Fine Santa Anita performance puts Proxy on Classic route

Proxy earned himself a return trip to Southern California for the Breeder’s Cup at the end of the season with a closing neck second in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday.

The 2022 Clark Stakes winner flashed home in a blockbuster renewal of the historic mile-and-a-quarter contest and will hopefully return to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over the same course and distance in early November. In the meantime, he looks set to tackle some of North America’s premier dirt races over nine and 10 furlongs over the summer.

Al Suhail continued a sensational start to 2023 as he lowered the seven-furlong course record at Meydan for a second time with a four-length demolition in the Ras Al Khor on Super Saturday.

Global Storm also struck on the same card when getting the better of Kemari in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold. Three-time G1 winner Rebel’s Romance missed his intended comeback in the same race but remains on course for the Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup Night.

Master Of The Seas (pictured) did well to finish a close third in a rough renewal of the G1 Jebel Hatta on the same card and the Zabeel Mile victor will be hoping for a cleaner trip in the Dubai Turf.

Last season’s Hong Kong Vase runner-up Botanik also looks set for the Dubai Sheema Classic after finishing third at Chantilly on Saturday. His trainer Andre Fabre was honoured at Meydan on the same day with the Lifetime Achievement award at the H H Sheikh Mohammed Horse Racing Excellence Awards.

Exciting juvenile Cylinder completed back-to-back G2 wins in Australia as he finished powerfully to take Saturday’s Todman Stakes at Royal Randwick. The Exceed And Excel colt will be hoping to secure a $1m bonus in the Golden Slipper later this month, although he is due to face stiff competition, with Corniche, Barber, Zulfiqar and Exploring also possible starters.