Poetic Charm in great form for Balanchine says hopeful Charlie Appleby

The Group 2 Balanchine (4.50), has eluded Charlie Appleby but his Poetic Charm looks the one to beat in the 1m1f turf feature.

A comfortable winner of the only other carnival contest restricted to fillies and mares, the mile Cape Verdi, four weeks ago, the four-year-old daughter of Dubawi is penalised for that success but beat all five of today's opponents on that occasion.

“This was obviously the next target,” Appleby said. “She is penalised and over a longer trip but is in great form at home so we have to be hopeful.”

Saeed Bin Suroor, who completed the Cape Verdi/Balanchine double with Promising Run last year and Very Special in 2016, is represented by Asoof, who was second to Poetic Charm last month and could be the main danger again.

Godolphin’s Skysurfers landed consecutive renewals of the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes (3.40), the dirt feature over a mile, and Heavy Metal will try and emulate him for Sandeep Jadhav.

Heavy Metal: bidding for a second victory in the Firebreak StakesCredit: Tom Dulat

As he was 12 months ago, Mickael Barzalona is in the saddle and the pair have received the plum draw in stall one. Now a nine-year-old, the gelded son of Exceed And Excel is seeking his eighth course-and-distance victory but was last of nine, under identical conditions, when trying defend his tittle in the Al Maktoum Challenge R1 five weeks ago.

Jadhav said: "He was a bit disappointing last time but it was his seasonal return and he seems in much better form now, and that draw is a bonus."

He also landed the Group 2 Godolphin Mile last year, beating the reopposing Muntazah who was making his dirt debut and is trained by Doug Watson. Kimbear, also trained by Watson, defeated Heavy Metal in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar on Super Saturday last March and is also among the seven declared runners.

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