It's been almost nine months since Tuz blasted rivals into submission in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on Dubai World Cup night, but he's back and ready to do it all again.
Dakki Stable's star carries a 1.5-kilogram penalty for his big win into the Dec. 6 Al Garhoud Sprint at Meydan Racecourse, but trainer Bhupat Seemar reports him on song for this seasonal bow.
"He's wonderful!" enthused the reigning United Arab Emirates champion trainer. "He's a 7-year-old, so he's still a bit chunky, but I think we have him fitter than last year when he was beaten first time out at Sharjah.
"He's a group 1 winner and probably one of the fastest horses in the world, so I guess he has to carry that penalty."
Tuz, who will break from stall 7 under regular rider Tadhg O'Shea in the six-furlong listed event, has been with Seemar's team since his 2-year-old days, when the son of Oxbow arrived after winning both his starts in Pyatigorsk, Russia.
"What a good horse he is," continued Seemar. "He's won at a mile, finished second at nine furlongs and now he's a group 1 winner at six furlongs."
Two of Tuz's six rivals are also trained by Seemar, including Morning, a winner at Sharjah three weeks' ago, who will be ridden by Silvestre de Sousa.
"Morning is a completely different type of horse," said Seemar. "He breaks slowly from the gate, while Tuz can rock and roll up in front and he also has stamina to win over a mile. Morning will come from behind."
The third Zabeel Stables' runner is Freedom Fighter, who is yet to win in nine starts in the Middle East but has been second three times.
"That horse looks like he's wearing high heels, he's got the worst feet," said Seemar of the 6-year-old. "When he's right, he's incredible, and when he's not so right, he doesn't put it in."
The biggest danger to the Seemar trio could be Doug Watson's Colour Up, winner of this race last year, while the Michael Costa-trained Mojeyrr won over course and distance last time out.
Mount Kosciuszko Aims to Scale Meydan Heights
Also on the eight-race card is the Zoho Handicap over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles).
Seven line up, including Mount Kosciuszko, a winner at Jebel Ali a month ago on his first start for trainer Julio Olascoaga.
"He's doing really well and we're expecting a little bit more from him this time," said the trainer. "He's been working really well at Meydan, so that's why we decided to enter him here.
"The day that he won at Jebel Ali, I wasn't so sure about running him there. I thought he was a better horse here at Meydan because he moves really well over the surface."
Intriguing Juvenile Contest Opens Card
Trainer Lucie Botti runs two in the opening race for Northern Hemisphere 2-year-olds/Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds..
Channagide, aDivisidero half brother to 2022 U.A.E. Derby (G2) runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow, is the mount of Andrew Slattery, while Yuvraaj will be ridden by Danny Tudhope.
"He's loving it in Dubai, he's a real teenager," said Botti of Channagide. "He's slightly behind in his preparation because he had a break after his run at Kempton, but he seems to be handling the dirt, which will be a new experience for him.
"He needs further, we're aware of that, so he's having a run for experience and to see where we can finish. The Al Bastakiya and UAE Derby are the dream."
On Yuvraaj, a son of Union Rags , she added; "He's a beautiful horse. I call him a toddler in a classy body.
"He's been an absolute star to deal with over here, traveled like a dream, settled in straight away. He's definitely going to need a bit of time to develop, but hopefully we can be looking at better things next year."
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
