WC11.01.1ST.EPSF

Transcription

WC11.01.1ST.EPSF

TODAY’S ACTION TIME/COURSE
CARD AND SPOTLIGHT, PAGE ??
2
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 racingpost.com/iphone
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011
CONTENTS
jjBig-race calendar ............Page 4
jjMeydan: My First Impressions
(Terry Spargo) ....................Page 4
jjWorld map featuring
nation-by-nation record Pages 4-5
jjMeydan one year on........Page 6
jjWhere the other action can be
found..................................Page 7
(Luca Cumani) ....................Page 7
jjThe challengers:
Saeed Bin Suroor ................Page 8
jjThe challengers:
Mahmood Al Zarooni..........Page 9
jjThe challengers:
Focus on the UAE ......Pages 10-11
jjMeydan in pictures Pages 12-13
jjThe challengers:
Mike de Kock ............Pages 14-15
jjThe challengers:
Herman Brown ................Page 15
(Richard Hills) ..................Page 15
jjThe challengers:
Focus on Britain ..............Page 16
jjThe challengers:
Focus on France................Page 17
jjThe challengers:
Focus on Ireland ..............Page 17
jjThe challengers:
Focus on Japan ................Page 18
jjThe challengers:
Focus on South America ..Page 18
It’s another giant
step forward as 2011
carnival promises to
be the very best yet
A MESSAGE FROM SHEIKH MOHAMMED . . .
L
AST year 2010 marked a
very important year for
Meydan. Not only did the
doors open for the first
time, unveiling to the world
a project that supersedes any other,
it took horseracing to the next level
with a seventh staging of the Dubai
International Racing Carnival.
The all-weather and turf surfaces
saw horses from around the world
break new ground and imprint
their mark on what was to be a
brand new page for horseracing in
the UAE.
Every year since its inception, the
carnival has continued to grow,
jjThe role of Arab racing..Page 22
jjHow last year’s World Cup
was won............................Page 23
KRYPTON FACTOR
MY SWEET BABY
ROYAL DESTINATION
STRAWBERRYDAIQUIRI
Ed Dunlop
Brazil
Eduardo Martins
jjThe challengers:
Focus on the Middle East..Page 19
jjNation-by-nation guide Page 21
Michael Dods
Bahrain
jjThe challengers:
Focus on USA ..................Page 18
jjHow to find the winners............
........................................Page 20
ENERGIA CARIOCA
ENERGIA COLONIAL
HOTSIX
OROVESO
QUALITY GUITAR
VERDE MAR
Britain
Ralph Beckett
Walter Swinburn
MONSIEUR JOE
James Halpin
Roger Teal
STEELE TANGO
J J Harnett
Ed Walker
RIGGINS
DUBAWI PHANTOM
FAREER
France
WIGMORE HALL
Marco Botti
FANUNALTER
GITANO HERNANDO
LOLAMAR
David Brown
John Gosden
AZMEEL
Stef Higgins
MAC LOVE
Barry Hills
REDWOOD
Alan Jarvis
NAVAJO CHIEF
Mark Johnston
FOREST CROWN
OASIS DANCER
PUFF
Michael Bell
Clive Brittain
ABJER
NIDEEB
William Knight
David Lanigan
Mikael Magnusson
Brian Meehan
TRANQUIL TIGER
TWICE OVER
Mick Channon
GALLIC STAR
HALICARNASSUS
MONTAFF
Robert Cowell
Clive Cox
PALACE MOON
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
WANNABE KING
INTERACTION
Rod Collet
LIPOCCO
MARIOL
SUPERSTITION
WAR ARTIST
Francois Doumen
Andre Fabre
John Hammond
BRIDGE OF GOLD
DANGEROUS MIDGE
GOLDEN DESERT
Gary Moore
BERGO
Stan Moore
BIG CREEK
KINKY AFRO
SONORAN SANDS
David Nicholls
CIRCUMVENT
LUI REI
PROHIBIT
VITZANU
EVENS AND ODDS
INXILE
MASTA PLASTA
MISTER MANANNAN
Jeremy Noseda
WESTERN ARISTOCRAT
Jamie Osborne
RAKAAN
John Ryan
Freddie Head
Xavier Nakkachdji
JIMMY STYLES
Edward Creighton
PICCADILLY FILLY
Kevin Ryan
Luca Cumani
DRUNKEN SAILOR
MABAIT
MAN OF IRON
PRESVIS
START RIGHT
SWOP
Matty Salaman
RULES N REGULATIONS
David Simcock
AHLAAIN
BUSHMAN
LORD OF THE STARS
CALLING ELVIS
GALLAHAD
THAI HAKU
BYWORD
PALLODIO
TELLURIDE
MARINOUS
RAJSAMAN
ROCK OF NASSAU
AYUN TARA
CHEYRAC
HERMOUN
PUTYBALL
TOO NICE NAME
WIN FOR SURE
ZIBIMIX
Germany
Sabrina Harty
Andy Oliver
David Wachman
Dermot Weld
TITUREL
Pavel Vovcenko
INDOMITO
Marco Gasparini
Akio Adachi
Noriyuki Hori
Kunihide Matsuda
Shigeki Matsumoto
Yoshitaka Ninomiya
Mick Halford
BANNA BOIRCHE
HUJALEA
INVINCIBLE ASH
FIGHTING BRAVE
FAMOUS NAME
REBECCA ROLFE
ESPOIR CITY
JAGUAR MAIL
KINSHASA NO KISEKI
DANON CHANTILLY
LA VERITA
AXION
MAKOTO SPARVIERO
NANIWA TOMOARE
RAINBOW PEGASUS
WHITE PILGRIM
Katsuhiko Sumii
RULERSHIP
VICTOIRE PISA
ALDAWAY (Snow Watch)
MR MEDICI
ACROSS THE RHINE
ROCK JOCK
ANAM CHARA
Ippo Sameshima
Ireland
Tracey Collins
DANDY BOY
SEPARATE WAYS
Japan
Hong Kong
ARGANIL
BRAVELY FOUGHT
Italy
Yoshito Yahagi
Manfred Hofer
Peter Ho
IVER BRIDGE LAD
OCEAN BAY
KASBAH BLISS
Alain De Royer-Dupre
Mikel Delzangles
BOYNAGH JO
SHIMMERING MOMENT
David Marnane
Pascal Bary
DONCASTER ROVER
Henry Cecil
Paul Cole
GREYFRIARSCHORISTA
Robert Mills
Peter Chapple-Hyam CRYING LIGHTENING
Editor Nicholas Godfrey
Design David Dew
Senior reporter Howard Wright
Dubai correspondent Jason Ford
Graphics David Penzer, Jenny
Robertshaw
Bloodstock advertising Cheryl Gunn
(020 7293 3516)
BARNEY MCGREW
RAIN DELAYED
SWEET LIGHTNING
TIGER REIGNS
HERE’S WHO WE CAN EXPECT TO JOIN IN THE CARNIVAL THIS YEAR . . .
Fawzi Nass
(Wayne Smith)..................Page 18
Sheikh Mohammed: “Invite all
to become a part of history”
Furthermore, the UAE Oaks and
Dubai Racing Club Gold Cup have
been elevated from Listed to
Group 3 status.
These changes highlight the
strengthening appeal of what is
certainly the most international
racing festival, and as the industry
evolves we aim to stay ahead of the
field. We therefore ensure that the
high demands of the industry are
not only met but exceeded.
We are delighted to open our
gates once again and invite all to
become a part of history and help
us continue to write the story of
horseracing in the UAE.
with top-class horsemen and their
charges choosing Dubai as a part of
their global campaign.
The Dubai International Racing
Carnival is an important part of the
international racing calendar and
in 2011 it takes another giant step.
We can promise it will be the best
to date.
In addition to the variety of
world class Group, Listed and
handicap races the carnival
offers, we are proud to announce
the promotion of four Group 3
races to Group 2 status – the Al
Rashidiya, the Cape Verdi, the
Balanchine and the Al Quoz Sprint.
Takayuki Yasuda
GLORIOUS NOAH
GRAND PRIX ANGEL
GRAND PRIX BOSS
KYOEI ASURA
MAKANI BISTY
MORNING FACE
MOZU
OCEANIA BOSS
RANUNCULUS
TOSHI GANG STAR
TRANSCEND
Norway
Niels Petersen
BANK OF BURDEN
CAT JUNIOR
MANCHESTER
3
Racing Post Tuesday, January 11, 2011
BIG-RACE CALENDAR AND NATION-BY-NATION CARNIVAL RECORD, PAGES 4-5
Dubai Racing Club chief Frank
Gabriel reflects on a time of
change as international racing
goes from strength to strength
T
HE first part of the new
century merely emphasised
the way in which
horseracing has been
transformed, the shift
towards international competition in
the final quarter of the 20th century
continuing into the new millennium.
Horseracing finds itself in
fascinating times and the next few
years will be defining, racing
jurisdictions around the world facing
challenges as difficult the sport has
seen. However, one constant that will
remain is the commitment of owners
and trainers to international racing.
So much has happened in the last
30 years it would be doubtful a
crystal ball could reveal the true
extent to where horseracing will be in
the next 30 years. New markets will
emerge and these must be
encouraged, nurtured and developed
to ensure horseracing maintains its
presence on the global sporting
calendar.
With so many top-class
international events taking place
around the world, it would be
arrogant to suggest that Dubai has led
the way in this transformation. But
we like to think that we have played a
major role in strengthening what had
been developed and opened a market
to which, previously, had been
unattainable to the majority of
racehorse owners around the world.
This continues with the invitation
from the Chinese Government to
build a multi-purpose horseracing
complex near Tianjin.
The Dubai International Racing
Carnival took international racing to a
new level when it began in 2004 and
its impact on the sport can be seen
around the world with international
racing continuing to grow
year-on-year.
Before 2004 international racing
was available to the elite few – that
upper echelon of racehorses everyone
strives to have but few are lucky to
enjoy, approximately one per cent of
the horse population, those that race
at Group 1 level.
The Dubai World Cup meeting had
been among the later members of the
international Group 1 calendar before
the Dubai Racing Club decided to
extend that international flavour by
offering incentives and subsidies to
not only the elite performers but
those on the lower rungs.
What this did was allow so many
more owners, trainers, jockeys and
those that travelled with the horses to
also experience international
competition. We are proud to see new
trainers coming to Dubai in their own
right having experienced the carnival
in its early years as assistant trainers
and head lads and we hope this trend
continues.
The more they are willing to travel
their horses, the more international
racing becomes, and that can only
benefit the sport.
Statistics can be misleading but
often reflect the true nature and show
how successful and how well-received
the Dubai International Racing
Carnival has been around the world.
Since 2004, 324 trainers from 24
countries have sent horses to compete
in Dubai, 107 of those trainers having
a Dubai win on their cv.
Qatar
BRONZE CANNON
CHOCOLICIOUS
CLEARWATER BAY
FENCING MASTER
MIKHAIL GLINKA
NOBLE HEIR
NOCTURNAL AFFAIR
ORBISON
PAULINHO
QUICK VAL
SHEER COURAGE
STORM CHISPAZO
Ibrahim Saeed Al Malki BRIEF ENCOUNTER
HEARTS OF FIRE
LOGIC WAY
MISS STARLIGHT
Saudi Arabia
S Al Harabi
FIELD EVENT
FLESH FOR FANTASY
MULLER
PARIS PERFECT
SMART BANKER
Naif Alatawi
ELECTRIC WAVES
FORMOSINA
Jerry Barton
DEEM
South Africa
Herman Brown
BANKABLE
BOBBYSCOT
Mike de Kock
ABSOLUTE HERETIC
ANAEROBIO
ANCESTRAL FORE
ATLANTIC SPORT
BIARRITZ
BOLD SILVANO
CLEARLY SILVER
EMPIRE ROSE
EQUIPARADA
The carnival’s growth curve has
been quite staggering. In 2004,
53 trainers from 17 countries sent
105 international runners to compete
in Dubai; by 2010 that had grown to
95 trainers from 21 countries sending
209 international runners.
Saeed Bin Suroor sits atop the
ladder for the most number of wins
by a trainer with 95, ahead of Mike de
Kock with 78 but, remarkably, both
trainers have identical strike rates,
18.48 per cent of winners to runners.
You can be certain that the records
of these two trainers, both assembling
powerful teams, will only improve
during the 2011 carnival. De Kock, for
example, is arriving with perhaps his
strongest contingent from South
Africa, among them his UAE Derby
winner from last year, Musir.
While it is pleasing to welcome
trainers back year after year, another
pleasing aspect is those coming to
Dubai for the first time. We hope their
time in Dubai will see them return for
many years to come.
T
HE increase in numbers
annually is commensurate
with a growth in
competition and it is for this
reason that we believe 2011
will be our strongest carnival to date.
Our Pattern has grown in strength due
to a number of upgrades from last
year.
The Cape Verdi, Al Rashidiya,
Balanchine and Al Quoz Sprint have
gone to Group 2 level, the UAE Oaks
and DRC Gold Cup to Group 3 while
the Firebreak Stakes, Nad Al Sheba
Trophy and Meydan Classic will be
run under Listed status for the first
time.
A significant change is the distance
of the Al Quoz Sprint, to 1,000m (5f)
from the 1,200m (6f) it was run over
in previous years. We felt this better
suited the balance of the Dubai World
FROSTY SECRET
GOLDEN SWORD
HAPPY VALLEY
HERE TO WIN
HUNTING TOWER
IMBONGI
IRISH FLAME
KING OF ROME
LIZARRE
LUCKY FIND
MAHBOOBA
MR BROCK
MR CRAZY BOY
MUSIR
MUTAHADEE
NITZA
OUR GIANT
RAIHANA
REEM
RIVER JETEZ
SOLID CHOICE
STAR EMPIRE
Cup programme due to the already
established Dubai Golden Shaheen
over 1,200m. It is our aim for the Al
Quoz Sprint to be further upgraded to
Group 1 level.
This increase in competition at the
carnival will also see those that
compete build on an impressive
record that graduates have later in the
year after racing in Dubai.
Horses that competed in Dubai
during 2010 went on to win 15 Group
or Grade 1 races in six countries,
further silencing those that believe it
too hard for a horse to compete in
Dubai and remain competitive later in
the year.
With Meydan now firmly
established on the international
calendar, we revert to the traditional
starting date of the second week in
January with the opening rounds of
the Al Maktoum Challenge before
embarking on a further nine meetings
leading into the 2011 Dubai World
Cup.
Last year we inaugurated the
Meydan Masters International
Jockeys’ Challenge and we continue
this year with the winning riders of
ten of the world’s major races in 2010
competing in four races over two days
of February 18 and 19.
Richard Hills was the inaugural
recipient of the Meydan Masters
Trophy and he will be there to defend
his title against a line-up of riders that
will only add to the excitement of this
year’s carnival.
