Curlin continues to be the odds on favorite to win the Dubai World Cup to be run at Nad Al Sheba racecourse on March 29. Until Thursday, Asiatic Boy had occupied the second position in the wagering. When Thursday’s racing ended, Asiatic Boy’s role had been taken over by Jalil, a Godolphin-owned four year-old.

 Jalil won the third round of the Maktoum Challenge in  resounding fashion. In the hands of Frankie Dettori, Jalil, a Storm Cat colt, made it three in a row on the Nad Al Sheba dirt track. Jalil has been going from strength to strength and his timing of 2.0.35 seconds over 2000 metres was faster than Curlin’s time a week ago. Jalil won by one and half lengths over Gloria De Campeao. Taking third was the 13-8 favorite, Lucky Find from Mike De Kock’s yard.

Jalil, a 9.78 million-dollar purchase, has made a tremendous turnaround on dirt and got a 6-1 quote from Stan James, a bookmaking company, for the World Cup. Asiatic Boy, running in a different race and expected to win readily, failed to justify the lofty standing and his odds went up at once.

Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s Racing Manager, sounded optimistic. “The transition to dirt has worked out very well. He is a different colt. Definitely, he has a chance in the World Cup. He is continuing to improve.”

Curlin, 2007 Horse of the Year, won in his Dubai debut. Trainer Steve Asmussen has his Derby hopefuls racing in America on Saturday. He is accumulating a lot of frequent flier miles.

In other action, Royal Vintage brought Honour Devil’s win streak to a halt. The stablemates were involved in a photo and Royal Vintage got the nod by a head. Honour Devil was going for four in a row. Honour Devil was the 5/6 favorite while Royal Vintage was the 11-8 second pick. The 1800-metre race was run in 1 48.68 seconds.

Trainer Mike De Kock was pleased with the result. “There was little between them. Royal Vintage gave every indication of readiness last time. Honour Devil, I believe, answered the stamina question. He was able to learn an awful lot tonight. There was kickback and he will benefit a great deal.”

Admiralofthefleet, carrying the colors of Dr Vijay Mallya, was the lukewarm 11-4 choice in the Grade II Jebel Hatta. An outside draw was an obstacle that Admiralofthefleet was unable to overcome. The Danehill colt was wide all the way and could not get into the mix. He ended up ninth. Given how difficult the trip was, Admiralofthefleet’s run may best be overlooked.

Another ‘Admiral’ won the Jebel Hatta, It was Lord Admiral. Mick Kinane rode the Charles O’Brien-trained Lord Admiral, who had Vincent O’Brien’s silks. Vincent O’Brien was one of the top trainers in England in the past century. Lord Admiral, held up, went from last to first, in the final 600 metres.

The five-million dollar Dubai Duty Free will be run over the same distance. It is likely the two Admirals will be back in that race.

In the Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday, Golden Doc A, who won the Las Virgenes in February, goes for an encore. There are nine fillies going in the 1700-metre race. Golden Doc A came within a head of beating Indian Blessing in January and justified favoritism next time out.

Golden Doc A’s trainer, Barry Abrams, has every reason to be thrilled, “Her win in the Las Virgenes means a lot to small breeders like us. It is a special feeling because we bred a claiming mare to a good stallion and got a Grade I winner. There is a lot of emotion under those circumstances.”

The Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday will feature the unbeaten Giant Moon. Four for four in his career, Giant Moon faces a serious test. It will be his first time in a graded stakes. Trainer Richard Schosberg talked about what Giant Moon has to do. “:We will have to see if he can come off the pace. I have been training him to get him used to following horses. He has a lot of improving to do. There’s plenty of speed in the Gotham.”

Deauville, outside of Paris, France, holds a Dubai World Cup prep race on Friday. It will be run on the all weather surface. Musical Way and Kocab are in the Prix Nad Al Sheba, the third race in the card and they are Dubai-bound.

Sources:NTRA and Racing Post and others