Steady Pace & Rouleau Head Godolphin's UAE Guineas Contenders

Time/Date - 21.55hrs local time/Thursday, February 11, 2016
Racecourse/Country - Meydan/UAE
Surface/Distance - Dirt/1m

Three-year-old colts Steady Pace and Rouleau race each other again in the mile G3 UAE 2000 Guineas Sponsored By Friday on dirt at Meydan on Thursday, February 11.

They were separated by a nose in the trial for the Classic over a furlong shorter at the same course on January 14, as Steady Pace held the late rally of Rouleau to prevail in a pulsating finish, with two and a quarter lengths back to the third home.

Both horses showed a high level of form in the UK last year, with Steady Pace (Saeed bin Suroor/James Doyle) having ended his two-year-old campaign with a fine third on turf in the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket in September.

Rouleau (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) was fifth in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes and the son of Exceed And Excel recorded a game victory over the same distance in the G3 toteexacta Sirenia Stakes on Polytrack earlier the same month.

Saeed bin Suroor commented: "Steady Pace won well in the UAE 2000 Guineas trial and came out of that race in good order.

"He has been working well and is ready to go again. A mile will be no problem and it would be a great result to win the UAE 2000 Guineas again."

Charlie Appleby said: "Rouleau produced a pleasing effort in the trial for this race, when he was conceding a 2lb penalty to Steady Pace.

"He showed that he handled dirt and looked as though the step up to a mile would suit him."

Godolphin is also doubly represented in the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas Sponsored By Friday (19.00hrs local time), run over the same course and distance as the UAE 2000 Guineas, with Promising Run and Dubai Fashion lining up in the fillies' Classic.

Promising Run (Saeed bin Suroor/James Doyle), a G2 winner on turf in 2015, finished second behind Polar River, who re-opposes, on her first appearance on dirt in the seven-furlong trial for the UAE 1000 Guineas at Meydan on January 14, leading until headed a furlong out by the decisive winner.

Dubawi filly Dubai Fashion (Saeed bin Suroor/Paul Hanagan) makes her seasonal return following two outings in the UK last year, including an impressive debut success in a Tapeta maiden over an extended mile at Wolverhampton.

Saeed bin Suroor said: "Promising Run is a nice filly and she needed her first run of the season. This looks like a tough race but she has a chance of running well.

"Dubai Fashion won her maiden nicely and then finished fifth a Listed race on turf at Newmarket. I have been pleased with her work and a mile will suit her."