An upset by aptly named Meydaan and a solid win by sentimental favorite Rebel's Romance highlighted Super Saturday, Feb. 28, at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the final proving ground for local horses looking for spots on the March 28 Dubai World Cup (G1) program.
Meydaan, a turf marathon specialist through his career, jumped up in his first run on dirt to dominate the Al Maktoum Classic (G2) and earn a surprise berth in the Dubai World Cup itself.
"It was a brave move," said winning rider William Buick. "But it paid off. Look what he did."
His history to the contrary notwithstanding, the 5-year-old Frankel gelding looked for all the world like a veteran middle-distance dirt horse. Buried on the inside and enduring plenty of kickback, Meydaan was full of run but short of room as the field approached the top of the straight. Amid some bumping to his outside, Buick found a path and Meydaan did the rest.
Walk of Stars, fourth in the 2025 World Cup, had the run of the race just off the pace but couldn't get the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) and finished second, 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Tap Leader, a son of Tapiture who earlier raced in Russia, and Generous Tipper, a 5-year-old by Street Sense , reported third and fourth. Heart of Honor, one of the favorites on the international market, started awkwardly from the inside gate and failed to produce his usual late bid, finishing seventh.
Winning co-trainer Ed Crisford said the outcome was not as surprising to Meydaan's connections as to most other observers.
"He's been training on this dirt track, and he's been training well," Crisford said. "We figured, 'Give him a go.' If he could have the front rank in his sights, he'd finish well."
The race was a qualifier for the World Cup. "Bring it on," Crisford said.
"It's an unorthodox route to get him there," Buick said. "But I'm not sure you could have asked for anything more" in the Super Saturday shocker.
One race later, Buick struck again, but this time on the hot and sentimental favorite Rebel's Romance. The 8-year-old Dubawi gelding, winner of group/grade 1 races all over the world, took a star turn in the Dubai City of Gold (G2T), his first start since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar in November.
Buick put the Godolphin star on cruise control in third position, nudged forward on the stretch turn, and put out a bit of extra effort to hold off 4-year-old Fort George by 1 1/2 lengths. Godolphin founder and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on hand to watch the run and shared the emotional reaction of Buick and trainer Charlie Appleby as Rebel's Romance won for the 21st time in his 31st start.
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"He's just been a rock star," Appleby said. "More importantly, it's just the constitution to be a great horse."
"He's the horse of a lifetime," Buick added. "I just feel different when I'm riding this horse ... When you stop riding or stop training, he's the horse you'll remember."
Appleby would not commit to sending Rebel's Romance on to the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T) on World Cup night, citing his age.
"He's getting older, so it's race-to-race," Appleby said. "We'll look after the old guy."
Also on Super Saturday
Native Approach dropped back in distance for the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint (G3T) and produced a dramatic reversal of form that earned him a spot in the Al Quoz Turf Sprint (G1T) on World Cup night. The 5-year-old Too Darn Hot gelding, with Connor Beasley up, was prominent in a small group running near the far-side rail in the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) straight dash. He found more in the final 100 meters and won by 1 1/4 lengths from Run Boy Run.
Native Approach had never run shorter than 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs). His six runs during the World Cup Carnival had not produced anything better than a fourth-place finish.
The Mahab Al Shimaal (G3), a "Win and You're In" for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) March 28, featured the last two winners of the Shaheen—Tuz and Dark Saffron. But it was El Nasseeb rallying from well back in the field to score by 1 length over Dark Saffron. Tuz made a move in the final 100 meters of the 1,200-meter sprint but settled for fifth, a keen disappointment for trainer Bhupat Seemar.
Both trainer Musabbeh al Mheiri and jockey Silvestre de Sousa said El Nasseeb's cause was aided by the hot pace set by Hong Kong-based Sing Dragon, who launched from the inside gate and took the field into the stretch before tiring.
El Nasseeb, a 5-year-old son of Profitable, now has three wins and a second at the World Cup Carnival, and al Mheiri said he sees no reason he can't repeat the Mahab Al Shimaal effort in four weeks' time.
"Sure. Inshalla," he said. "This had all the good horses in the UAE. Who's coming from the rest of the world? We'll see."
Quddwah punched his ticket to the Dubai Turf (G1T) with a nifty move in deep stretch that saw him home first by 2 1/2 lengths in the Singspiel Stakes (G2T). With Ryan Moore back in town after a year's absence, the 6-year-old son of Kingman sat just off a glacial early pace but out of traffic. When they turned for home, he steadily surged to the lead and drew off late. Dividend followed in Quddwah's wake and took second in front of Holloway Boy, who was caught behind the early crawl.
Quddwah, trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, won the Zabeel Mile (G2T) in his 2025-26 Carnival debut, then finished fourth in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup.
"Ryan had him in just the right position" in the Singspiel, Ed Crisford said.
Asked if he will go on to the Dubai Turf, which likely will feature some tough opposition from abroad, he added, "Absolutely. Bring it on."
Commissioner King crossed over from an outside gate in the early going of the Burj Nahar (G3) and ran 10 rivals right off their feet, winning by 4 lengths and earning a spot in the Godolphin Mile (G2) on the World Cup program.
The 6-year-old son of Commissioner finished second in each of two earlier starts at the Carnival but put that behind him early in the Burj Nahar.
"He's the biggest horse in the barn so you've got to let him get on with it," said winning rider Tadhg O'Shea.
Seemar, who had been blanked until the penultimate race on the Super Saturday card, said, "Thank God. I was getting kicked in the shins on the evening."
Two 1,600-meter (about 1-mile) Guineas races on turf bookended the program.
Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, and Michael Tabor's Title Role defeated two Godolphin runners, Pacific Avenue and Talk of New York, by a length in the Jumeirah Two Thousand Guineas. Look for any of them in the first of the European classics.
Piana took the Jumeirah One Thousand Guineas by a head from True Test.