The opening year of Meydan was a
successful one – but one we are
confident we can build on and make
2011 our most successful carnival to
date.
We welcome the world to Dubai for
this exciting period of racing and are
confident that what will be on display
will set the stage for global racing in
2011.
WARSAW
WONDER LAWN
ZANZAMAR
M Houdalakis
JJ THE JET PLANE
Spain
Mauricio Delcher Sanchez
AS DE TREBOL
SILVERSIDE (USA)
Turkey
Sadettin Mutlu
DERVIS AGA
Kemal Saglam
MYSTICAL STORM
USA
Ben Cecil
CROWDED HOUSE
FERNELEY
Kiaran McLaughlin
REDDING COLLIERY
SERVA JUGUM
CARNIVAL TRAINERS 2004-10
Trainer
wins
2nd
3rd
runs
95
73
64
514 18.5
S Bin Suroor (UAE)
s-r%
M de Kock (SAf)
78
53
50
422 18.5
D Watson (UAE)
35
40
41
505
6.9
M Al Kurdi (UAE)
19
17
22
198
9.6
I Mohammed (UAE)
18
14
21
168 10.7
H Brown (SA)
16
21
14
201
8.0
D Selvaratnam (UAE) 15
18
21
204
7.4
E Charpy (UAE)
14
21
22
330
4.2
A Al Raihe (UAE)
12
16
17
240
5.0
J Noseda (GB)
12
5
5
53 22.7
M Bin Shafya (UAE)
12
10
6
109 11.0
S Seemar (UAE)
12
25
20
M Channon (GB)
10
5
10
R Bouresly (Kuw)
9
11
7
J Barton (RSA)
8
9
7
360
3.3
95 10.6
233
3.9
72 11.1
CARNIVAL JOCKEYS 2004-10
Jockey
wins
2nd
3rd
runs
Frankie Dettori
72
53
46
347 20.7
s-r%
Ted Durcan
39
48
51
412
Kevin Shea
34
25
22
195 17.4
Weichong Marwing
34
21
18
140 24.3
Ryan Moore
30
37
28
351
Mick Kinane
27
22
28
250 10.8
Richard Hills
25
29
23
302
Johnny Murtagh
23
28
32
206 11.1
Kerrin McEvoy
21
19
21
211 10.0
Willie Supple
18
13
14
253
Royston Ffrench
16
8
12
206
7.8
Richard Mullen
15
23
17
306
4.9
Ahmed Ajtebi
14
9
11
116 12.1
Eddie Ahern
14
6
12
115 12.1
Christophe Soumillon 10
3
2
47 21.3
9.5
8.6
8.3
7.1
Source: Dubai Racing Club
CARNIVAL COUNTRIES 2004-10
Country
wins
runs
UAE
257
3,145
s-r%
8.2
South Africa
99
661
15.0
Britain
77
923
8.3
USA
14
112
12.5
Brazil
12
165
7.3
Saudi Arabia
10
122
8.2
Ireland
9
159
5.7
Kuwait
9
233
3.9
France
8
116
6.9
Australia
5
21
23.8
Germany
5
69
7.2
Turkey
4
26
15.4
Japan
4
41
9.8
Macau
4
66
6.1
Hong Kong
2
14
14.3
India
2
26
7.7
Singapore
2
28
7.1
Norway
1
25
4.0
Source: Ben Hutton
All statistics thoroughbred races only
- THE PLACE TO BE FOR THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF
The $2 billion Meydan racecourse is back in business for the Dubai Carnival
on Thursday – and every meeting is shown live on ATR, RUK and Sky Sports 1
Follow all the action with our top team
Man on the spot
Latest news and views from Dubai
correspondent Jason Ford
Up to the minute
Live reports at racingpost.com by
award-winning writer Nicholas Godfrey
Expert advice
Spotlight comments on every single horse by
Richard Young
Expert analysis
Full post-race anaylsis by Ron Wood
4
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 BIG-RACE CALENDAR
Race
Status
Prize-money
Eligibility
Distance
Track
Last year’s winner
Trained
Trainer
Jockey
Thursday, January 13
Al Maktoum Challenge Round I
Group 3
$200,000
4yo+*
1m
AW
Gloria De Campeao France
P Bary
TJ Pereira
Group 2
$200,000
4yo+* f/m
1m
Turf
Soneva
Britain
M Botti
C Soumillon
Group 2
$200,000
4yo+*
1m1f
Turf
Alexandros
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
UAE 1,000 Guineas
Listed
$250,000
3yo f
1m
AW
Siyaadah
UAE
S Bin Suroor
A Ajtebi
Al Shindagha Sprint
Group 3
$200,000
4yo+*
6f
AW
War Artist
Britain
J Eustace
O Peslier
Al Maktoum Challenge Round II
Group 3
$200,000
4yo+*
1m11/2f
AW
Allybar
UAE
S Bin Suroor
A Ajtebi
Firebreak Stakes
Listed
$175,000
4yo+*
1m
AW
Skysurfers
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
UAE 2,000 Guineas
Group 3
$250,000
3yo
1m
AW
Musir
S Africa
M de Kock
C Soumillon
Nad Al Sheba Trophy
Listed
$175,000
4yo+*
1m6f
Turf
Age Of Reason
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
Al Fahidi Fort
Group 2
$250,000
4yo+*
1m
Turf
Bankable
S Africa
H Brown
R Moore
Group 2
$200,000
4yo+* f/m
1m1f
Turf
Deem
SAE
J Barton
O Peslier
Listed
$150,000
3yo
1m
Turf
Frozen Power
UAE
S Bin Suroor
A Ajtebi
Cape Verdi
Al Rashidiya
Thursday, February 3
4
Friday, February 18
Balanchine
Meydan Classic
UAE Oaks
1 2
Group 3
$250,000
3yo f
1m1 / f
AW
Raihana
S Africa
M de Kock
C Soumillon
Group 3
$200,000
4yo+*
1m
AW
Cat Junior
Britain
B Meehan
R Hills
Super Thursday, March 3
Burj Nahaar
Al Bastakiya
Listed
$250,000
Mahab Al Shimaal
Group 3
Dubai City of Gold
Group 2
Jebel Hatta
Al Maktoum Challenge Round III
1 2
3yo
1m1 / f
AW
Mendip
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
$200,000
3yo+
6f
AW
Desert Party
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
$250,000
4yo+*
1m4f
Turf
Campanologist
UAE
S Bin Suroor
L Dettori
Group 2
$250,000
4yo+*
1m1f
Turf
Presvis
Britain
L Cumani
R Moore
Group 2
$300,000
4yo+*
1m2f
AW
Red Desire
Japan
M Matsunaga O Peslier
DRC Gold Cup
Group 3
$200,000
4yo+
2m
Turf
Sabotage
UAE
S Bin Suroor
M Barzalona
Zabeel Mile
Group 2
$250,000
4yo+*
1m
Turf
Imbongi
S Africa
M de Kock
C Soumillon
Godolphin Mile
Group 2
$1,000,000
4yo+*
1m
AW
Calming Influence
UAE
M Al Zarooni A Ajtebi
Al Quoz Sprint
Group 2
$1,000,000
3yo+
5f
Turf
Joy And Fun
Hong Kong
D Cruz
B Doyle
C Soumillon
Thursday, March 10
Saturday, March 26
1 2
UAE Derby
Group 2
$2,000,000
3yo
1m1 / f
AW
Musir
S Africa
M de Kock
Dubai Golden Shaheen
Group 1
$2,000,000
3yo+
6f
AW
Kinsale King
USA
C O’Callaghan G Gomez
Dubai Duty Free
Group 1
$5,000,000
4yo+*
1m1f
Turf
Al Shemali
UAE
A Al Raihe
R Ffrench
Dubai Sheema Classic
Group 1
$5,000,000
4yo+*
1m4f
Turf
Dar Re Mi
Britain
J Gosden
W Buick
Dubai World Cup
Group 1
$10,000,000
4yo+*
1m2f
AW
Gloria De Campeao France
P Bary
TJ Pereira
1
UAE
257 wins
3,145 runs
2
South
Africa
99 wins
661 runs
3
Britain
77 wins
923 runs
4
USA
14 wins
112 runs
5
Brazil
12 wins
165 runs
*3yos bred in southern hemisphere also eligible
Meydan: my first impressions
Terry Spargo
AUSTRALIAN race caller Terry
Spargo has been the voice of UAE
racing for ten years now, witnessing
a lot of change in that time,
culminating last year with the
opening of Meydan. The Emirates
Racing Authority commentator –
who also calls the action at Jebel
Ali, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – called
home Well Armed in the 2009 Dubai
World Cup, the final race staged at
Nad Al Sheba, and then last year the
three-way finish to the 2010 World
Cup at Meydan.
Obviously it was a great honour to
call the last race at Nad Al Sheba and
the first at Meydan, which is a
remarkable facility – much bigger than
Nad Al Sheba and a much better
broadcast spot.
It’s a good viewing track, unlike Jebel
Ali for instance where I had to ask for a
new commentary box when I arrived so
that I could actually see all the track –
that part of it not behind the hill,
anyway.
The ERA offices are also at Meydan,
so we were on site watching the
finishing touches being put to the
Meydan grandstand and the end
product is amazing.
It’s all so different from when I
arrived. Then, the World Cup was
established but later the carnival was
introduced and it just gets better and
better each year. Now it also has the
perfect venue to showcase UAE racing to
the world.
The change of surface to Tapeta has
certainly had a positive affect and I
think the World Cup itself was proof of
that with such an exciting finish. The
Nad Al Sheba dirt races often saw the
whole field strung out but that has not
been the case at Meydan, where we have
seen horses lead all the way and others
come from last, so it seems a very fair
track and surface.
The turf track is remarkable – it’s so
wide – and is going to be a real asset to
the course. It will be used more this
season and we now have three races on
grass on World Cup night. There has
been tremendous progress in a short
time in the UAE and I can’t wait to see
what is next.
5
MEYDAN ONE YEAR ON, PAGE 6
NATION-BY-NATION
18
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2004-2010
25
23
7
3
11
19
9
26
24
12
22
13
8
16
14
15
17
27 28
1
6
5
30
29
10
20
2
21
Italy
0 wins
31 runs
Greece
0 wins
7 run
27
Bahrain
0 wins
64 runs
23
Denmark
0 wins
10 runs
28
Qatar
No previous
runners
Czech
Republic
0 wins
1 run
24
Spain
0 wins
10 runs
29
Chile
No previous
runners
Argentina
0 wins
1 runs
25
Sweden
0 wins
21 runs
30
Peru
No previous
runners
Saudi Arabia
10 wins
122 runs
11
Germany
5 wins
69 runs
16
India
2 wins
26 runs
21
7
Ireland
9 wins
159 runs
12
Turkey
4 wins
26 runs
17
Singapore
2 wins
28 runs
22
8
Kuwait
9 wins
233 runs
13
Japan
4 wins
41 runs
18
Norway
1 win
25 runs
9
France
8 wins
116 runs
14
Macau
4 wins
66 runs
19
Australia
5 wins
21 runs
15
Hong Kong
2 wins
14 runs
20
10
New
Zealand
0 wins
2 runs
26
6
6
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 MEYDAN ONE YEAR ON
THE MEANING OF MEYDAN
A MEETING PLACE, WHERE PEOPLE COME TO DISCUSS, COMPETE AND ACHIEVE;
AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGES COMPETITION AND CO-OPERATION TO
LIVE SIDE BY SIDE IN HARMONY; A HABITAT CREATED TO PROMOTE EXCELLENCE
AND FAIR PLAY IN SPORT, COMMERCE AND LIFE; A PLACE LIKE NEVER BEFORE
One year after its opening
Howard Wright finds out how
the racecourse development at
Meydan has been received and
what the future might hold
M
ODERN icon or
monumental folly:
immediate impressions
are still being refined,
as Meydan develops
and reality takes firmer shape. One
year on from its relatively low-key
opening, Sheikh Mohammed’s vision
for the world’s ultimate racecourse
venue – a $2 billion project – remains
the overarching driving force.
Since Carlos Santana packed away
his soaring guitar and visitors
streamed into the early morning
hours of Dubai World Cup night last
March, development of the ‘meeting
place’, from which Meydan takes its
name, has moved on – gradually, not
spectacularly.
Dubai’s well-publicised economic
difficulties, which halted all but the
most vital construction work around
the emirate, even as Meydan was in
the final throes of pre-opening
preparation, have continued.
Three of the four sub-districts of
Meydan City – Metropolis, for
business; Horizons, for business and
luxury residential accommodation,
and Godolphins Parks, including the
Signature Mall shopping destination –
remain publicly visible only as
elaborate models, although show
homes in an exclusive gated villa
community are expected to be open
for viewing during the World Cup
meeting.
Some important agreements have
been signed, and significant
international banking clients such as
Emirates NBD and Amlak Finance are
poised to move in. As yet, and
probably for some little time to come,
they have nothing to move into.
By contrast, the fourth sub-district,
Meydan Racecourse, with its mindstretching 1.3km span of five-star
hotel, superb grandstand and
imaginative boathouse, is up and
running, maybe not to its full 285-bed
or 60,000-racegoer capacity, but
moving forward nevertheless.
The hotel, which was originally
earmarked for operation by the
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels,
opened under Jumeirah Group
guidance.
However, along with responsibility
for the desert resort Bab Al Shams,
day-to-day management of the hotel
was handed back to the main Meydan
company on January 1, with the
familiar figure of Abdin Nasralla, vice
president of Meydan Hotels &
Hospitality, taking full control.
He is charged with bringing in some
of the additional 2.5 million tourists
that Dubai needs to attract annually,
if it is to absorb an estimated 60 per
cent increase in hotel rooms over the
next five years highlighted by a recent
Deloitte report, which also noted that
average hotel occupancy had fallen
from 80 to 70 per cent, and revenue
per available room from the
equivalent of £195 to £155, since
2007.
The Meydan hotel appears to be
punching above the average weight
for Dubai. Per-night room rates for the
carnival start at the equivalent of
£230, with the exception of Super
Thursday, when they rise to a starting
point of £265.
A room on each of the two nights
before the World Cup will cost at least
£530. The minimum tariff on the big
night is £1,815. All prices are subject
to a ten per cent tax and similar
service charge. Book now, says the
Meydan website.
In and around the grandstand,
which was no more than 60 per cent
completed last March, finishing work,
including completion of the Sky
Bubble, slung below the landmark
crescent construction at the highest
point, and landscaping has continued.
Dubai Racing Club chief executive
Frank Gabriel, who has lived and
breathed the project since it was
devised by Sheikh Mohammed in late2005 and unveiled to an unsuspecting
world in March the following year,
emphasises that the first call was to
make the grandstand ready for racing.
