Lazuli and Manobo headline Meydan treble for Godolphin team

Lazuli and Manobo look two Godolphin-owned horses to follow in 2022 when helping trainer Charlie Appleby and William Buick to a treble at Meydan.

Lazuli stamped his authority with an emphatic victory in the Group Two Blue Point Sprint while Manobo gave an eye-catching display in the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Trophy, with Valiant Prince capping a the day in the Presented By Mina Rashid Handicap

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Lazuli looked as though he could be in for a successful campaign when easily brushing the opposition side.

The 8-11 favourite travelled well as Waady made the running from Dahawi before being given the signal to go by jockey William Buick.

The five-year-old quickened in taking fashion to score by a length and a half from Nigel Tinkler’s Acklam Express with Parsifal a neck away in third.

Appleby said: “He’s like a lot of sprinters, they get quicker and stronger as they get older. He showed those characteristics there.

“We were confident going into the race, but these sprints are always trappy events. As short a price as he was, you have to give a lot of respect to the others.

“I think he’s at his best over five, so going forward with him we thought about taking him to Newmarket for the Palace House, but he’s got a penalty for that now. We’ll probably freshen him up and go straight go to Ascot for the King’s Stand.”

Manobo broke the track record for a mile and six furlongs when stretching his unbeaten record to five.

After tracking the leader Taqareer into the straight, the 4-9 favourite set sail two furlongs out. The result was never in doubt after that as he scooted clear to win by five and a half lengths from the Ian Williams-trained East Asia, with Global Heat half a length away in third.

Buick said: “He’s a beautiful, big horse, very imposing and good looking. That’s five out of five, he’s unbeaten. He’s obviously very good. The team had him in lovely shape for tonight. I think he can go up in trip, I think he can come good down in trip.

“He’s versatile and it was a lovely performance. He’s what you want to see from a long lay-off. Ideally when you have a long lay-off, he’s a bit fresh and you want a tail to follow. With a horse like him, you don’t want to break his stride.

“He did everything right and there’s plenty more to come from him.”

Shahama came from last to first to add to the UAE Oaks to her UAE 1000 Guineas success three weeks ago. The daughter of Munnings became the seventh filly to complete the double as she took her perfect record to four.

The race started badly for the winner as she was slowly out of the stalls and three lengths behind the others.

Adrie de Vries did not hurry the Fawzi Nass-trained filly and let her find her stride. She had to deal with plenty of kickback before being switched wide to make her run.

Her class told in the straight as she cruised into the lead and comfortably held the staying-on Arabian Gazelles by two lengths.

De Vries said: “The start was not too good. She was very upset today because of the screen and the music down the straight, so she jumped a little bit awkward because she was sitting down in the gates.

“Lucky enough it was a small field so I settled her in the back. She got a lot of kickback, which she doesn’t seem to mind, but you want to make it as easy as possible for the filly.

“She’s a good horse, she’s got a lot of class. She gets you out of trouble when you need her to. I’ve think there’s a lot more in the tank and she’s very professional.”