instead favoured Liberty Island, who is one of four runners for Japan. Last year, Liberty Island became the seventh horse to complete the Triple Tiara, the Japanese fillies' Triple Crown.

Gentildonna recorded the same hat-trick in 2012 before finishing runner-up in the 2013 Sheema and winning the race in 2014. The 2018 Triple Tiara scorer Almond Eye won the following year's Dubai Turf.

Liberty Island, however, couldn't emulate those two by winning the Japan Cup, as Equinox, the brilliant winner of last year's Sheema, proved four lengths too good for her in November's race.

Another of the Japanese runners is 2022 Sheema winner Shahryar, but this race looks too much for him now and more interesting is his compatriot Justin Palace, whose form ties in with Equinox and Do Deuce, the latter being a leading contender for the Dubai Turf.

There's also Emily Upjohn for John and Thady Gosden, a stable with a fantastic record in Dubai which includes winning three Sheemas.

Emily Upjohn hasn't been seen since a poor run in the King George last summer, the same race in which Auguste Rodin had one of his off days, but she has bounced back from disappointment before and was a stylish winner of the Coronation Cup on her 2023 return, quickening past subsequent Arc runner-up Westover.

One of the Gosden Sheema winners was Dar Re Mi, at the time a five-year-old mare, like Emily Upjohn.

There are other contenders with impressive records who haven't even been mentioned, but it's worth touching on Spirit Dancer, who is bidding to give part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson another treble to remember following two big wins already this winter. The Richard Fahey-trained runner will need to improve for the step up in trip to have any chance in such a deep race.
Analysis by Ron Wood

Liberty Island heads Japanese challenge 

Auguste Rodin is the best horse in Aidan O'Brien's super stable after victories in the Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf, but he does not head the Sheema Classic market.

Keeping him from favouritism is Japan's Liberty Island. She is not quite Equinox, who beat her by four lengths on her last start in the Japan Cup, but she did win the fillies' Triple Crown in her homeland and was rated just a 2.7-1 shot that day against the world's best racehorse.

A length further back in the Japan Cup was Stars On Earth, who reopposes here, while a further three-quarters of a length back was Do Deuce – who is favourite for the Dubai Turf 50 minutes earlier – so the form looks strong.

"This is her first time travelling internationally and all has gone well so far," said champion Japanese jockey Yuga Kawada, who rides the Mitsumasa Nakauchida-trained four-year-old favourite. "It is an honour to represent Japan with a filly like her and I hope she can show fans all over the world just how good she is."

This is far from a two-horse race however. Emily Upjohn, Stars On Earth and Junko are dual Group 1 winners in their own right, while Rebel's Romance has won at the highest level three times and Shahryar won this in 2022, and was just a length behind none other than Mostahdaf when fifth last year.

Throw in Justin Palace and Sir Alex Ferguson's Saudi scorer Spirit Dancer and it is easy to see why Richard Fahey described it as "the most competitive race I've been involved in".

What they say

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Point Lonsdale and Auguste Rodin
It was a very brave decision by the lads to keep Auguste Rodin in training, most definitely. We feel he's matured well from three to four and the reports from the team at Meydan are that he's travelled there well and is in great form. He's ready to run to his best and we're very excited about the journey ahead. We can't wait to see him back. Things didn't go Point Lonsdale's way last time in Qatar but he has good form before that in Bahrain and he's a good traveller.

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Rebel's Romance
It was great to see him back at that level [in Doha]. Last year was a bit stop-start, he clipped heels and lost his confidence. We went to Kempton and you could visually see he gained his confidence back, so we went to Qatar with a horse we felt was on his A-game and it was a great ride by William [Buick]. You could say the ride won the race, but you need the horse underneath you as well and they won impressively. It's probably the strongest race of the evening. The mile-and-a-half turf division is always strong wherever you go.

Richard Fahey, trainer of Spirit Dancer
I'm very pleased with him. He came from Saudi to here and he looks a lot better in his coat. It's an extremely tough race, it's probably the most competitive race I've been involved in, but I'm hoping he's on his A-game and they're not. He's had a great winter and picked up a couple of good wins and he'll have a break after this.

John Gosden, joint-trainer of Emily Upjohn
Emily Upjohn is in a tough race with Auguste Rodin and the great Japanese contingent, but she's trained nicely for the race and looked pretty bright in herself. She's ready to run and I've been pleased with her work, but I sometimes worry for the fillies it can come a little early in the year for them.
Reporting by Stuart Riley

Read more from Dubai:

12.40 Meydan: 'This year's race is one of the strongest I've seen in years' - quotes and analysis for the Dubai Gold Cup

3.10 Meydan: Frankie Dettori reunites with Lord North in hunt for fourth Dubai Turf triumph 

4.35 Meydan: Japanese ace Ushba Tesoro the one to beat again as international stars clash in Dubai World Cup 

Auguste Rodin begins quest for immortality as Frankie Dettori bids to add to World Cup night triumphs 

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