Colm O’Donoghue will take over from Greg Cheyne when last year’s Sun Met winner makes his Dubai debut in the Zabeel Mile at Meydan on Thursday.

Ridgemont racing manager Craig Carey said: “We felt that we should have an international jockey who knows the tracks out there and Colm has committed himself to the horse for the whole campaign.

“Brett Crawford flew out there last Monday and the horse is doing well but the word from Mike de Kock is that he will need the run on Thursday.”

O’Donoghue, who won the 2011 Irish Derby on Treasure Beach for Aidan O’Brien, won the UAE Derby on Daddy Long Legs at the following year’s Dubai Carnival and has also won big races in Britain, France, Canada and the USA. Visit this site for the odds on Dubai racing.

Just Sensual, winner of the 2016 Cape Fillies Guineas for Joey Ramsden and Mayfair Speculators and second only to Carry On Alice in the South African Fillies Sprint, has gone into quarantine after being bought by an Australian-Japanese syndicate. She will go via Mauritius to Australia. 

Scottsville 

Apprentice Ashton Arries rode out his claim at Scottsville yesterday with a polished performance on the Michael Roberts-trained Statute for the 50th winner of his career. He rode a patient race producing filly up the outside and the well related daughter of Dynasty won impressively allowing Arries to ease her up close home.

Statute won by five lengths on debut over the same course and distance as yesterday.

Roberts thought highly enough of Statute to run her in the Flamboyant Stakes at just her second visit to the race course where she was far from disgraced finishing 5,55 lengths behind talented and unbeaten Hashtagyolo and the form lines of that race are working out well. Roberts will be rubbing his hands for the upcoming South African Champions Season as Statute looks way above average and won’t be out of place lining up for a sprint feature.

Miss Varlicious kicked on well to finish second ahead of Royal Agree and Free State. It was Free States second run back from a lengthy rest and she is sure to be back in the winner’s enclosure soon. The disappointment of the race was Isingamoya who found nothing in the closing stages.

The race was whittled down to only six runners due to Duncan Howells scratching his three runners with a suspected virus.

The feature of the day was the umThomboti stakes a non black type event where another small field was assembled. Sun On Africa was a late scratching as he was injured in transit on the way to the course which left only six runners to face the starter. Celtic Captain was head strong but then allowed to go out and race up handy. Red Chestnut Road, who was trying the distance for the first time, was ridden from slightly off the pace. The free striding son of Querari, Head Honcho hit the front early and romped away from the opposition winning well and making it two from two over the distance. A tongue-tie appears to have made all the difference and he looks to be a serious stayed in the making and another to be watched in the coming Champions Season.

Warfarer from the Lizeanne Forbes stable put in a late challenge to finish second. The only filly in the race, Kahula, ran third and then only the 9/10 punters favourite Red Chestnut Road. Techno Captain and Celtic Captain finished second last and last and can be put down as the disappointments of the race. Head Honcho was ridden by talented young rider Keagan De Melo who rode three winners on the day. His two victories came on the first-timer Satara and Autumn In Seattle in race three giving Pat Lunn a welcome double.

Gold Circle