Dettori starts season with win on My Indy

The eyes of the racing world were fixed firmly on Nad Al Sheba on Thursday evening for the opening meeting of the $31million (Dh113.8m) Dubai International Racing Carnival, featuring the opening rounds of the Maktoum Challenge. Two races, one for thoroughbreds the other for purebred Arabians, both over a mile on dirt, the Maktoum Challenge series of three races are the oldest UAE feature races at Nad Al Sheba and have been won in the past by a host of equine luminaries.

The Group 1 Purebred Arabian version opened proceedings and the 2008 winner, Kandar Du Falgas, repeated that success with a comfortable victory in the hands of Richard Hills, sporting the famous blue and white silks of the race sponsor, Sheikh Hamdan. The winner is trained by Champion Trainer Doug Watson, who said: "That was a great win on his seasonal comeback and Richard [Hills] has given him a great ride."

The Thoroughbred version may only carry Group 3 status but is the night's official feature and it was Godolphin's My Indy who ran out a facile winner in the hands of Frankie Dettori, riding in the UAE for the first time this season. He is trained by Saeed Bin Suroor who has now won the race five times. He said: "We were very hopeful before the race as he had worked well. However, he has excelled himself and we will look at the second round now."

Bin Suroor and Dettori were completing a double having earlier won with their first runner of the season, Sos Brillante in a seven-furlong dirt conditions race for three-year-old fillies. She may well now be aimed at the UAE 1000 Guineas and/or Oaks. Another trainer in double form was Mubarak bin Shafya who is enjoying a great first season with a licence. Ahmad Ajtebi, also running into good form, won the 1777m handicap on Third Set before Jesus Rosales partnered the fledgling trainer's second winner in the last 12-furlong handicap.

Both those races were on turf, as was the 1500m fillies and mares' handicap won by Ireland's Miss Gorica, in the hands of Champion Jockey Ted Durcan. That was the first international winner of the Carnival and was closely followed by Silver Mist who won a handicap over the same course and distance. He represents the formidable Mike De Kock / Kevin Shea combination who will fly the South African flag with distinction in the coming weeks. De Kock said: "We have a nice team of horses and are obviously hoping for a big Carnival."

It was his 54th Carnival winner, while Bin Suroor moved to 51 after his double with the pair well clear of Watson on 35. Only the last named has Purebred Arabian winners among the statistics. Friday's meeting at Jebel Ali was postponed until next Friday. The horses had cantered to the start for the opening race when the jockeys voiced their concerns regarding puddles standing on the track at the six-furlong pole.

The stewards concurred and the meeting was put back a week. jsullivan@thenational.ae