“Once that was achieved, Meydan
established a strong hospitality team
to bring in other business,” he says,
“and that has been growing since
around last September. The hotel is
getting more business week after
week, and it will support the
grandstand facilities on race nights,
while looking for growth in other
recreational facilities.”
Gabriel’s overriding focus is the
racecourse and, while maintaining his
trademark understated demeanour,
his pride in a year’s work shines
through.
“We’ve added an influx of new
trainers,” he says, “and after making
adjustments to the stabling, more
trainers such as Herman Brown and
Mike de Kock have set up camp and
shipped in horses earlier than usual.
“We moved in on the turf course in
April and May, and spent a lot of time
during the summer leveling and
seeding. We’ve got full cover now and
will use it for racing for the first time
on the opening day of the carnival.
“I’m very pleased with the turf
course, and also with the turf training
track, which we hardly used last
season but have got in good shape
now. The idea is to maximise the
training facilities so that horses can
produce their peak performance on
the night.
“As for the carnival programme,
we’ve kept largely to last year’s
format, which I thought was pretty
good, though we’ve put on more
opportunities for extended-distance
$2 BILLION
Getting to know the course
Meydan turf track
6f
1200m
5f
1000m
7f
51/2f
1100m
Rough estimate of cost of project;
accurate figure will probably
never be known
1400m
1600m
71/2f
3200m
1m1f
1800m
1500m
1m6f
1,033 DAYS
1m
2m
1m1/2f
2800m
1700m
1m11/2f
1m4f
Winning Post
Startpoint
1900m
2400m
1m2f
2000m
Turf track
jjLeft-handed; jjOval distance: 2,400 metres (12f)
jjTwo starting chutes at 1,200m and 2,000m; jjWidth: 30m (98ft)
jjDistance from final turn to finish line: 450m (2.25f)
Meydan all-weather Tapeta track
6f
1m21/2f
1m3f
1200m
2100m
1m11/2f
2200m
1900m
7f
1400m
1m2f
71/2f
1500m
2000m
Winning Post
Startpoint
1.3 KILOMETRES
Length of hotel, grandstand and
boathouse, equivalent to 22
Boeing 747s lined up nose to tail
76M SQUARE FEET
61/2f
1300m
Days between Sheikh Mohammed’s
first public announcement of plans
for Meydan racecourse and opening
fixture
1m1f
1m
1800m
1600m
Occupied by racecourse, including
12f, 30m-wide turf and 8.75f,
25m-wide Tapeta artificial tracks,
and hotel and grandstand, also
housing Godolphin gallery, IMAX
cinema-theatre, Dubai Racing Club
admin offices and museum
2 KILOMETRES
All-weather Tapeta
jjLeft-handed, inside turf track; jjOval distance: 1,750m (8f)
jjTwo starting chutes at 1,500m and 1,600m
jjWidth: 25 meters (82ft)
jjDistance from final turn to finish line: 400m (2f)
horses and also turf sprinters.
“And I’m delighted with the
standard of entry. We have at least
200 horses who are rated 100 and
upwards, which is extremely strong,
particularly as the figure doesn’t
include Godolphin horses.”
Two other senior figures at the
sharp end of racing at Meydan
confirm that whatever the views of
the off-track facilities, the venue
passed the racecourse test from the
start.
F
ORMER UK and US trainer
Michael Dickinson was
responsible for the Tapeta
synthetic surface, and after
rectifying two ‘slow’ opening
nights’ racing, he expresses himself
well satisfied.
“By the third night, the track was
faster and I was very happy with the
way it behaved throughout the
Carnival and on World Cup night,” he
says. “The original surface is in place,
and when I visited Dubai for two
weeks in November, at the start of the
season, I felt the track was even
better than before the summer.
“We are lucky to have an excellent
track superintendent in Javier Barajas,
and his Indian commander Inderjit
Singh.
“At the beginning of the project, 18
months ago, with the help of the
Newmarket groundsman, I took a
sizeable sample of turf from the 2m4f
start, which had been down for 200
years and not used very much.
“I took it to Cranfield University
sports research unit, along with a
similar amount of Tapeta, and asked
the scientists how I could make
Tapeta as good as the turf crosssection, which had a marvelous root
structure and cushion.
“After three months of tests, they
said I should keep the Tapeta tight on
top and soft underneath, and that’s
what we’ve done.”
The impact that Dickinson’s efforts
have on the form book come within
the daily realm of the Emirates Racing
Authority’s senior handicapper Melvin
Day, who says: “I’ve no complaints
with the Tapeta surface. Horses have
been running very consistently this
season, and we’ve had some decent
finishes in handicaps, so the racing
has been competitive.
“People were critical of the kickback
on the dirt surface at Nad Al Sheba,
but there are no grumbles now.
“The turf track has also been
excellent for judging form and,
although it hasn’t been raced over so
far this season, I don’t imagine there
will be any problems about
inconsistency when it is used.”
Followers of top-class horseracing
could wish for no more, whatever
anyone else may say about the marvel
that is Meydan.
Length of tunnels to take horses
from stables to racetrack
195 FEET
The height above ground of Sky
Bubble, grandstand lounge bar for up
to 4,500 people, including 5,000 glass
panels
9,000 TONNES
The amount of steel used to clad
grandstand crescent roof, 420
metres long, with 4,800 solar
panels
10,000 SPACES
The amount of car parking under
cover of flacon-shaped roof, with
20,000 solar panels
4 KILOMETRES
The eventual length of the canal
link from marina and boathouse
at end of grandstand to Dubai
Creek
$1.25 BILLION
The main construction contract value
(then £890m) to joint venture of
UAE-based Arabtec Construction and
Malaysian company WCT
Engineering, cancelled in early
January 2009; work completed by
Chinese construction company
7
SAEED BIN SUROOR’S CARNIVAL SQUAD, PAGE 8
EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)
STANDING FOR SUCCESS
The world over
The iconic stand at Meydan, which now hosts non-carnival meetings as well
Plenty of action going on
apart from the carnival
IF you do happen to be in the
UAE at any time during the Dubai
Carnival, don’t forget there are
plenty more race meetings away
from the Meydan jamboree, writes
Jason Ford.
Indeed, two of these even take
place at the Meydan itself, as two
new Saturday meetings have been
scheduled inside the borders of
the carnival on February 5 and a
month later on March 5.
This is a welcome initiative for
the local owners and trainers
with horses below carnival
standard – while those on the
cusp may well use the February
card as a springboard to getting
the necessary 95 rating for a later
appearance at the main event.
Emirates Racing Authority
senior handicapper Melvin Day
explained: “We listened to the
feedback last year when there
was no domestic racing at Meydan
and introduced these meetings.
“Not all horses act at Jebel Ali,
and Abu Dhabi and Sharjah offer
limited opportunities, so we have
provided some extra options for
the owners and trainers. Some of
the races will be for lower-rated
horses but there will be better
races for carnival aspirants.”
Of the other venues, the action
moves to Jebel Ali straight after
opening night at Meydan with
the Jebel Ali Stakes offering a
good prize on Friday, January
14.
This Listed event, run at a
distance just short of 1m2f, is
one of three such races at Jebel
Ali, with the Mile to follow on
January 28 and the Jebel Ali
Sprint on March 11. The winner
of the last-named contest often
earns a World Cup night invitation.
Jebel Ali, where they race on
dirt, is only about 20 minutes
away from Meydan, whereas UAE
capital city Abu Dhabi, where
the track is turf-only, is a good hour
by car.
They have already staged their
first two thoroughbred features but
the Abu Dhabi Championship on
March 20 has been elevated to
Group 3 status this year. The
1m3f feature has been really
competitive in recent years, and
an international challenge is
expected as the World Cup
meeting is only six days later.
Anyone failing to secure a berth
on the big night may well try
their luck here – Mike de Kock
saddled the winner in 2009.
He has also won the Jebel Ali
Sprint in the past.
Abu Dhabi is usually dominated
by Arab racing – purebred arabians,
to give them their full title – and
as such they tend to stage just a
single thoroughbred contest every
Sunday.
But they race most weekends,
starting at 5pm local time and
it is the place for purebred arabian
enthusiasts to visit. They race
most Sundays, starting at 5pm,
while Jebel Ali tends to be
alternative Friday afternoons
starting about 2pm with just the
odd Arab race thrown in.
The other racecourse is Sharjah,
which has just one more fixture
this season on Saturday, February
22. They race on a dirt surface
very similar to the old Nad Al
Sheba, mixing arab racing with
thoroughbreds, though probably
only two races involving the latter.
UAE non-carnival
meetings 2011
January
Fri 14
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali Stakes (Listed)
Sun 23 Abu Dhabi
UAE Arabian Derby
Fri 28 Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali Mile (Listed)
February
Meydan
Abu Dhabi
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali Sprint (Listed)
Sun 13 Abu Dhabi
Sat 22 Sharjah
Fri 25 Jebel Ali
Sun 27 Abu Dhabi
Sat 8
Fri 11
Sun 13
Fri 18
Sun 20
Meydan
Jebel Ali
Abu Dhabi
Jebel Ali
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Championship
(Group 3)
Luca Cumani
develop but it was okay towards
the end of the meeting last year
so hopefully it will be fine this
year. I cannot say anything but
good about Meydan.
But it is a bit trickier to win
from behind on the Tapeta than
it should be because I think the
jockeys are not really going that
fast up front and that makes it
more difficult to come from way
off the pace.
We’re well looked after there.
We have a barn in the quarantine
area, with Ed Walker and Marco
Botti, so we’re all happy families.
The carnival is a big draw
given the way the prize-money is
going in Britain – the majority of
4600 Ft. Springs Road,
Lexington, KY 40513
Tel: (859) 255-9757
Fax: (859) 233-4699
E-mail: info@shadwellfarm.com
www.shadwellfarm.com
March
NO British trainer can match
the recent carnival success of
Luca Cumani, who has had
three winners at the meeting
in each of the last two years.
Meydan is an amazing place and
the stands are something else –
they have to be seen and walked
to be believed. You couldn’t find
a better set-up anywhere in the
world.
The track is good – I only wish
the straight was a little longer to
give every horse a fairer chance
not to be shut in during the
closing stages but the Tapeta
surface is very good. The grass is
taking a little bit of time to
Standing: DAAHER, DUMAANI,
INTIDAB, INVASOR, JAZIL,
KAYRAWAN, MUSTANFAR.
Sat 5
Sun 6
Fri 11
our horses are handicappers who
couldn’t dream of picking up that
kind of prize-money in Britain,
and the owners enjoy having a
break in the winter so it couldn’t
be better.
I tend to commute a bit, going
for four or five days at a time
every two weeks – it breaks the
monotony of a British winter and
a bit of sunshine doesn’t do any
harm.
For the last two years we’ve
been the leading foreign stable at
the carnival so let’s hope we can
do it again. I’ve got a team of six
and I’m hoping they will get their
turn in winning a race or two.
Standing: ALHAARTH, ARCANO,
ELNADIM, HAATEF, INTIKHAB,
MARJU, TAMAYUZ.
Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.
Tel: +353(0) 1 6286228
Fax: +353(0) 1 6286733
E-mail: info@derrinstown-stud.ie
www.derrinstown.com
SHADWELL
S T A N D I N G
F O R
S U C C E S S
Standing: AQLAAM, GREEN DESERT,
HAAFHD, MAWATHEEQ,
NAYEF, SAKHEE.
Thetford, Norfolk, England.
Tel: +44 (0)1842 755913
Fax: +44 (0)1842 755189
E-mail: enquiries@shadwellstud.co.uk
www.shadwellstud.co.uk
8
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 THE CHALLENGERS
N
EEDING just five winners
to complete a carnival
century, Godolphin trainer
Saeed Bin Suroor is
looking forward to the
2011 renewal with the usual ultrapowerful squad featuring a nice
mixture of Group performers, young
horses and unexposed handicappers.
Having been the leading trainer at
each of the last three carnivals, Bin
Suroor will be hoping for more of the
same.
“Of course, we are looking forward
to the carnival as we are a Dubaibased operation and this event
showcases our racing and country to
the world,” he says. “The opening of
Meydan was brilliant last season and
we were all very proud to have such
an iconic racecourse in Dubai.
“But it is a year-long campaign with
Meydan in January through to Hong
Kong in December and we have to
plan carefully which horse we run
where. Some need a rest but we have
plenty to run.”
Interview by Jason Ford
Abtasaamah (USA)
3f Distorted Humor - Fleet Lady
An excellent second on her
Newmarket debut before switching to
the AW at Southwell to win her
maiden after a two-month break.
Failed to fire on her last start but is a
nice filly and going well at home.
There is a conditions race, a prep for
the 1,000 Guineas, on the first night
and then the Guineas itself.
Age Of Reason (UAE)
6g Halling - Time Changes
An old favourite, one who was foaled
here in the UAE. A Nad Al Sheba
Carnival winner in 2009, he was our
first runner in Qatar when he won
there later that year. He also won at
the Meydan carnival last year. Those
three wins were all on turf and we
will run him in the staying race over
1m6f at the third meeting on the
grass – though he has won on
Polytrack in the UK.
Al Zir (USA)
4c Medaglia D’Oro - Bayou Plans
He won both starts at two before an
excellent third in the Racing Post
Trophy and then kept good company
last season, running in first the 2,000
Guineas then the Epsom Derby but
was a little bit weak. He ran twice
more in the autumn and was not
beaten far on either occasion. He has
strengthened up now and hopefully
can build on the promise he showed
at two.
Ashram (Ire)
5g Indian Haven - Tara’s Girl
He has plenty of useful form in the
UK and was a winner on the Kempton
Polytrack in 2009. His work on the
Tapeta recently has been very pleasing
and he seems in excellent condition so
we will run him on the opening night
in Maktoum Challenge I.
Aspectoflove (Ire)
5m Danetime - Rose Vibert
She was second in both the carnival
fillies’ races last year and they will be
her target again, although she did win
at Lingfield on the Polytrack. We gave
her a break over the summer and she
thrived on that to come back well in
the autumn and win twice. She seems
to like racing close to the pace and is
working very well and showing a lot
of pace so the Cape Verdi [January
20] will hopefully be ideal for her
comeback.
Atlantis Star (GB)
4c Cape Cross - Ladeena
He ran only twice last year and, as he
did at two, won first time out. That
was on Polytrack so we hope the
Meydan surface will suit and he is
certainly going nicely on it at home.
Maktoum Challenge on the first night
is the logical place to bring him back.
He is an exciting prospect and one we
are really looking forward to.
STABLE TOUR
SAEED BIN SUROOR
Carnival record 95 wins from 514 runners (18.5%)
‘He finished last
season with two
Group 1s and is
different from the
horse we had in
Dubai last year’
He will run in a handicap at the
second meeting and is hopefully the
type to be very competitive
throughout the campaign. He won on
turf at two and was Listed-placed in
France last year on grass so we always
have that option.
