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Posted 2010-02-26 05:49:18  
Deem grabs Balanchine victory

 Mike de Kock and Saeed bin Suroor continued their excellent 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival campaigns at the seventh meeting on Thursday evening.

South African de Kock won the UAE Oaks, over 1900m, for the first time with Raihana who was given a confident ride by Christophe Soumillon to pass Kieren Fallon on Bikini Babe well inside the final 100m.

De Kock said: "She is a lovely filly and we thought she would nearly win the UAE 1000 Guineas but nothing really went right in that race. She has done it well tonight and will probably be back for the UAE Derby."

The previous race, the 2000m Tapeta handicap, had gone the way of De Kock's Mr Brock who ran on strongly under Kevin Shea having hit the front 400m out. Shea was impressed: "He has quickened really nicely and settled matters in a few strides. He loves this new surface and can perhaps go up in class."

Shea and De Kock then combined to win the concluding 1600m handicap, on Tapeta, with Lucky Find.

The other feature was the Group Three Balanchine Stakes, for fillies and mares over 1800m on turf and it went to Saudi Arabia and Deem, trained by Jerry Barton and ridden by Olivier Peslier. They led right on the line to the delight of Barton who said: "She is a nice filly and one we have always held in some regard. Hopefully we can get her to [Dubai] World Cup night as we did last year when she ran a great race in defeat."

Saeed bin Suroor saddled a treble with Sabotage springing a surprise in the 3200m DRC Gold Cup under Mickael Barzalona and defeated Frankie Dettori on stable companion Age of Reason in the process. Bin Suroor said: "We knew they both had a big chance and have to be pleased with the result."

The opening 2200m Tapeta handicap went to bin Suroor with Ahmed Ajtebi performing the steering on Antinori who was last turning for home but made smooth progress to win comfortably.

Dettori was in the saddle on Midshipman who returned to winning ways in the 1400m conditions race, also on Tapeta. A Group One winner as a juvenile and placed at last year's Breeders' Cup, he is clearly a horse bin Suroor likes: "We think he is a [Dubai] World Cup night horse so we needed to get him back to winning ways. He ran well enough in the Al Maktoum Challenge and hopefully he can progress from this."

Rashed Bouresly's Star Crowned won the 1200m Tapeta handicap in a thrilling finish under Royston Ffrench.

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