Dark Saffron out to spice up carnival opener

Dark Saffron was one of the headline acts on Dubai World Cup day in April and the colt aims to pick up where he left off on Friday's opening card of the Dubai Racing Carnival.

- 

Trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash, the three-year-old beat an older field, including Group I winners Tuz, Straight No Chaser, and Nakatomi, in the GI Dubai Golden Shaheen.

He now faces his own age group over the same 1200metre course in the Emirates Airline Conditions race, first on the card.

"The plan is different for Dark Saffron this year," said Harmash. "We are planning to take him to Saudi for the [Riyadh Dirt Sprint] and then come back here for the Shaheen. Last year he had a lot of racing before the Shaheen, but now he has his rating [112], he will run only four or five times during the season."

Dark Saffron’s four rivals include dual winner Rammayy for trainer Michael Costa, who also runs the filly Arryaaf.