Shimaal, the Super Thursday Sprint in
2009, and was second in the Al
Shindagha Sprint last year but won
over a mile in America in September.
We will probably bring him back in
the Firebreak Stakes, over the mile on
Tapeta, on February 10.
Newmarket maiden on the middle
one. She was third in the Group 3 Oh
So Sharp Stakes on her final outing
and is improving all the time. The
UAE 1,000 Guineas is the aim and she
will probably go straight there. She’s
one I do really like.
Bab Al Salam (USA)
5h Seeking The Gold - Encandiladora
He had only two starts at the carnival
last year and has been off the track
since. He is well and fresh and
progressing nicely towards his
comeback which will hopefully be on
the Tapeta at the second meeting. We
have always thought him the ideal
carnival type so hopefully he can have
a productive campaign.
Global City (Ire)
5h Exceed And Excel - Victory Peak
He had a very good 2010 carnival and
won both his first two starts in 6f
handicaps. He is naturally very pacey
so we will stick to the sprints on the
Tapeta and hopefully he will return in
February in the equivalent of one of
the races he won last year [February
17].
Kingsfort (USA)
4c War Chant - Princess Kris
Won both juvenile starts before
joining us last year but sadly had a
delayed start to the campaign and did
not run until October. He did win his
second and final start and has been
working well since we came back to
Dubai and is hopefully back to his
very best. We’ll keep him on the turf
in all likelihood and he could run the
second or third week.
Borug (USA)
3c Kingmambo - Marienbad
He won half of his four starts as a
juvenile last year with a win on
Polytrack as well as on turf. He is
impeccably bred, being a Kingmambo
half-brother to our 2002 Arc winner
Marienbard. He has won over a mile
so we hope he will be a horse for the
UAE 2,000 Guineas and we will run
him in the 7f trial at the second
meeting.
Everyday Heroes (USA)
5h Awesome Again - Lucette
He’s a new horse in the yard having
been trained in America by Kiaran
McLaughlin and we have been
pleased with him since he arrived. He
shows a lot of pace at home and
works well on the Tapeta so there is a
7f handicap for him in the second
week.
Gayego (USA)
6h Gilded Time - Devils Lake
He has always been a favourite of
mine and is a really big, powerful
individual who always shows bags of
speed at home. He won the Mahab Al
Invisible Man (GB)
5h Elusive Quality - Eternal Reve
A good, solid handicapper who won
the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot for
us in first-time blinkers before an
excellent second at Glorious
Goodwood. He will run over a mile
on turf at the second meeting.
Janood (Ire)
3c Medicean - Alluring Park
He made a winning debut at
Newmarket before stepping up
markedly on that to win a Listed race
at Newbury. We then sent him to
Ireland for the National Stakes but he
failed to handle the soft ground which
he encountered again at Newmarket.
He certainly seems to prefer fast
ground and has been working nicely
in Dubai on our Tapeta track so we
will try him on that at Meydan in the
UAE 2000 Guineas trial at the second
meeting. His work suggests he is back
to something like his early form so
hopefully he can bounce back.
Khawlah (Ire)
3f Cape Cross - Villarrica
A nice 3-y-o filly who had only the
three starts last year, winning a
Mastery (GB)
5h Sulamani - Moyesii
A horse I have real affection for as a
Classic winner in both Italy and the
UK, as well as supplying Godolphin’s
200th winner of 2010 in Hong Kong.
That was a very pleasing run as he
handles the fast ground so well and
has remained in great form since. The
Group 2 Dubai City of Gold is the
target on Super Thursday and then
the Sheema Classic on World Cup
night.
Mendip (USA)
4c Harlan’s Holiday - Well Spring
He has had only four career starts and
is a horse we have always really liked.
He won in the UK on Polytrack on his
only juvenile start and won both his
first two at the carnival last year,
including the Listed Al Bastakiya, the
middle leg of the Triple Crown. He
was then third in the UAE Derby but
had a small setback after that and we
have given him all the time he
needed. He’s back now and training
very well. He has matured physically
and mentally and we are thinking the
Najoum (USA)
3f Giant’s Causeway - Divine Dixie
She had three starts last year at two
and won twice having been second on
her debut. A winner on turf and
Polytrack, she is versatile and has
really enjoyed the Dubai sunshine.
She is going very nicely and will run
on the opening night in the UAE
1,000 Guineas trial.
Poet’s Voice (GB)
4c Dubawi - Bright Tiara
A very good juvenile when he won
the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, it
took us a while to get him back to his
best last season but a change of
tactics did the trick. He has lots of
speed but once relaxed in a race he
was a different proposition and won
the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. We
may try him on the Tapeta on Super
Thursday in the Burj Nahaar as the
mile suits him so well and he works
well on the surface.
Quick Wit
4c Oasis Dream - Roo
He worked a few days ago and went
very well – he’s enjoyed the UAE
sunshine and is in very good form. He
looked progressive last year and we
really like him but he’ll stay in
handicap company for now and there
is a 1m Tapeta race at the end of the
month that he could go for.
Rio De La Plata (USA)
6h Rahy - Express Way
A Group 1 winner as a juvenile and
then runner-up in the French 2,000
Guineas, it took us a while to get his
head back in front. He had one start
at Meydan last year before dropping
in grade to win at Nottingham, and
then dead-heated at Pontefract before
beating the useful Rainbow Peak at
York, which all did his confidence the
power of good. He finished the
campaign with two Group 1 victories
in Italy and is a different horse from
the one we had in Dubai last year.
The Dubai Duty Free on World Cup
night is the main target but we may
give him a run beforehand.
Roayh (USA)
3c Speightstown - Most Remarkable
He won two of his starts last term,
one on turf and one on Polytrack but
we will start him back on the turf in
the Listed race [Meydan Classic Trial]
on February 3.
Shakespearean (Ire)
4c Shamardal - Paimpolaise
A winner at the Epsom Derby
meeting, he also won the Hungerford
Stakes and is a really tough colt with
a touch of class. He is in great form
and we’ll probably run him at the
second meeting on Tapeta.
Signs In The Sand (GB)
3c Cape Cross - Gonfilia
Another of last year’s juveniles to win
on both Polytrack and turf so we have
plenty of options but will probably
start him in the Meydan Classic Trial
on February 3.
Skysurfers (USA)
5h E Dubai - Fortune
He made a great start to his UAE
career when winning a quality
conditions race last February on only
his second career start, having won on
his debut at Southwell. He was then
perhaps a bit disappointing on Super
Thursday but was an excellent third in
the Godolphin Mile on World Cup
night. His UK season was okay and he
has thrived back in the sunshine and
on the Tapeta. He will run in the
Firebreak Stakes at the fifth meeting
and it would be nice to think the
Godolphin Mile would be his target.
9
CONTENDERS FROM THE UAE, PAGES 10-11
STABLE TOUR
MAHMOOD
AL ZAROONI
Jason Ford looks at a
trainer who is hoping to
build on last year’s perfect
carnival introduction
L
AST year Godolphin’s
rookie trainer
Mahmood Al Zarooni
wasted no time
making his mark when
he scored with the very first
runner of his career.
Given that was Calming
Influence in the Group 2
Godolphin Mile at the Dubai
World Cup meeting, it wasn’t a
bad way to start – and later
the same night he was only
inches away from winning the
world’s first $10 million race
when Allybar was narrowly
beaten in a three-way photo.
Al Zarooni had been granted
a licence only just before the
World Cup to handle a
significant part of the
Godolphin team alongside
Saeed Bin Suroor. “It was an
amazing week and a
remarkable start,” he recalls.
“It all happened so quickly and
as an Emirati it is an amazing
honour to train for Godolphin
and the ruling family.”
He did pretty well in Europe
afterwards as well, landing a
pair of Group 1s, one each in
Germany (where he won the
Derby and Group 2 Guineas)
and Italy.
The horses concerned are all
in line to reappear at the
carnival leading the way for a
strong Al Zarooni team of
about 40, augmented by
former John Gosden-trained
Arlington Million winner
Debussy, who could end up
in the World Cup alongside
Allybar.
Of the latter, Al Zarooni
says: “That was such a good
run in the World Cup last year
when he was beaten a short
neck and was probably a bit
unlucky.
“The big race has to be his
target again and he is back in
training after a break since
summer.”
Buzzword, who won the
German Derby after finishing
eighth at Epsom and third at
Royal Ascot, has been given a
break and is pleasing his
trainer.
“He had a good season and
is obviously a favourite of
mine as he was my first
Group 1 winner,” says Al
Zarooni. “The Sheema Classic
is his target but he will
probably have a prep, maybe
on Super Thursday.
A similar campaign is on the
cards for Investec Derby third
Rewilding, who failed to stay
in the St Leger after winning
the Great Voltigeur. “The
Sheema Classic should be the
ideal race for him and he
showed at Epsom he handles
fast ground,” says his trainer.
“He too may be seen before
the big night.”
Frozen Power was a
carnival winner last year for
Bin Suroor before finishing
second in the UAE 2,000
Guineas. He went one better in
the German Guineas and Al
Zarooni clearly likes the horse.
“I hope he might be one to
follow this year as he is going
very well at home,” he says. “A
round of the Maktoum
Challenge or the Burj Nahaar
on Super Thursday would be
possible options.”
A new horse to the yard is
Jalil and the winner of the
concluding round of the
Maktoum Challenge in 2008
could be back in action on
opening night.
“He’ll probably be entered in
Maktoum Challenge I as he’s in
good form at home,” says Al
Zarooni. “Seven now, he is
pretty much the old boy in the
yard but seems to retain plenty
of ability and enthusiasm.”
The UAE Derby and perhaps
2,000 Guineas beforehand are
the targets for Bridgefield,
third in a Newmarket maiden
on his debut before winning a
similar race at Doncaster.
Al Zarooni offers a note of
caution, saying: “We need to
see how he goes on Tapeta as
we train on dirt here so he’ll
perhaps run in the Guineas
Trial in the second week.”
Simon De Montfort did
not run for his new trainer
after switching from France
but is back in full work. “He
should be in carnival action at
some stage and we’ve given
him plenty of time to settle
in,” says Al Zarooni. “He’s
needed time but is nice and
fresh now and enjoying the
weather.”
Back in training is
Zeitoper, an unbeaten
Group 3 winner as a juvenile
and brother to 2009 Sheema
Classic winner Eastern
Anthem, but has been off the
track since October 2009.
“He remains a nice
prospect,” says Al Zarooni.
“He’s a bit behind some of the
others in fitness terms but is
going nicely and I’d be hoping
to get him on the track at the
back-end of the carnival.”
Al Zarooni appears delighted
with new recruit Sea Lord,
who was previously highly
Zarooni out to
continue
blistering
start to
carnival career
Debussy: Arlington Million
winner could be contender
for the World Cup itself
progressive for Mark Johnston.
“He had plenty of racing last
year but his form was very
good and he improved
throughout,” says his new
handler.
“He actually beat subsequent
Group 1 winner Poet’s Voice on
his penultimate start and he is
an exciting new horse for us as
he has won on Polytrack as
well as turf. That gives us so
many options. He’s a real nice
type, very tough and one I’m
really looking forward to
running.”
Among new horses to the
yard unlikely to be seen at the
carnival are the exciting
former Irish-trained three-yearolds Casamento and Dubai
Prince, trained last year by
Mick Halford and Dermot Weld
respectively.
Al Zarooni says: “It’s nice to
have such exciting types in the
yard but we have no
immediate plans for them.
Casamento is a Group 1
winner, and Dubai Prince was
impressive last time so they are
nice ones for the future.
“All in all it should be an
exciting 2011 and I’m just so
lucky to be in this position and
indebted to Sheikh
Mohammed for such a
wonderful opportunity.”
Mahmood Al Zarooni says . . .
‘I’m keen to run Debussy on the Tapeta as he won at Lingfield
on the Polytrack and ran well enough on one start on it last
year. I’d love to think he’s a World Cup night horse’
10
FOCUS ON
THE UAE
Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Carnival record 12 wins
from 240 runs (5%)
R
EIGNING champion trainer
in the UAE, the Emirati
national Ali Rashid Al Raihe
enjoyed the most
remarkable 2009-10 season,
culminating in the shock 40-1 victory
of Al Shemali in the Dubai Duty Free.
The stable star then proved that
was no fluke, giving his amiable
handler a first experience of
overseas international competition
when a close third in the Singapore
Airlines International Cup, beaten
only by the Dubai World Cup
principals.
Al Raihe had another reason for
quiet satisfaction on World Cup night,
when his former assistant trainer and
apprentice, Mahmood Al Zarooni and
Ahmed Ajtebi, also combined on the
same card to win the Godolphin Mile
with Al Zarooni’s very first runner,
Calming Influence.
The trainer, who often has a smile
on his face and can regularly be seen
at Jebel Ali joining in the traditional
dancing, explains: “It was a dream
come true – a Group 1 winner on the
first World Cup night at Meydan that
clinched the trainers’ title and in front
of both their highnesses Sheikh
Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan, and
that came after Mahmood and Ahmed
had won the Godolphin Mile. It was
just brilliant and I could not have
been more proud.”
Al Raihe started out in Sharjah
before progressing through the ranks
and is now master of Grandstand
Stables at Meydan. Having improved
his previous year’s total in each of the
last five seasons, he now has more
than 150 UAE winners to his credit
and, not surprisingly, has a bigger
string this year.
He adds: “The opening of Meydan
and the world’s reaction was very
gratifying as a local and it is great for
the Maktoum Family that their vision
has become a reality and a great
success. It is a proud time for us all.”
Not content with what he has
achieved already, Al Raihe has big
aspirations for the 2011 carnival,
with stable star Al Shemali being
targeted at the main event this time
around.
“He owes us nothing and has
literally changed all our lives,” says
the trainer. “But you never know,
perhaps you will see me dancing
in the paddock with the Dubai
World Cup trophy at the end of this
season!”
Al Raihe’s three to follow
Al Shemali (GB)
7h Medicean - Bathilde
Obviously I have to start with Al Shemali
after he put us on the map in style last
year and took us to Singapore. We know
he is an international-class performer on
turf – now we need to find out if he is on
Tapeta. He trains well on it so we have to
be hopeful. The middle leg of the
Maktoum Challenge over 1m1f is the
Four experienced
hands with designs
on more big-race
carnival success
likely race we will start him back and we
will take it from there.
Monte Alto (Ire)
7g Danehill Dancer – Peruvian Witch
On the go all last season, when he was a
revelation, he deserved a win at the
carnival. However, he kept finding one or
two too good but he won the Listed race at
Jebel Ali at the end of the season and was
given a nice rest. He has had one start this
season and we have lots of options. It
would be brilliant if we could get him
invited to the Dubai Sheema Classic but
we need to get a bit more improvement
out of him for that to happen.
Il Grande Maurizio (Ire)
7h King Charlemagne - Ciubanga
He delighted us on his debut for the yard
when second to stablemate Derbaas, who
has advertised the form since. He has had
very little racing lately and hopefully we
can place him to good effect.
