Chasing a fifth victory in the G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on Friday night (24 January), Charlie Appleby says the presence of Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior adds another dimension to the AED1.85 million (approx. HK$3.92 million) feature.
Appleby, who landed the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) with Rebel’s Romance at Sha Tin in May, is regarded as one of the finest operators on the international stage with a proven ability to successfully travel horses.
The Englishman is attempting to provide Godolphin’s 10th Jebel Hatta triumph, having dominated the race recently with Tryster (2016), Blair House (2018), Barney Roy (2020) and Measured Time (2024), who returns as defending champion tonight.
“There’s obviously a slightly different look to this year’s Jebel Hatta, with Romantic Warrior providing a lot of interest, and it’s going to be a great event to be part of,” Appleby said.
“We are following the same route we took with Measured Time last year and he was an impressive winner of the (G2, 1800m) Al Rashidiya on his comeback run. He goes into this in great order.”