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

The last three runnings of the Dubai Turf have gone to Lord North (dead-heat win in 2022) and he returns for another crack at the race with his long-term partner Frankie Dettori back in the saddle. However, there are a few factors against him this time.

It's probably the strongest field Lord North has encountered in the Dubai Turf and this will be the widest draw (11) he's had to overcome. He would also be the oldest horse to win the race at the age of eight.

Voyage Bubble heads the Hong Kong contingent for Ricky Yiu, a trainer who enjoyed success with Amber Sky at this meeting's Al Quoz Sprint in 2014. Last year's shock Hong Kong Derby winner has kept some smart company this winter, landing the Group 1 Stewards' Cup before a narrow defeat to Romantic Warrior last month. He's reportedly settled in well and has had no issues going left-handed in his trackwork.

Luxembourg was beaten when odds-on at Riyadh in February but he did best of those that ran close to a hot pace and he's another to have chased home Romantic Warrior in recent months, losing out narrowly in the Hong Kong Cup in December. He's drawn well to attack again and he's the first-string for Ballydoyle, who also saddle Cairo.

Do Deuce is the obvious place to start with the Japanese runners. He's one of only two horses to ever get the better of Equinox and he got back to winning ways in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen last time, winning in better style than the narrow margin suggests. The drop back to one mile and one furlong is the main question for him having looked laboured in the finish when contesting the Autumn Tenno Sho (over a mile and two furlongs) in October.

Last year's runner-up Danon Beluga was three lengths behind Do Deuce in the Japan Cup last time but he is better suited to this sharper test.

Of the remainder, Measured Time is probably most interesting in his bid to give Godolphin a fifth win in the race. This is effectively a home fixture for him having been trained in Dubai through the winter and he arrives on the back of a Group 1 Jebel Hetta success. However, there's no doubt he'll need to step up again to beat this field.
Analysis by Phill Anderson

Gosden: it was always the plan for Frankie to ride Lord North

It's not very often you get the chance to back a horse who has won the last three runnings of a Group 1 at 7-1, but for a variety of reasons that is exactly the case with Lord North.

The 2021 and 2023 winner dead-heated in the 2022 running and despite becoming less and less fancied with each passing year, he keeps delivering the goods.

Lord North was the 11-8 favourite when he won this for the first time without a prep, a 100-30 shot when dead-heating with Panthalassa off the back of a second in the Winter Derby and 5-1 when beating the reopposing Danon Beluga last year after winning the Winter Derby.

This year the Winter Derby was at Southwell rather than Lingfield and was increased to a mile and three furlongs, and he was a length second despite going off the 5-4 favourite.

His joint-trainer John Gosden said: "His comeback run in the Winter Derby was good, although a mile and three furlongs is a little bit further than he wants to go. He's training well and we're confident he'll put up a very bold show. It was always the plan for Frankie to ride; we discussed it when I said goodbye to him on Champions Day at Ascot in October before his move to America."

Frankie Dettori: back in partnership with John and Thady Gosden in MeydanCredit: Edward Whitaker

Lord North has raced at the Dubai Turf distance of a mile and one furlong four times, winning all of them, and connections of Gosden's other runner Nashwa feel the trip could be exactly what she needs as well.

Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Imad Al Sagar, said: "She's won Group 1 races over a mile and a mile and a quarter, so in theory this ought to be her optimum trip. There are no gimmes at this level, anywhere. In these races you expect the best to turn up for $5 million."

What they say

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Cairo and Luxembourg
In Luxembourg's last run in Riyadh we felt they just went way too slow for him. He is a strong galloping horse that will always be favoured by an even or stronger pace. Considering that, we thought he ran well and can step up a lot from the race. Cairo is racing in the colours of his new owner [Refai Alghuraban] and he has done well since he went close in Qatar last month.

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer of Do Deuce
I considered the Sheema Classic as well and we discussed it with Yutaka Take [jockey]. The Sheema Classic tends to be a race which benefits the front-runners or those with a good position. For Do Deuce's racing style, we both agreed that the Dubai Turf is a race where horses can win from anywhere.

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Measured Time
He's two from two out here. The restructuring of the Meydan programme means there's a much bigger gap from the Jebel Hatta, so we brought him here for a racecourse gallop. He pleased us that morning and has done everything right since. He's a Group 1 winner but it's a different type of Group 1 contest on Saturday. We hope he's going to be very competitive.

Ricky Yiu, trainer of Voyage Bubble
He's magnificent, he has just kept on improving. This season over the mile, it really has seemed like nothing can stop him – except for Golden Sixty! Romantic Warrior went to Australia and won the Cox Plate and he only beat us a neck in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. I think this is a better distance for him, so we go in hopeful.
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 

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

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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