Satish Seemar
from 360 runs (3.3%)
F
OUR-TIME UAE champion
Satish Seemar has 12
carnival winners to his name
but will be hoping to add to
that figure significantly in
2011 after a flying start to the
domestic campaign, where he leads
the title race.
In 1993, Seemar gained a slice of
history when he became the first UAE
trainer to win a race in Europe, when
Dayflower won the Middleton Stakes
at York.
“I was lucky to be involved early on
in what was happening in Dubai,” he
says. “It’s been a great privilege and I
wouldn’t change it for the world.”
With a BA in history from his native
India, Seemar moved to California in
1984 and gained a diploma in horse
husbandry before moving on to study
animal science, specifically of the
equine variety. It was during this time
he met and worked with Monty
Roberts, a period that influenced the
trainer immensely.
Having completed his diploma he
was appointed farm manager for
Kentucky-based Taylor Made Farms
with 400-plus horses under his care.
During that period, Seemar was
approached by Sheikh Mohammed to
come to Dubai with a view to helping
establish the country as a prestigious
racing destination and training base.
The first step, in 1990, was designing
and building the famous Zabeel
Stables, from where Seemar has sent
out over 560 UAE winners – more
than any other trainer in the UAE. He
is also responsible for Millennium
Stables at what is now Meydan.
“It’s a great honour to be
responsible for two such wonderful
yards and to train nice horses for such
great owners,” adds Seemar. “It also
gives me the opportunity to chop and
change as I have a dirt track at Zabeel
which some prefer to work on,
whereas at Millennium I have Tapeta
and turf.”
Recognised racing in the UAE
started in 1992 and the following year
Seemar saddled Dayflower, arguably
paving the way for Godolphin.
He explains: “That win proved a
horse wintering in Dubai could go to
Europe and win, just as Sheikh
Mohammed believed, and it was
great to be involved in that bit of
history.”
The advent of the Dubai Carnival
has seen Zabeel become open to
owners from outside the Maktoum
Family and a select few horses are
now trained for outside owners.
Seemar’s three to follow
Reynaldothewizard (USA)
5h Speightstown – Holiday Runner
Reynaldothewizard has had only two
starts for us, having been off the track
quite a while. He did very well to win over
6f on his first start, leading right on the
line and then relishing the extra furlong
when winning over 7f. He has come out of
those races well and there are lots of
options for him – he’ll run on the first
night which will be his biggest test to
date.
McCartney (Ger)
6g In The Wings - Messina
McCartney had worked very well at Abu
Dhabi before his seasonal return and we
were delighted with his Listed win on the
turf there. That’s the key to him as he
failed to fire on the Tapeta in two starts
last year. His best form in the UK was very
good and hopefully he can reproduce it
here.
Conveyance (USA)
4c Indian Charlie - Emptythetill
Conveyance is new to the yard and has
impressed us. He won his first four starts
in the USA for Bob Baffert, including
twice in Grade 3 company before being
stepped up in trip. He’s showing he’s really
a sprinter and if he takes to racing on
Tapeta something like the Al Shindagha
Sprint could be an option.
Dhruba Selvaratnam
T
HE name of Selvaratnam has
been recognised around the
racing world for many years
and Jebel Ali-based Dhruba,
with over 450 UAE winners
among 1,000-plus worldwide, is no
exception.
Born in Sri Lanka, he has just
celebrated 20 years at his Jebel Ali
stable in what has proved a fruitful
association with Sheikh Ahmed,
whose famous yellow silks are
recognised worldwide. Fifteen of
Selvaratnam’s winners have come at
the carnival.
A multiple champion trainer in
the UAE, he has also trained in
Pakistan and Ireland, numbering the
legendary Vincent O’Brien and Ian
Balding among his bosses.
He explains: “I’m a third-generation
trainer after my father and
grandfather. My father Renga saddled
over 3,500 winners in 42 years in our
native Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and
then Kuwait but racing was virtually
at an end by the end of the 1960s so
we moved to Pakistan and I took out
my own licence.
“I was 22 and lucky to have a filly
called Fantastic who won four
Classics. She really put my name on
the map and Sheikh Maktoum
Al-Maktoum actually bought her as a
broodmare.”
The UK was the next stop and
Balding’s Kingsclere base, as
Selvaratnam explains, saying: “I could
see that politically things were not too
good in Pakistan at the time and I was
worried that the future might not be
too great, so I applied to become an
assistant at Kingsclere. I was there
three years and then the same with
Robert Armstrong in Newmarket.”
It was then that he embarked on his
most successful journey as an
assistant at Ballydoyle. “I learned so
much from everyone I worked with
but learning from Vincent O’Brien was
the best experience you could have as
a trainer,” he says. “And in this game
there is always something new to
learn.”
Storm Bird, Alleged, El Gran Senor,
Sadler’s Wells and Royal Academy
were just a few of the horses he dealt
with before starting his UAE
adventure. “It’s been an amazing time
for me. I’ve had my share of good
times and owe Sheikh Ahmed a lot,”
he says. “The changes have been
amazing and the carnival and now
Meydan are just the latest.
“Meydan was a very big
commitment and it’s paid off
beautifully,” he adds. “To be honest, I
do prefer the old surface but the
Dubai International Racing Carnival
continues to attract big names and it
seems to be working very well.”
Selvaratnam’s
three to follow
Kal Barg (GB)
6g Medicean – Persian Air
I have to start with Kal Barg, who really
11
MEYDAN IN PICTURES, PAGES 12-13
‘Ibn Battuta has been
brought along slowly
just for the carnival’
L
Al Shemali: last year’s Duby Duty Free winner will be back for more and will be tested on the Tapeta
enjoys the Tapeta surface and was a dual
winner for us last year at Meydan. He was
third and fourth on his other two carnival
starts and has been second twice this
season already at Meydan. That should
have put him spot-on.
Swinging Sixties (Ire)
6g Singspiel – Velvet Lady
Like Kal Barg this season, Swinging Sixties
deserves a change of luck because he’s
been narrowly denied in two runs, getting
caught close home on both. He’s a nice
horse and has not had that much racing so
hopefully we can win a race with him at
the carnival.
Alo Pura (GB)
7m Anabaa – Rubies From Burma
She’s been a great servant to the yard for a
few seasons now but a revelation at
Meydan. She was placed at last year’s
carnival over 6f and has won twice over
the trip this season, including breaking
the track record last time. She has plenty
of natural speed and seems to thrive in
good competition when they go fast.
Travelling round a bend seems to help her.
C
HAMPION trainer on three
occasions in the UAE, Doug
Watson does not hail from a
racing background. With a
degree in finance, he decided
on a career change in 1989 and
arrived at Arlington Park in Chicago
where he groomed, walked and
turned his hand to anything asked.
In 1993 he arrived in Dubai
thinking the experience would do him
good. He is still there and, apart from
Saeed Bin Suroor, has gone on to
become the most prolific locally based
carnival trainer.
Working originally for Satish
play integral roles and there is Mark
Monkhouse in the office.
“And the jockeys all play their part.
They provide plenty of feedback, be it
on a work morning or a racenight. It
truly is a team effort but none of us
would be here without the owners –
Sheikh Hamdan, Malih Al Basti, EERC
and the rest have all been so
supportive. Hopefully we can reward
them with a good 2011 carnival.”
Watson’s three to follow
Barbecue Eddie (USA)
7g Stormy Atlantic – The Green Owl
Picking three is certainly never easy as I
have high hopes for quite a few of the
team this year, but Sheikh Hamdan’s
Barbecue Eddie was a good winner for us
last season and is in great form. He’s been
placed three times this season and
Meydan really suits him as he handles the
bend so well. We started him over 6f, then
7f and 1m last time. He stayed nicely so it
gives us a lot of options because he was
placed in good company on turf in
America.
Alsadeek (Ire)
6g Fasliyev - Khulan
I’d love to have another big carnival
winner for Malih Al Basti and really hope
Alsadeek could be the horse to do it. He’s
won both starts at Jebel Ali this season in
great style and we’ll space his races out as
best we can – that seems to be the key to
him. I don’t really think he handled the
Tapeta last season so we’ll run him on turf
at the third meeting and see how he goes.
With the turf Al Quoz Sprint over 5f this
year on World Cup night, you just never
know.
jjFELLOW Meydan-based handler
Musabah Al Muhairi has made a
good start to the domestic season
and has some nice horses for the
carnival, headed by Ibn Battuta,
who was third in a three-way photo
in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort last
year.
Stable jockey Wayne Smith
explains: “We had to keep him busy
in the early part of last season to
get him carnival-rated but this
season we’ve not had to do that.
We’ve brought him along slowly
just for the carnival and hopefully
the Al Fahidi Fort, Jebel Hatta and
Dubai Duty Free – the three races
he contested last year – will be the
plan again, but with a much fresher
horse.
“Atlantic Brave is a horse we’ve
always liked and he’s won both
starts this season on the dirt at
Jebel Ali. I’m looking forward to
trying him on the Tapeta and
maybe even the turf.
“Snaafy and Mutheeb are two of
Sheikh Hamdan’s who should be
competitive again – though it is
unlikely I’ll get to ride them, of
course.”
jjABDULLA BIN HUZAIM saddled a
Jebel Ali double recently and Le
Drakkar and, perhaps even more
so, Black Eagle have both caught
the eye at Abu Dhabi in recent
weeks. The latter was denied a
clear run when a fast-finishing
second in the National Day Cup and
could surprise a few.
jjMUBARAK BIN SHAFYA has 12
carnival victories so far and hopes
My Indy, winner of the 2009
Maktoum Challenge I for
Godolphin, will be able to make his
debut for the yard in this year’s
renewal. He says: “He’s obviously a
nice horse who only ran once last
season, in the Maktoum Challenge.
He’s been training nicely and I’m
looking forward to running him.
“We were very pleased with
Royaaty when he won a fortnight
ago and he proved he handles
Tapeta. That was only his third
start and, hopefully, he’s improving
and has more to come.”
Lando Junior was third in that
race for Stephane Chevalier and
was raised to the carnival rating of
95 as a result. The trainer says:
“He was my first winner and that
was a good run last time.
Hopefully, he can get a carnival
run.”
jjISMAIL MOHAMMED has 18
carnival winners to his name and
has high hopes of adding to that
with Dohasa. He says: “He’s run
three good races this season and
won at Jebel Ali over 5f. They broke
the 6f track record in the race he
was second in last time at Meydan
and he’s versatile with regards to
trip and underfoot conditions so
we have plenty of options. He’ll
probably run at the second
meeting.
“We were very pleased with Trois
Rois when he won last time and he
should be out early on.”
Jason Ford
Doug Watson
Seemar at Zabeel Stables, Watson
joined his American compatriot
Kiaran McLaughlin at Red Stables in
1996 and was soon entrusted with
pre-training the string while
McLaughlin was away supervising his
American barn.
“When I first went to Zabeel it was
virtually the only place with grass and
it was a real experience,” says Watson.
“Then I met Kiaran here and jumped
at the chance to work for him.
Working for another trainer could
only help my education and, at the
time, I envisaged returning to the
States to further my career at some
stage. I knew studying Kiaran’s
methods could only enhance that and
broaden my experience.
“He was training at home in the
summer so we followed his
programme while he was away and
things worked fine. Of course, Kiaran
was a multiple champion trainer and
has gone on to win the Dubai World
Cup for Sheikh Hamdan.”
It was shortly after securing his
fourth title that McLaughlin decided
to concentrate on his operation at
home and, backed with a strong
recommendation from his mentor,
Watson embarked on his own career
in 2003.
Runner-up in the trainers’ title in
his first two seasons before making it
third time lucky, he saddled 43
winners in the 2005-06 season to
secure the first of three titles, having
managed 50 winners when second the
previous season.
He is approaching 300 winners in
the UAE, the highlight being a
memorable Super Thursday treble in
2007.
Watson is quick to acknowledge the
role of those around him. “Noel
[Connolly] has been at Red Stables
for very many years and has
progressed from work rider to my
assistant like a duck to water. It is a
similar partnership now to that I
enjoyed with Kiaran; I know I can
leave Noel in charge and have no
worries.
“The head lads take a lot of
pressure off Noel and myself and we
have a great team of work riders and
grooms. Of course, the vet and farrier
OOKING elsewhere among
locally trained horses,
Erwan Charpy will certainly
be hoping to add to his 14
carnival victories after a
quiet 2010. Munaddam was initially
a dual Nad Al Sheba winner in 2007
for Ed Dunlop before joining the
Frenchman for whom he was
placed in 2008 and a winner in
2009. All his wins are on turf and
Charpy says: “He runs the first
night in a 7f handicap on turf – we
tried the Tapeta last season and
he’s not the same horse on it. He
seems in good form.
“Of our new recruits I like
Alrasm, who was a turf winner and
Polytrack-placed for Michael Jarvis.
He moves well on the Tapeta so we
have options with him in some of
the 1m2f-plus races as he stays
well.
“Mashaahed won the Listed Jebel
Ali Stakes for us last season and
ran well on his Tapeta debut. We’ve
given him plenty of time and he’s
coming back to himself now. I want
to try him back on turf.”
Prince Shaun (Ire)
6g Acclamation - Style Parade
Prince Shaun improved markedly last
season and is owned by a really
enthusiastic syndicate. It was great for
them to have a World Cup night runner
but it didn’t go to plan on the night. He
had a small wind operation in the summer
and has had two runs back this term. He
thrived on the Tapeta, has the pace for 6f
but stays a mile and has good turf form
also so, with luck, we should be able to
find a couple of good opportunities for
him.
Reporting: Lisa Jung and Jason Ford
Mashaahed (left) has had plenty of time and has run well on Tapeta
12
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 MEYDAN IN PICTURES
The Post’s award-winning photographer
Edward Whitaker with a selection of
images taken before and during last year’s
inaugural carnival meeting at Meydan
2
3
4
5
1
13
THE CHALLENGERS FROM SOUTH AFRICA, PAGES 14-15
1) The closest of finishes as
Gloria De Campeao holds on to
win last year’s Dubai World Cup
2) William Buick with Dar Re Mi
after their win in the Sheema
Classic
3) Kevin Shea takes time out
between races
4) TJ Pereira celebrates his win in
the world’s richest race
5) Sunrise on the track at
Meydan
6) Calming Influence lands the
Godolphin Mile under Ahmed
Ajtebi, a first success for trainer
Mahmood Al Zarooni
7) Heading down the chute into
the tunnel after exercising on the
track
8) Kinsale King wins the Golden
Shaheen
8
7
6
14
Formidable record
but still looking to
bolster strike-rate
with yet more
winners
STABLE TOUR
MIKE DE KOCK
Carnival record
78 wins from 422
runners (18.5%)
S
OUTH AFRICA’S Mike de Kock
needs very little in the way of
introduction. A multiple
champion trainer in his own
land, he has saddled well over
2,000 winners worldwide and has
become synonymous with the Dubai
Carnival, where his total now stands
at 78.
