Desert Doings: Saudi-Owned Authentic Colt Looms Large on Debut

[Wandering Eyes]

In this series, we will have a look predominantly at American-bred first-time juvenile starters (through the end of 2025) and debuting 3-year-olds in maiden races at Meydan Racecourse, with a specific focus on pedigree and/or performance in a sales ring. The flagship venue for racing in the United Arab Emirates is Meydan Racecourse, which will host racing on Fridays through the end of March, with the exception of Super Saturday on Feb. 28 and Dubai World Cup night Mar. 28, 2026. Here are the horses of note for this Friday's program at Meydan:

Friday, January 30, 2026
2nd-MEY, AED165,000 ($44,913), Maiden, 3yo, 1600m
SALLOOM (Authentic) debuts for the Dubai-based string of horses for the Stables of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Sons and trainer Bhupat Seemar on the back of a good-looking trial victory from close range back on Jan. 7 (see below). An. Apr. 14 foal,  the bay is the third to race out of a winning daughter of the Grade III-placed Chasethegold (Touch Gold), herself the dam of the GSP juvenile filly Goldrush Girl (Political Force) and granddam of a trio of 3-year-old stakes winners: 2025 GII Wood Memorial Stakes hero Rodriguez (Authentic); GIII Southwest Stakes hero One Liner (Into Mischief); and Hutcheson Stakes scorer Provocateur (Into Mischief). The female family also includes Grade I winners Albertus Maximus and Daredevil. A $175,000 Keeneland September acquisition, Salloom breezed a furlong in :9 4/5 (see below) at the 2025 OBS March Sale and brought a healthy $600,000. Stable go-to rider Tadhg O'Shea rides from gate two.

 

 

Bato (Street Sense) was a $115,000 buyback out of the 2024 Keeneland September Sale but found a new home when hammering for 140,000gns ($193,887) at last year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up (video). The Jan. 20 produce is a son of 2020 Martha Washington Stakes winner Lucky Polly (Lookin At Lucky), a half-sister to 10 winners, among them the stakes-winning former 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Undulated (Curlin). Bato's now-juvenile half-brother by Jackie's Warrior fetched $280,000 at Keeneland last September.

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