The international racing fraternity, mostly comprising those connected with thoroughbreds, will ton Saturday night get to see a great Purebred Arabian bid to create a piece of racing history.
Over the last three years, the Dubai World Cup race meeting has seen Madjani start off the action with his impressive wins in the Kahayla Classic (sponsored by Emaar) - the premier race for Purebred Arabian horses.
Coming from the yard of Gillian Duffield, who has already created history by winning this race over the last four years, Madjani starts as favourite today in what may well be a record fourth win, one better than the great Alanudd (Unchained Melody).
However, the mighty Madjani's party is under threat by Alanudd's daughter, Mizzna, the only filly in this Group 1 race to be run over 10 furlongs.
Trained by Eric Lemartinel, the Abu Dhabi-based Mizzna had finished third last year but was still fresh to the UAE. Since then she has been in tremendous form, winning four races including two Group 1 events, and under in-form jockey Tadhg O'Shea, will be Madjani's biggest rival.
Though both have been better on turf, today's contest on dirt could be the big question posed, particularly to Mizzna. However, Lemartinel says Mizzna is spot-on and will run a big race.
While the above battle could end a star's reign and catapult the filly to her mother's great status, there are a few other competent runners who could make this race more interesting than those in the past.
Madjani's owner, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance - who started and ended last year's meeting with Madjani winning the opener and Invasor finishing off with the Dubai World Cup win - has three other runners in the fray.
Better rating
Kandar Du Falgas, with a better rating than Mizzna and with a proven record on dirt, is the best of Shaikh Hamdan's rest while Paris Gagner and Santhal complete his four-pronged assault on the Kahayla. The six-year-old son of Kesberoy is one of the two runners from Doug Watson's yard and has been a consistent performer at the Group 1 stage.
The James Frazier-trained Fryvolous, a champion horse with Group 1 winning credentials in the US, gets his chance to prove himself after two runs here in the UAE, and could be the dark horse in this nine-horse pack.
"He is just getting into the form that we hope will help him run a big race on Saturday," said Frazier.
Madjani's trainer Gillian Duffield, who had won the last four editions of the Kahayla, said she was happy with Madjani's preparation. "He is such a fantastic horse and it will be incredible if he wins and makes it four-in-row," she said.