That figure puts him second overall
to Saeed Bin Suroor with an identical
strike-rate. To put it into context, his
compatriot Herman Brown, with 16
winners at about eight per cent, is
second in the international list.
With 77 Group 1 winners
worldwide, including in the Dubai
Duty Free and Sheema Classic in
Dubai, de Kock is always a man to
keep on your side at the carnival.
With a Meydan team of around 35
this year, at a new base in Blue
Stables over the road from his old
home at Grandstand Stables, he is
excited about the forthcoming action
and is happy with his strength in
depth. But he warns: “We look good
on paper but we’ll need to be on the
track – the competition gets stronger
each year and people are spending a
lot of money on carnival horses.”
Kevin Shea and Christophe
Soumillon will again be the main
jockeys.
Interview by Jason Ford
Anaerobio (Arg)
3c Catcher In The Rye - Potra Anala
A Group 1 winner in his native
Argentina purchased by Sheikh
Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
Settling in well but has not really
shown us much at home so hopefully
we will see some improvement when
he races. That said, the last few South
American 3-y-o crops perhaps have
not been as strong as some in the past
– we were very lucky to have Asiatic
Boy. But he will be targeted at the
UAE 2,000 Guineas and Derby.
Ancestral Fore (SAf)
4g Dynasty - Forefront
A Group 1 performer in South Africa,
very much a stayer with 1m4f-2m
arguably his optimum and the plan
would be to keep him on turf with the
DRC Gold Cup and Nad Al Sheba
Trophy obvious targets. The Sheema
Classic might even become an option
but it would be doubtful he has the
pace for that class of race over 1m4f.
Atlantic Sport (USA)
6h Machiavellian - Shy Lady
We might actually start him off at
Jebel Ali the day after the carnival
begins but it would be nice to think
we can get him to the carnival at
some stage. We have not had him
long but he has some good form in
the UK and has been running well in
Germany.
Biarritz (SAf)
7h Count Dubois - Corlia’s Bid
This will be his third carnival and it
would be nice if he could manage to
win one but it certainly will not be
easy as the racing is so competitive.
He is versatile, though, as he showed
last year when he did get a win at
Jebel Ali and was then an excellent
second at Abu Dhabi. He should be
capable of picking up some
prize-money.
Bold Silvano (SAf)
4c Silvano - Bold Saffron
Won the Durban July in the summer
and was arguably the best of his
generation at home last year. It was a
real strong bunch of three-year-olds
but he was right up there with the
best of them and we are really looking
forward to campaigning him in Dubai,
when we’ll certainly try him on the
Tapeta – he’s really pleased us
working on the surface. We’ll aim him
at the Dubai World Cup and probably
take in at least two legs of the
Maktoum Challenge. He’s exciting us.
Clearly Silver (SAf)
4g Silvano – Clear Up
A new horse to us but he seems to
have settled in very well and we’re
learning as we go with him – his form
is solid and he seems a tough sort
over sprint trips. Hopefully he can be
competitive and he could be kept
busy.
Empire Rose (Arg)
3f Sunray Spirit - Empire Lady
A nice filly from Argentina who will
be campaigned with the UAE 1,000
Guineas and Oaks in mind. However,
we do need to try her on the Tapeta
in a race so she’ll probably run on the
opening night. If she fails to handle it
we’ll switch her back to turf.
Equiparada (Arg)
4m Editor’s Note - Equity
A Group 2 winner at home, a real
stayer who will be aimed at the DRC
Gold Cup, though she could be good
enough for the Sheema Classic. She’s
a beautiful-looking filly and one we
like a lot.
Frosty Secret (USA)
7h Put It Back - Secret From Above
A carnival standing dish back for a
fourth time and always capable of
running a big race – he won at Nad Al
Sheba in 2008 and last year at
Meydan, as well as being placed at
Jebel Ali. He’s nearly always picked
up a cheque and can hopefully
continue to do so, though he’s
obviously not getting any younger.
Golden Sword (GB)
5h High Chaparral - Sitara
Had a setback in the UK and is a long
way behind in terms of fitness but
hopefully we can get him back for the
end of the carnival as he has lots of
ability and was an excellent third in
the Group 2 City of Gold on Super
Thursday, having run well in both
Epsom and Irish Derbys in 2009.
was second on another occasion. He
likes the Tapeta and can hopefully run
some good races again.
Happy Valley (Arg)
4g Alphabet Soup - Perfect Valley
Another very useful stayer at home
who was placed in a Derby and other
Group 1 company. He’s a tough and
consistent performer but perhaps just
below absolute top class. The Nad Al
Sheba Trophy and DRC Gold Cup are
obvious races for him and perhaps the
Sheema Classic but he would need to
improve.
Lucky Find (SAf)
7g Rich Man’s Gold - Little Erna
This will be his fourth carnival and he
should be capable of at least going
close again. He’s working well and
happy on both the Tapeta and turf so
there should be plenty of options. He’s
run on the last three World Cup
nights and it would be great to make
it four.
Here To Win (Brz)
4m Roi Normand - Ascot Belle
Hopefully capable of living up to her
name. Did well in South Africa where
she won in Group 1 company and she
is here for the fillies’ races, the Cape
Verdi and Balanchine primarily. We
will take it from there.
Imbongi (SAf)
6g Russian Revival - Garden Verse
We gave him a good break after Hong
Kong as he had been busy, including
winning in the UK in 2009, and this is
his third carnival. He won the Zabeel
Mile last year before an excellent third
in the Dubai Duty Free on World Cup
night and, hopefully, we’ll get him
back to that race but we’re behind
schedule with him compared to last
year. He was badly in need of his run
at Jebel Ali as he had put on a lot of
condition over the summer.
Irish Flame (SAf)
4c Dynasty - Clock The Rock
A champion 3-y-o at home, where he
was runner-up to Bold Silvano in the
Durban July, he has blossomed since
arriving in Dubai and we have real
high hopes. He has grown, is bigger
and stronger and looks absolutely
superb. The Sheema Classic is his
main target and he’ll probably have
two runs before that. He is speedy
enough to be competitive over 1m2f
but is probably better over 1m4f.
King Of Rome
6g Montjeu - Amizette
Another back for his third carnival, he
has been competitive in some good
races. He chased home Lizard’s Desire
first time last season, then won and
Mahbooba (Aus)
3f Galileo - Sogha
Homebred by Sheikh Mohammed bin
Khalifa and a Group 1 winner in
South Africa. We’ll try her on the
Tapeta but, as a daughter of Galileo,
she may be better on turf and her
style of racing may not suit Tapeta as
she tends to almost drop herself out
and run home strongly. The UAE
1,000 Guineas and Derby will be the
target if she handles Tapeta; if not
she’ll revert to turf.
Mr Brock (SAf)
7g Fort Wood - Cape Badger
Another back for a third crack at the
carnival and an amazing horse who
has raced in South Africa, Mauritius
and Dubai, as well as competing in
Europe during the last two summers.
He was a revelation last year on the
Tapeta, having won a Listed race at
Abu Dhabi on turf in 2009, and
earned an invitation to run in the
World Cup itself where he was beaten
just under three lengths. He’s working
nicely and, hopefully, there are more
races to be won with him. Another
World Cup night appearance would
be great.
Musir (Aus)
4c Redoute’s Choice - Dizzy De Lago
Unbeaten in his four starts last season
and we couldn’t be more pleased with
him as he’s moving really nicely and
working with real zest. He was very
impressive in the UAE 2,000 Guineas
and stayed well in the UAE Derby so
the World Cup has to be the aim as he
goes so well on the Tapeta. He’s been
off since March, though, and we may
use the ‘Asiatic Boy-route’ to the
15
THE BRITISH RAIDING PARTY, PAGE 16
World Cup target: Musir won
all four starts last season,
including the UAE 2,000
Guineas and UAE Derby
Brown back with talented
squad – but don’t forget
globe-trotting JJ and his
popular trainer ‘Lucky’
FOCUS ON
SOUTH
AFRICA
W
World Cup with him and start him
in a sprint, probably the Al
Shindagha, then step him up to a mile
or 1m1f on Super Thursday. He looks
in great order and we are very excited
by him.
Mutahadee (Ire)
3c Encosta De Lago - Mosaique Bleue
We bought him at Goffs as a yearling
and he won his only start well for
Fozzy Stack on the Dundalk Polytrack
so, hopefully, the Tapeta will suit him.
The UAE 2,000 Guineas and Derby
were the plan but he’s yet to arrive
after all the bad weather in Europe so
the Guineas may come too soon. He’s
an exciting prospect and one we have
high hopes for.
Nitza (Fr)
3f Indygo Shiner - Realdad
Owned by Mr Brock’s owner, she was
a useful juvenile in France last year
when she ran at the Arc meeting. She
had five runs, though, so we’ve
freshened her up. We’ll look at the
UAE 1,000 Guineas as she seems to
handle the Tapeta well in training.
Our Giant (Aus)
7g Giant’s Causeway - Macrosa
We’re really looking forward to
campaigning him this year after he
missed all bar World Cup night last
time. That was his only start in the
best part of a year and he’s a very
talented sprinter who has acclimatised
wonderfully well over the summer
and is going very nicely indeed. He’s
as sound as he’s been for a long time
and we’ll try him on the Tapeta and
assess our options from there.
Raihana (Aus)
4f Elusive Quality - Esubooh
She won the UAE Oaks and was
second in the UAE Derby behind
Musir before failing to fire in
Australia. I don’t understand her
showing there as she seems as good
as ever since she came back. She
looks very well indeed and we may
try her on turf in the Cape Verdi but
the World Cup itself looks a feasible
target, so well is she going. She has
won on turf so we have options. She’s
really matured and is a crackinglooking filly now.
Reem (Aus)
3f Galileo - Al Afreet
Homebred by Sheikh Mohammed bin
Khalifa and her Australian form looks
okay. The UAE 1,000 Guineas and
Oaks will be the target but we’re still
learning about her.
River Jetez (SAf)
7m Jet Master - Stormsvlei
A new recruit from Mike Bass’s stable
at home, she’s an amazing mare who
may be seven now but just seems to
get better. The Cape Verdi and
Balanchine were the original plan but
she’s a Group 1 winner and we have
lots of options with her. She’s so
tough and consistent and, hopefully,
can be a real carnival star for us. She’s
beaten colts at home so I have no
qualms about running in open races
and we may try the Tapeta as she
works well enough on it.
Star Empire (SAf)
4g Second Empire - Lady Maroof
An interesting recruit who we
bought basically as a tough, genuine
and consistent handicapper but who
does have the scope to prove better
than that. He’s going very nicely at
home and we have to be hoping he’ll
win.
Wonder Lawn (SAf)
7g Fort Wood - Velvet Green (Roy)
Finished fifth in all three of his
carnival starts last season before
winning at Jebel Ali. He appears to
have thrived for a summer of
sunshine on his back and we were
very pleased with his comeback. The
mile is probably too short for him
now and he could have a good
carnival.
Zanzamar (SAf)
3c Fort Wood - Zanakiya
Owned by Sheikh Hamdan and it’s
great to have such an influential new
owner in the yard so hopefully we can
do well. The Tapeta would be a
question mark as he’s another who
likes to come from off the pace but we
will try him on it and see how we go.
If the Tapeta doesn’t suit there are turf
races for three-year-olds and we’ll
look at them.
ITH Herman Brown
well represented again
this year, Mike de Kock
is by no means the
only South African
trainer in town.
However, neither of those carnival
regulars provide the highest-profile
South African visitor who is that
well-travelled sprinter JJ The Jet
Plane, who was trained by De Kock
when landing the Al Quoz Sprint back
in 2009 before a disappointing
campaign in Britain, where he joined
Richard Hannon.
He regained the winning thread
back on native soil with original
trainer ‘Lucky’ Houdalakis, who then
saddled him for a memorable triumph
in the Hong Kong Sprint last month.
JJ The Jet Plane has been kept
ticking over since arriving in Dubai,
and connections are mulling over his
first target. A run on Tapeta looks
likely at some stage to test the water
for the Golden Shaheen on World Cup
night, with the Al Quoz Sprint on turf
over 5f the obvious alternative target.
The Al Shindagha Sprint and Mahab
Al Shimaal are both over the Golden
Shaheen course and distance.
Brown has 16 carnival winners to
his name, the highlight being Jay Peg
in the 2008 Dubai Duty Free. After
having only a small string last term,
the firepower is up again, among
them last season’s Duty Free
runner-up Bankable.
“He had a few problems after the
Duty Free but is back in training now
after a nice break,” says Brown.
“Hopefully, we can keep him sound
and we are looking at racing him on
Tapeta. We know he has the class for
the Duty Free but he works well on
the synthetic and a crack at the World
Cup itself would be a definite
consideration. Ideally, he’ll have two
runs before World Cup night.”
Three of Brown’s carnival team
enjoyed a Meydan sighter at the last
meeting of 2010 and Brown was
pleased with Bronze Cannon and
Mikhail Glinka, who both contested
the same conditions race over an
inadequate mile.
The trainer says: “We hope they are
World Cup night horses so it was a
chance to get them used to the lights
and tunnels and try them on the
surface in a race. They both ran well
and Bronze Cannon could run early
on as we probably need to win with
him to be invited for the Sheema
Classic.
“That would also be the hope for
Mikhail Glinka but he’ll probably
contest the staying races on turf and
we’ll see how we get on.”
Argentine Grade 1 winner
Could go for the big one: Dubai Duty Free runner-up Bankable merits
‘definite consideration’ for World Cup, according to Herman Brown
Herman Brown
says . . .
‘I really like Fencing
Master – he has some good
form in top races in Europe.
We’ve given him a long
break and freshened him
up. He’s a great horse to
work with and seems very
sound and genuine.
The first round of the
Maktoum Challenge is his
likely starting point to
give us an idea where we
stand but I’d like to think
he’s a potential World Cup
horse’
Paulinho was a close second in a
UAE Guineas trial on the same card.
Brown says: “He ran well enough
given he didn’t have the clearest of
runs and will have needed that
run. He’s quite an immature colt and
we may revert to turf, I’m not sure
yet.”
The speedy but diminutive Noble
Heir will be aimed at the Al Quoz
Sprint before retiring to the paddocks
in Australia and Orbison is rated a
Duty Free possible.
“Like the others who have arrived
from South Africa we’re a bit behind
with him as it was so cold in the UK
when they did quarantine,” says
Brown. “He was very useful at home
last season and the Duty Free was our
first thought. However, we may try
him on Tapeta and consider a crack at
the World Cup.”
