Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News attracts 275 Nominees

The US$2 million Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News, and the third round of the 2012 Global Sprint Challenge, has attracted 275 nominations from 15 countries, including the past two winners of the race in Kinsale King and Rocket Man.

Contested over 1,200m on the all-weather surface for three-year-olds and older, this race has been dominated by the USA with 13 of the 16 winners coming from America. This year the USA is represented by 36 entries.

Ireland and Hong Kong both have six entries while Australia and Singapore each have five.

Dhruba Selvaratnam, one of two trainers to have won this race twice (Mudallel 1998 and Ramp and Rave 1999) has three entered, and they join 177 other horses from the UAE.

The race could offer one of the most exciting showdowns in racing history if the Australian-based duo of Black Caviar and Sepoy line up. Last Friday Black Caviar increased her unbeaten sequence to 17 with a dominating win in the Group 2 Australia Stakes and Dubai could be the start of a world tour for the champion. Sepoy, bred in Australia by Darley Stud, is owned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and beaten just once in 11 starts and unbeaten in four runs at Group 1 level. Last season’s two-year-old champion of Australia and that country’s premier three-year-old sprinter, he has been set for the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Black Caviar and Sepoy are both eligible for two events on the Dubai World Cup programme as they were also entered in the Dubai Golden Shaheen and the Group 1 Al Quoz, sponsored by Emirates NBD.

The Global Sprint Challenge for the first time, a 10-race series of international races for sprinters contested in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom.