A full field, dominated by American-bred colts, is entered for the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) on Fashion Friday, Jan. 23, at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai—a steppingstone to the UAE Derby (G2) and the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Thanks to a restructuring of its official Kentucky Derby prep races, Churchill Downs has left the UAE Derby as an all-but-certain "Win and You're In" opportunity for the Run for the Roses. The Guineas will test local Derby candidates who then could face some overseas invaders on World Cup night, March 28.
The Guineas offers 20 points to the winner on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard but that's irrelevant thanks to the 100 points granted the winner of the UAE Derby.
The highest-rated Guineas entry is Six Speed, a Not This Time colt trained by one of the United Arab Emirates' top conditioners, Bhupat Seemar. Six Speed is 2-for-3 during the 2025-26 season, including daylight victories in his last two starts, and carries a 101 rating into the 1,600-meter (about 1-mile) race.
The wins include the UAE Two Thousand Guineas Trial. In that, jockey William Buick started Six Speed from a cozy inside gate and worked out a perfect, ground-saving trip. When asked in the straight, he willingly put distance on the competition and was still moving strongly at the end of the 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs), indicating he could handle more ground.
"For a horse stepping up from 6 furlongs to 7, he was very strong at the finish. He's a worthy candidate for the (UAE) Two Thousand Guineas," said Buick, who gives up the mount to ride Godolphin's candidate.
Seemar agreed, saying Six Speed "showed some grit last time. He went up there with the pace and then sat back a little and took some kickback. Then, when the opening came, he shot clear. He should be able to get the mile well."
Seemar has three others in the 16-colt field, notably Lino Padrino, an Uncle Lino colt who blew the start and finished fourth in the Guineas Trial after an impressive maiden win.
Next after Six Speed in ratings at 100 is Legalaized, a Dabster colt who carries a 4.5-kilo penalty as a Southern Hemisphere-bred. He finished second, 3 lengths behind Six Speed, in the Guineas Trial, his first Dubai outing after going 2-for-2 in Argentina. In addition to the weight differential, Legalaized started well outside in the big field and took an overland route into the stretch before tiring.
"The extra furlong is certainly a question mark," said Legalaized's jockey, James Doyle. "But if he can get a bit more of an economical trip, then hopefully he can run a very good race."
Devon Island, the Godolphin runner who inherits Buick's services, started his career running second on the all-weather course at Kempton Park in England in September. The Practical Joke colt has turned in impressive efforts in Dubai, going 2-for-2 while scarcely challenged. In both of those wins, he was chased home by Brotherly Love, a Zoustar half brother to Heart of Honor, who tries again for the trainer-jockey team of Jamie and Saffie Osborne. Heart of Honor, an Honor A. P. colt, finished second in this race last year before finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Preakness and Belmont stakes (both G1).
Other American-based or -bred sires represented in the field are Maximum Security , Complexity , Speightstown, Algorithms, Yaupon , Gun Runner , U S Navy Flag, Midshipman , and Honest Mischief .
Street Cry won the Guineas in 2001 at the old Nad al Sheba track but otherwise, the race has not produced a lot of classics success stories.
Golden Vekoma won the 2025 version and went on to win the Saudi Derby (G3) but has not raced since. Mendelssohn Bay won in 2024. Thunder Snow won both the Guineas and the UAE Derby in 2017 before his bizarre behavior at the start of that year's Kentucky Derby forced jockey Christophe Soumillon to pull him up.