De Kock has enjoyed much success
with ex-Ballydoyle horses such as
Archipenko and Eagle Mountain and
Brown is impressed with his most
recent recruit Fencing Master,
runner-up to stable companion
Beethoven in the 2009 Dewhurst.
As for jockeys, Brown plans to use
Ryan Moore and Ted Durcan plus
apprentice Harry Bentley, the rising
star of the UAE scene and “well worth
his 7lb claim”, according to the
trainer.
Jason Ford
Richard Hills
SHEIKH HAMDAN’S retained jockey
Richard Hills is a big fan of the
carnival, which is no surprise
considering he has ridden the
winners of all the feature events on
Dubai World Cup night – the big
race itself (on Almutawakel), the
Sheema Classic (Nayef) and the
Duty Free Stakes (Altibr).
From a jockey’s point of view you can’t
ask for any more: good prize-money,
decent horses and good people to ride
against. Frankie and I look forward to it
every year.
I’ve been coming to Dubai for 18
years and it’s still a lovely place. The
weather is nice and it’s great racing.
I’ve been very impressed with
Meydan. Obviously, because it is a new
track and a new surface that we’re not
quite used to, it does tend to change – as
it does in England with the all-weathers
when the temperature drops. At one
recent meeting we had two track records
due to the fact the temperature dropped
quite a lot that night and it had
tightened it up. But apart from that I
think it’s a very fair track.
You can ride from the front or behind
and you need the best horse. There’s no
kickback at all but it’s not a very
forgiving track and you need to be fit –
if a horse pulls with you a bit early or
takes you on a little bit you don’t tend
to finish, so you need to get your horse
settled very early then ride your race to
finish.
The turf track is beautiful – it was
great last year and I anticipate it being
even better this year. It is a beautifully
laid-out track and it’s got everything, it’s
very fair.
We’ve got some nice horses who have
come from Europe this year, Fareer from
Ed Dunlop, Laaheb from Michael Jarvis
and Tazeez from John Gosden.
Haatheq, a horse who won at Jebel Ali
recently, is improving – you can get
four- and five-year-olds who improve in
Dubai with the weather and the surface
and go from 85-rated to 100 horses, and
he could be one to watch during the
carnival.
16
Twice Over and
Snow Fairy lead
impressive
raiding party
going for world
domination
FOCUS ON
BRITAIN
S
TILL just one World Cup
victory for the country who
invented the sport – no
wonder a different approach is
being tried this time.
Not by Fabio Capello but by the
trainers who have failed to add to the
solitary success of Singspiel for Britain
in the world’s richest race, achieved
way back in 1997.
For all that Twice Over’s back-toback wins in the Emirates Airline
Champion Stakes at Newmarket show
he is plainly one of the best 1m2f
horses on the planet, he could
manage only tenth on his first run of
the season in the Dubai World Cup at
Meydan last March.
So trainer Henry Cecil is doing
things differently one year on and
sending him over to the Gulf next
month with a view to a crack at
Round 3 of the Group 2 Maktoum
Challenge on Super Thursday on
March 3 as a warm-up.
Marco Botti has also changed tack
with last year’s beaten favourite
Gitano Hernando, who is already
in Dubai and could run twice before
the big race on March 26.
They may be joined in the line-up
by the remarkable filly Snow Fairy,
fresh from big-money wins in Japan
and Hong Kong at the end of last
year, and Breeders’ Cup Turf winner
Dangerous Midge – though Brian
Meehan could switch him to the
Sheema Classic, which British stables
have won five times.
Both contests are possible targets
for Wigmore Hall, who will be a
first Dubai runner for Michael Bell
when he lines up on Super Thursday.
“We haven’t had the ideal horse
before,” the trainer explains. “We
have had a few possibles but maybe
the owners didn’t want to go and this
What they say . . . Michael Bell
Lots of options for Wigmore
WIGMORE HALL will ship
out some time in the
middle of February with
the aim of running on
Super Thursday. Then,
hopefully, he’ll book his
slot in one of the races
on World Cup night.
He’s borderline
to get a run
in the World
Cup on his
rating but a
is the first one who is tailor-made to
travel. He’s a hard-knocking gelding
who goes on any ground and has got
plenty of tactical speed so he’s the
perfect horse to do a bit of travelling
with, a genuine high-class
international traveller.”
Botti was on the mark with Soneva
at last year’s carnival and will have a
couple of other runners in action at
Meydan this spring.
“The plan will probably be to run
Fanunalter in a Listed race over 1m
on Tapeta on February 10, then
perhaps run on Super Thursday,” the
trainer says. “He looks well, we
freshened him up and gave him a
break and he’s doing well.
“Lolamar is already there and she
has settled in well. She’s a filly who
wants 1m2f. The Cape Verdi will
probably come a little too soon for her
and could be too sharp so we could
wait until January 27 when there is a
1m2f handicap on grass. She wants
fast ground.”
No British trainer can match Luca
Cumani’s three carnival winners in
each of the last two years and his
six-strong team includes Presvis,
successful in both 2009 and 2010.
The much-improved Mabait will
tackle the first round of the Maktoum
Challenge on January 13 with a view
to an eventual crack at the Godolphin
lot depends on how he runs
in a trial and he’s relatively
flexible in trip, whether we
drop back to 1m1f or step
up to 1m4f, so there are
three options. The nearest
thing we’ve got to Tapeta is
Polytrack and he moves
extremely well on that at
home.
Mile on World Cup night.
Stan Moore, leading European
trainer at the carnival in 2007, has
Group 2-placed Kinky Afro and new
recruit Big Creek in a team heading
over to Dubai next week.
John Gosden flew Dar Re Mi out
just a week before her success in the
Sheema Classic last year and will do
the same with Arlington Million
third Tazeez, who is being aimed at
the Dubai Duty Free, but Dee
Stakes-winning stablemate Azmeel
will be in action earlier on at the
carnival.
Prohibit has improved into a
Listed-winning sprinter since
finishing unplaced in three runs at
Meydan last year and returns to Dubai
as part of a three-strong team for
Robert Cowell, who got among the
winners with Forever Phoenix six
years ago.
Fellow Listed-winning sprinters
Inxile, Masta Plasta and Mister
Mannanan are among David
Nicholls’ squad, while five-time Group
3 scorer Mac Love is set to be a first
Dubai runner for Stef Higgins –
whereas the Mick Channon-trained
Halicarnassus is an old hand who
will be bidding to win at his third
carnival in a row.
David Carr
Twice Over: will seek to better last year’s tenth in the World Cup
What they say . . . Ed Walker
First test passed for Riggins
IT WAS an obvious call to
go to Dubai with
Riggins – the worry
was how he’d take
the travelling and
that hurdle is over.
He went out on
December 15 to give
him plenty of time to
acclimatise and he’s
fine now.
He’s going to
start off in a
handicap over 1m on Tapeta on
the 27th – I’m not worried
about being near the top of
the weights because they are
so competitive there’s only
about 3lb separating the
whole field. They are more
like weight-for-age races.
We’ll take it from there but
we could also step him up
in trip.
17
MORE CONTENDERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE, PAGES 18-19
Could Interaction follow in the
footsteps of Gloria De Campeao? Small but
FOCUS ON
THE REST
OF EUROPE
FOCUS ON
FRANCE
T
HIS year’s challenge is a
potentially exciting blend of
proven French-raised
performers, with a further
influx of former South
American horses in the mould of last
year’s World Cup hero Gloria De
Campeao.
The ex-Brazilian globe-trotter has
been retired to stud, but his trainer
Pascal Bary is responsible for
Interaction, winner in December
2009 of the Gran Premio Carlos
Pellegrini, the South American
equivalent to the Arc.
After a break of nine months,
Interaction could beat only one home
on his sole start for Bary in a Listed
race at Longchamp in September but
the trainer maintains there were
legitimate excuses, saying: “The
ground was very heavy and
it wasn’t a bad run as
everything was new to
him.”
Interaction, who has already
arrived in Dubai, will be given time to
acclimatise before taking in the last
two legs of the Maktoum Challenge
before the World Cup. “He’s a good
horse and he’s still young,” adds Bary.
“He has great acceleration, and I’m
expecting him to perform well.”
The name among the French party
which will jump off the page for most
is Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner
Byword. After finishing third behind
Rip Van Winkle in the Juddmonte
International at York, Byword flopped
on his first try over 1m4f in soft
ground on Arc trials day. With Khalid
Abdullah already set to be represented
by Twice Over in the World Cup,
Andre Fabre will instead prepare
Byword for the Dubai Duty Free over
1m1f, a distance at which the son of
Peintre Celebre ran Goldikova to half
a length in the Prix d’Ispahan.
What they say . . .
Marco Botti
Gitano could
have more to
give this year
GITANO HERNANDO has settled
in well and everything is going
as we planned. He’s happy and
the weather helps as it’s warmer
than England.
He’ll probably have two runs
before the World Cup. The first
race is a Group 3 on February 3
over one mile, one furlong
and 100 yards, then the
Maktoum Challenge on Super
Thursday.
I think he looks stronger this
year – he’s still lightly raced and
could actually improve. We
know he loves the surface so
let’s hope he’ll stay sound and
we have a clean run to the race.
Marinous and Rajsaman both hail
from the Freddie Head team, and run
in the colours of emerging Abu Dhabi
owner Saeed Nasser Al Romaithi, who
has engaged Kieren Fallon as his
retained rider for the carnival.
Both are genuine Group performers.
Marinous enjoyed a profitable time
at Meydan in 2010, picking up place
prize-money in a couple of handicaps
on the Tapeta before scoring in Qatar.
Back in France, he won the Grand
Prix de Deauville, and finished an
honourable sixth behind Workforce in
the Arc before an unavailing trip to
Tokyo for the Japan Cup.
Rajsaman was fourth behind
Beauty Flash in the Hong Kong Mile,
a fine end to a frustrating campaign
which had promised much when he
beat Siyouni in his Guineas prep,
the Prix de Fontainebleau, only
to disappoint in the Poulains
itself.
Alain de Royer-Dupre knows
how to train a carnival
winner having claimed the 2005 Cape
Verdi with Sanaya. He sends a team
comprising two Brazilian exports in
the shape of Calling Elvis and
Gallahad, runner-up to the smart
Too Friendly in a Brazilian Group 1
over 1m2f. Both will be given a
relatively quiet introduction before
their trainer assesses whether they
can be stepped up to better company.
Francois Doumen’s nine-year-old
veteran Kasbah Bliss gets his first
taste of the Dubai winter sunshine,
having finished a narrow third to
Daryakana on a previous venture
outside Europe in the 2009 Hong
Kong Vase over 1m4f.
Neither of John Hammond’s
representatives can boast that level of
form. Telluride hasn’t been
seen out since finishing a
close-up seventh behind
Marinous in the
Grand Prix de Deauville, but
Pallodio showed himself a spring
horse last season when finishing third
in both Lingfield’s Winter Derby and
an admittedly weak-looking renewal
of the Prix Ganay.
Finally, a name that will be
unfamiliar to many, Xavier
Nakkachdji, who may send no fewer
than seven challengers from his
Chantilly base. A nephew of Arcwinning trainer Olivier Douieb,
Nakkachdji is yet to really hit the
heights more than a decade after
taking out a licence. While his team is
likely to play one rung below the best,
the stable standard-bearer may be
Zibimix, who can boast a trio of
valuable wins last summer,
culminating in the Group 3 Grand
Prix des Provinces over 1m2f at
Bordeaux.
Scott Burton
Freddie Head says . . .
‘The main target for
Marinous is the Sheema
Classic on World Cup night
over 1m4f, but before that
he’ll have a run on March 3
in the Group 2 Dubai City of
Gold. Rajsaman will also
have first outing on that
card in the Jebel Hatta, in
preparation for the Dubai
Duty Free. I believe
Kieren Fallon will ride
both horses. My other
runner will be Rock
Of Nassau. He’ll run
on the Polytrack and
he could end up in
the Golden Shaheen’
Interaction:
will
represent
last year’s
Dubai
World Cupwinning
trainer
Pascal Bary
select raiding
party has the
class to figure
I
N terms of strike-rate, Turkey
figures high up the list of carnival
countries with four winners from
just 26 runners and they offer a
couple of high-profile horses this
time.
Ridden by Turkish star Halis
Karatas, Dervis Aga beat
Godolphin’s Cutlass Bay in a Group 2
event over 1m2f on Polytrack at the
Istanbul international racing festival
in September.
The filly Mystical Storm did
even better, winning three Classics
on turf last term, when victories over
her fellow fillies in the Guineas and
Oaks were followed with success over
21 rivals in the nation’s biggest
domestic race, the Gazi Derby, in
June.
Although five previous carnival
winners have come from Germany,
the nation drew a blank last term.
They won’t have many runners this
time either, but the Pavel Vovcenkotrained Indomito could be
leniently treated in handicap
company.
A fast-finishing second to Amico
Fritz in a Group 3 at Hoppegarten
over 6f in June, he may be even
better over 7f and is reported in
excellent form by trainer. A rating
of 105 may underestimate his
abilities.
Elsewhere in Europe, Norway’s
Niels Petersen is back with three
horses, including the former
Brian Meehan-trained Cat Junior,
who won the Group 3 Burj Nahaar
at Meydan last year on Super
Thursday and was last seen coming
second to Red Jazz in the Challenge
Stakes.
Nicholas Godfrey
Marnane double-handed in quest for glory
FOCUS ON
IRELAND
W
ITH no Ballydoyle
presence, the Irish
challenge at the Dubai
Carnival has always
lacked obvious strength
in depth and, though 2011 promises
to be no different, several trainers are
taking the plunge.
From a total of 159 runners, Irishtrained visitors have bagged a total of
only nine races at the carnival, with
the success of the Charles O’Brientrained Lord Admiral in the Group 2
Jebel Hatta on Super Thursday in
March 2008 the highest-profile
triumph to date.
Dermot Weld’s Famous Name
could be targeted for the World Cup
itself, although owner Khalid
Abdullah has no shortage of potential
candidates elsewhere for the world’s
richest race.
David Marnane, who spent almost
nine years in Dubai after emigrating
to take up a job with former
champion Kiaran McLaughlin, would
dearly love to train an Emirates
winner at the seventh carnival.
He launches a two-pronged attack
with Dandy Boy, winner of the
Victoria Cup at Ascot last May, and
the progressive Separate Ways,
winner of three handicaps and Listedplaced in 2010.
The Bansha trainer explains:
“Dandy Boy will run on the turf over
7f on January 13, while Separate
Ways will run the following week over
1m and the plan is to give both of
them a little break before their next
run.
“A few people have been pretty
successful when running them quickly
off the plane so that’s what we’re
going to do. We were held up with the
snow and they will come on for their
first runs anyway.
“They both went to Dundalk
recently and we were pleased how
well both worked and I think they will
be suited to the criteria.”
