For more on the Emirates Melbourne Cup, be sure to catch Chewin The Fat, a web-video produced by Racing Victoria.

For more on Godolphin’s Melbourne Cup chances, read more from the Racing Post.

Below, catch a recap of the exciting Victoria Derby day, including a win by Sheikh Mohammed’s Sepoy.

Well-backed after opening at 10-1 and being cut into 9-2 by the local punters at Sha Tin, Mastery landed the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase (G1) by 2.5 lengths.  Fifth in the 2010 Dubai World Cup (G1), beaten just 1.5 lengths after a five month layoff, Mastery was making his third start in the form cycle after a third behind Tazeez in the Darley Stakes (G3) and a dead-heat win at Kempton.  Frankie Dettori had the ride for Saeed bin Suroor and the victorious Godolphin Stables, their first win at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races since 2007, when Ramonti took the Hong Kong Cup (G1).  The final time for the 2,400 meters distance was 2:27.69.  Redwood, earlier winner of the  Northern Dancer (G1) at Woodbine, was second while Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1) winner Americain ran on for third.

Just 25 minutes later, J J The Jet Plane’s wild ride across the world reached its ultimate peak when he nipped Singapore’s Rocket Man to win the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (G1).  A 17-1 winner, J J The Jet Plane hooked Rocket Man in a frenetic duel through the final 300 meters and just edged him on the line.  Trained to victory in the 2009 Al Quoz Sprint winner by Mike De Kock, J J The Jet Plane was sent to Europe and had little success before being returned to his native South Africa.  Back with his original trainer, Lucky Houdalakis, the win serves as the most significant tally on his foreign ledger.  Pierre Strydom had the winning ride. 

Rocket Man, second in the 2010 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), was a crack second after winning the local prep, adding another second to his ledger.  In 16 lifetime starts, Rocket man has never been worse than second with 12 lifetime wins.  Sacred Kingdom, looking for his third Hong Kong Sprint win, was third.  The final time for the 1,200 meters was 1:08.84.

The workload has been light for the son of Sulamani, winner of the 2009 English St. Leger (G1), with only two starts in the interim since the Dubai World Cup.  Godolphin won the Vase in 2007 when Ramonti landed the spoils.  Excitingly, Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1) winner Americain will shorten up in this event making his first start since winning the race that stops a nation.

Run over 3,200 meters at Flemington, the Emirates Melbourne Cup is run annually on the first Tuesday in November (this year, November 2).

Click HERE for more from The National

DubaiRaceNight.com strongly believes that the 2010 Dubai Golden Shaheen will not be contested on grass, nor will it ever appear on grass.  Conversely, it is our opinion that the Dubai Racing Club will add a new race to the Dubai World Cup meeting in future years that will be similar to the Golden Shaheen, but run on grass. 

The international media has seemingly realized that Meydan is soon to be unveiled, and, oh yes, there is a 1,200 meters straightaway on the exterior grass course.  What some seem to forget is that the Dubai Racing Club has two well established, internationally recognized, group status preps for the Dubai Golden Shaheen on the all-weather Tapeta surface: the Al Shindagha Sprint (G3) and Mahab Al Shimaal (G3).  The 2009 winner of the Al Shindagha Sprint, Big City Man, later won the Golden Shaheen while Mahab Al Shimaal victor Gayego was second in the Godolphin Mile (G2) before becoming a Grade 1 winning sprinter in the US when taking the Ancient Title Stakes at Santa Anita.

While the Dubai International Racing Carnival has been used as a launching point to races on the Dubai World Cup meeting, a set of local preps for a logical new sprint stakes would be in order.  As it stands, only the Al Quoz Sprint (G3) stands as an established stake on the DIRC program and no additional turf sprint stakes have been added to the condition book for 2010.  Several American-based sprinters have acknowledged their intent to prepare for the first Tapeta-based Golden Shaheen.  The long-term planning for this established international Group 1 is there – as the first major international turf sprint, not so much.  Also lost in this shuffle is the most ignored fact: Nad Al Sheba HAD a 1,200 meters straight that was used on occasion in previous years at the Carnival. 

The stage is not set for a Golden Shaheen surface switch simply because of the new course at Meydan.  The Carnival is growing and so too will the Dubai World Cup meeting, most likely with a turf sprint and a stayers classic, as the DRC Gold Cup begins to grow towards some level of graded status.  Mourilyan, third home in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1) managed a second and third in two new stayers races from the 2009 Carnival, boosting the profile of such additions to the calendar.  It is much more realistic to expect additional stakes races to the Dubai World Cup meeting in future years, perhaps even 2011.  A switch to the 2010 offerings would be surprising to DubaiRaceNight.com.