29.01.2020

AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE ROUND 1 - RB Money to Burn: full steam ahead towards the Kahayla Classic

MEYDAN (UAE), JANUARY 9^th 2020

Gr1 PA - 5-year-olds and up - 1,600m - $65,000

RB Money to Burn (Majd Al Arab) didn’t hang around in Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr1 PA). Ridden by Fabrice Veron, the mare was soon at the head of affairs and the tempo she set was a stiff one. She had the race sewn up in the final bend, although logic dictates that the latter stages were more tiring in view of her fast start. The French bred Cheik Roque (Dahess), trained by Erwan Charpy, ran on well to snatch second off AF Al Sajanjle (AF Al Buraq).

Five wins in six starts. The 5-year-old RB Money to Burn is very much at the foothills of her career, as she was having just her sixth start. However, she has five won times. The only time that she has tasted defeat was when fifth in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Gr1 PA) at Abu Dhabi. Her defining feature is the ability to have won over 1,000m (5f), an unusual distance in PA racing. The mile is undoubtedly as far as she cares to go, although her class enabled her to win again.

The Dubai Kahayla Classic is the target. Granted that she was tackling the left-handed dirt circuit at Meydan for the first time, the protégée of Frenchman Éric Lemartinel seemed very much at home. The handler confirmed those impressions by saying: "The mare had the habit of hanging left during her races and I was sure that it would pan out perfectly for her. We worked her at the track and she went that much better. You can never be totally confident before a race but I was 99 per cent certain that she would adapt. She has a lot of natural speed and that’s why we let her race from the front. During her 2019 campaign, she won over trips ranging from 1,000m (5f) to 1,600m (1m) and is clearly versatile." As for the next step, he added: "She is only a 5-year-old and has only raced six times, but the mare has often tackled big races, and her assignments have been tough ones. However, the other races which make up the Maktoum Challenge are over longer distances and I’ve no desire to tackle those. We shall see. Her target remains the Dubai Kahayla Classic (Gr1 PA)."

Hailing from a quality US line. Born in the US at Rosebrook Farm, RB Money to Burn is a daughter of the Haras du Grand Courgeon sire Majd Al Arab (Amer). The dam RB Burn Baby Burn (TH Richie) enjoyed a distinguished 3 and 4-year-old career in the US, where she won the Texas Yellow Rose Stakes (Gr2 PA) and the Arabian Racing Cup Stallions Stakes (Gr3 PA). She was also the leading US 4-year-old of her generation. The grandam Burning Firestar (Big Easy) showed the required speed at the highest level following her third in the the Arabian Cup Distaff Sprint Championship Stakes (Gr1 PA) over 1,200m (6f) at Delaware Park.

AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R1

Gr1 PA - 5-year-olds and up - 1.600m - $65,000

1^st        RB MONEY TO BURN (55) F5

Majd Al Arab & Rb Burn Baby Burn, by TH Richie

Owner: Sheikha A. bint Sultan Al Nahyan

Breeder: Mrs D. Waldron

Trainer: E. Lemartinel

Jockey: F. Veron

2^nd       CHEIK ROQUE (57) H8

Dahess & Fanny de Faust, by Dormane

Owner: EERC (Mrs R. Byrne) & B. Watson

Breeder: R. Mongin

Trainer: E. Charpy

Jockey: B. Doyle

Arqana, Saint-Cloud, Purebred Arabian Sale October 2013, € 24.000 Roque to Kees Mol

3^rd       AF AL SAJANJLE (57) H7

(Af Al Buraq & Câline du Loup, by Manganate)

Owner & Breeder: K.K. Al Nabooda

Trainer: E. Oertel

Jockey: S. Mazur

Other runner(s) in finishing order: Mirna, Af Alwajel, Es Ajeeb, Mh Rahal, Assuan, Burj Al Arab, Shadda'ad, Aatebat Al Khalediah, Hareer Al Reef, Octave, Rb So Rich, Cakouet de Bozouls & Zawani Star.

All ran (16).

Dirt. 1'46"92.

Distances: 4 - NECK - NECK.