Marnane, typically, has left no stone
unturned. “I was over in Dubai a few
weeks ago and Meydan is a state-ofthe-art facility and an amazing place
so we’re really looking forward to it,”
he adds.
Tracey Collins is also sending two,
Across The Rhine and Rock Jock,
both owned by Jimmy Long’s Thistle
Bloodstock.
Collins says: “I’ve had only one
runner there before and the plan is to
run Across The Rhine there on the
first day and Rock Jock will run the
following week.
“Jimmy Long lives over there and
it’s nice to have two horses rated high
enough to tackle over to race. It’s a
fabulous place and I’ll probably travel
over and back.”
Michael Halford, who enjoyed a
memorable year thanks to Racing Post
Trophy hero Casamento, will be triplehanded with a team of multiple
winners.
The five-year-old Banna Boirche
won five handicaps at Dundalk last
term, while sprinter Invincible Ash,
twice a Listed winner, and Hujaylea
both won four times in 2010.
Hujaylea jumped up the weights and
was in particualrlty good form late in
the season when he rattled off a
hat-trick starting with the Irish
Cambridgeshire and was beaten only
a half length in Listed company.
Halford says: “I plan to run
Invincible Ash in a 6f conditions
event on the first evening and we’ll
see how the other two settle in over
there, but they have plenty of options.
I haven’t seen Meydan yet so I’m
really looking forward to my first
visit.”
Brian Fleming
18
Meydan: my first
impressions
FOCUS ON THE FAR EAST
Wayne
Smith
JOCKEY Wayne Smith has enjoyed
a long and fruitful relationship
with UAE racing and his 220-plus
winners include the 2003 UAE
Derby on Victory Moon for Mike
de Kock. Now stable jockey to
Musabah Al Muhairi, the pair
form a powerful partnership in
UAE domestic racing and have
several nice carnival horses to
look forward to. Smith was also
one of the jockeys involved in a
pre-carnival trial at Meydan last
season.
The first trial at Meydan under
floodlights was a real eye-opener,
that was for sure. We had been on
it in daylight but under lights it was
like a totally different place. Mind
you, it was not immediately a
successful one for me personally – I
think I had a second on trials night
and just a few placed mounts at the
carnival. Only this season in the
pre-carnival meetings at Meydan
have I got to visit the winner’s
enclosure.
Speaking as a jockey, Meydan really
is an amazing facility and the
weighing room is extraordinary with a
restaurant, gym, sauna and even
individual television screens. It’s
massive as well, so there’s plenty of
space – and it’s only a short walk to
the paddock.
I obviously have great memories of
Nad Al Sheba and was a big fan of the
dirt surface there, having won on the
likes of Victory Moon and Skoozi in
big races.
The Tapeta is different and not all
the dirt horses go on it, but more of
the turf ones do than they used to
on traditional dirt. We work on
Tapeta surface all the time so we get a
good idea how they will handle it in a
race.
The turf track is simply amazing
and will surely be one of the very best
in the world. It’s massive and the
gentle, cambered bends are brilliant.
It’s great to ride on and I cannot wait
to get back on it this season – and not
just because our best horses are turf
ones.
I’ve ridden in England, Ireland,
Macau, India and Hong Kong to name
but a few and the Meydan facilities
compare very favourably. I just hope
for a bit more carnival luck this time
around.
Nicholas Godfrey runs the rule
over the possible runners from
Japan, who could be a huge force
if meeting their engagements
I
T IS no huge exaggeration to
suggest that if all the Japanesetrained horses who feature on the
list of possible Dubai Carnival
runners were to show up, the
nation would have a stronger team
than either Godolphin or Mike de
Kock.
The problem is that they probably
won’t. Indeed, sources in Dubai aren’t
expecting Japan to make its presence
felt until Super Thursday, when
Classic winner Red Desire scored in
2010, with World Cup night itself the
obvious priority.
As one of the world’s racing
superpowers, Japan ought to be
competitive on the world’s biggest
stages, and their four winners in
Dubai also include a pair of Sheema
Classic heroes in Stay Gold and
Heart’s Cry.
This year’s number one will surely
be the Japanese horse of the year
Buena Vista, five times a Grade 1
winner despite earning a reputation
for unlucky defeats towards the end
of 2011.
The five-year-old has been a victim
of circumstance on her last two
outings – unfortunately, in the two
biggest races of the Japanese winter.
Firstly, she passed the post a
convincing winner of the Japan Cup,
only to suffer a controversial
demotion to second in favour of Rose
Kingdom for interference.
Then she charged down the straight
at Nakayama only to be touched off
by Victoire Pisa in the Arima Kinen, a
race that favoured those running
closer to the pace.
The darling of Japanese racing
fans, Buena Vista was also beaten
only three-quarters of a length by
Buena Vista’s chance to
make it third time lucky
to strike it big again
Dar Re Mi in the Dubai Sheema
Classic in March. She will be a major
contender if, as is planned, she
returns for this year’s race, where her
rivals could well include Arima Kinen
conqueror Victoire Pisa, a Japanese
Guineas winner who was seventh in
the Arc.
Red Desire is slated to come back
for more, while top-class stayer
Jaguar Mail, always knocking on
the door at the top level, finally
landed an elusive Grade 1 success
over 2m in the Tenno Sho (Spring).
Others horses mentioned as
possibles include Danon Chantilly
and Kinshasa No Kiseki, Grade 1
winners at a mile and over 6f
respectively.
Generally speaking, Japan’s turf
horses are superior to their turf
counterparts, but at this stage the
nation’s top performers are being
lined up for a tilt at the Tapeta.
Espoir City and Transcend, the
last two winners of the Japan Cup
Dirt, may well show, while Glorious
Noah – runner-up to Transcend in
Japan’s top dirt race – showed an
aptitude for the synthetics when
fourth in last year’s Godolphin Mile.
More will be known about their plans
after next month’s February Stakes at
Tokyo racecourse, a race that usually
produces a Dubai World Cup
contender.
One talented horse who may well
show up on Super Thursday is
Summer Wind, who won the
Grade 1 JBC Sprint, the nation’s
top dirt sprint, at Funabashi
last year.
Rocket Man and Better
Than Ever, the two best horses
in Singapore, are expected on
World Cup night.
Surely it is only a matter of time
before Rocket Man lands that
elusive international Group 1 sprint.
Never out of the first two in 16 career
outings, the five-year-old has suffered
four narrow defeats in previous
attempts at the top level, including
last year’s Golden Shaheen and a
heart-breaking short-head defeat last
time in the Hong Kong Sprint.
Better Than Ever, who lost his
unbeaten record in November on the
13th start, is on course for the Dubai
Duty Free. According to the Singapore
Turf Club, Better Than Ever will
return in a Group 3 event at Kranji on
February 20 before being shipped to
the carnival.
“He’ll run first-up in the Three
Rings Trophy, a race he won last year,
and, all going well, he’ll then head to
Dubai,” says trainer Laurie Laxon.
“But he’d want to win the Three Rings
otherwise I’d say there wouldn’t be
much point in going.”
Winner of the Singapore
Guineas, Better Than
Ever is likely to contest the Group 2
Zabeel Mile at Meydan on March 10
before the Duty Free. Post-race
examinations after a lacklustre
performance in the Singapore Gold
Cup showed up some mucus in the
triple Group 1 winner’s throat.
Hong Kong-trained horses have also
left their mark on World Cup night,
where Joy And Fun took the Al Quoz
Sprint in 2010. Surprise Hong Kong
Mile winner Beauty Flash could be
in action on the big night, while the
Peter Ho-trained pair Mr Medici and
Aldaway are expected earlier.
There aren’t that many 1m4f events
in Hong Kong and Mr Medici proved
that was exactly what he needed
when landing the Group 1 Champions
& Chater Cup in May last year before
finishing in mid-division in the
Melbourne Cup.
Former Irish-trained three-year-old
Aldaway used to be known as Snow
Watch and won a Listed race at
Tipperary in August for Kevin
Prendergast.
Buena Vista:
has won five
Group 1s but
has been
unlucky
recently
Looking to extend rich record in carnival’s biggest races
A
MERICAN-TRAINED
horses have long since
been standing dishes on
Dubai World Cup night,
where they are responsible
for eight of the 15 winners of the
main event alone.
Throw in nine of the last 11 Golden
Shaheen winners and a handful of
Godolphin Miles over the years and,
as might be expected, it is clear US
horses had to be feared on the old dirt
surface at Nad Al Sheba.
Whether such success can continue
on the Meydan Tapeta is open to
question, but Kinsale King certainly
did his bit last year when resuming
the Golden Shaheen dominance.
Doubtless several big names will try
their luck again at the end of March,
but American runners at the carnival
preceding the big night have always
FOCUS ON USA
been few and far between. This time
around, though, we can expect to see
three or four in advance of the world’s
richest raceday, including a couple set
to represent Kiaran McLaughlin, a
popular trainer wherever he goes and
especially so in Dubai, where he was
four times champion trainer before
returning to oversee his barn in his
native country in 2003.
Not that he gave up on Dubai, mind
you. In 2007 he returned to take the
World Cup with former Uruguayantrained world champion Invasor, the
previous year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic
winner.
McLaughlin returns to Dubai with a
pair of horses who started off in
Britain before owners Jim and Fitri
Hay sent them across the Atlantic.
Indeed, Redding Colliery, a
winning juvenile for Jane ChappleHyam at Kempton on 2008, was third
in the following season’s UAE 2,000
Guineas at Nad Al Sheba, by which
time he was being trained by the
South African Herman Brown.
Now five, he showed immense
promise last year in the States,
beating a decent field in the valuable
Hawthorne Gold Cup before being
promoted to second spot in the Grade
1 Clark at Churchill Downs. Those
runs were on dirt but he has handled
synthetics in the past and is effective
at around 1m1f/1m2f.
Stablemate Serva Jugum was a
Listed-class performer in Britain at up
to 1m2f for Paul Cole, also winning as
a juvenile at Kempton in 2008. He
was never seen on his first run for
McLaughlin in November last year.
Henry Cecil is targeting the World
Cup with Twice Over and he could
bump into his US-based nephew who
is sending Crowded House back to
Dubai. While this five-year-old has
never lived up to the promise of his
Racing Post Trophy triumph, he was
second in a pair of Group races – one
on grass, the other Tapeta – before a
lacklustre effort in the World Cup.
That final display was puzzling as
his Maktoum Challenge form put
him right in the mix, and Crowded
House has become slightly in and
out.
He went to California after losing
his way last summer for Brian
Meehan and came within threequarters of a length of winning the
Pacific Classic, the $1m highlight of
the famous summer meeting at Del
Mar. A couple of months later,
however, he was last of seven in
similar Grade 1 company at
Hollywood Park. But watch him after
a break – he seems to go well fresh
until the edge drops off.
He will be joined at Meydan by the
seven-year-old Ferneley, once
trained by Frank Ennis in Ireland. A
miler through and through, he won a
Grade 2 on turf at Del Mar in 2009
but has always been found wanting
when stepped up to the top level,
even in those relatively uncompetitive
west-coast heats.
Nicholas Godfrey
FOR SUPERB INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE EVERY DAY – FROM ABU DHABI TO ZIMBABWE
19
HELPING TO PINPOINT LIKELY WINNERS, PAGE 20
FOCUS ON THE MIDDLE EAST
S
AUDI ARABIAN-based Jerry
Barton can never be ignored at
the Dubai Carnival, where his
eight winners include the
Golden Shaheen victory of Big
City Man in the Golden Shaheen in
2009.
That was a fine year for Barton, as
he also collected the UAE 1,000
Guineas with So Shiny and the Cape
Verdi with Deem, back again this time
as a six-year-old, having finished
fourth in last year’s Sheema Classic
after landing the Balanchine.
Expect to see her in similar races
again with a World Cup night berth
the obvious target, though she may be
targeted at the Duty Free.
Saudi interest is likely to be
provided in the opening round of the
Maktoum Challenge by Field Event,
trained by S Al Harabi, who is
expected to campaign five horses at
Meydan.
A winner in October, Field Event
should at least be fit and well but is
expected to travel in and out of the
Kingdom for the race.
Smart Banker, a Group 1 winner
in his native South Africa, potentially
looks the best of the trainer’s likely
runners, although Muller and Paris
Perfect were third and fourth
respectively behind Well Armed in the
2009 Dubai World Cup on the Nad Al
Sheba dirt.
The chequebooks have been out all
over the Gulf, resulting in an influx of
talented horses from Britain and
Ireland who will now represent new
trainers.
Familiar names from Britain and Ireland
likely to be on show for different trainers
Naif Alatawi has a couple of
familiar names nominated for Saudi
Arabia, having paid 320,000gns for
Jeremy Noseda’s Railway Stakes
winner Formosina and 200,000gns
for the speedy Electric Waves, a
Group 3 winner for Ed McMahon.
They will be aimed at the UAE
Classics.
jjQATAR’S influence not only
regionally but internationally is ever
increasing and their 2011
representatives could include a pair of
2009 European Group 1-winning
juveniles.
Ibrahim Saeed Al Malki spent
550,000gns to secure Hearts Of
Fire, who provided Pat Eddery with
his biggest training success in the
Group 1 Gran Criterium. Ballydoyle’s
2009 Dewhurst winner Beethoven
landed the Qatar Derby on his debut
for new trainer Ahmed Kobeissi.
Another Al Malki Dubai candidate
Miss Starlight was third.
Logic Way, winner of the
prestigious HH The Emir’s Trophy in
2009 and third in the same race last
year, is also expected to grace
Meydan.
jjBAHRAIN’S Fawzi Nass has been a
winning owner at the carnival,
notably with the Doug Watson-trained
Boston Lodge in the Group 3 Burj
Nahaar in 2007. As a trainer, though,
he has suffered a host of near-misses
with the likes of Jonquil, Aleutian and
Halkin all being placed. He hopes to
rectify that this year with a team led
by former Sir Michael Stoute-trained
Royal Ascot winner
Strawberrydaiquiri.
Second in the Sun Chariot on her
one start in Fawzi’s silks, the Dubai
Duty Free is her long-time aim. “We
would love to get that Group 1 win as
she has been purchased as a
broodmare prospect,”
Nass explains. “World Cup
night is the main aim but we
have a few options before
although she arrived late
and is a bit behind the
others after the cold
weather in England.
She’ll go to America
from Dubai before
probably
retiring.”
Another
bought as a
broodmare is My
Sweet Baby, a half-sister to 2009
Dubai Duty Free winner Gladiatorus
and a Group 3 winner in Italy.
The team is completed by UAE
2,000 Guineas possible Krypton
Factor, formerly with Sir Mark
Prescott, and Royal Destination,
who looks sure to be competitive in
handicaps having won at the St Leger
meeting for Jeremy Noseda.
jjKUWAITI Rashed Bouresly has
managed nine carnival winners over
the years, with Star Crowned
winning both in 2008 on the Nad Al
Sheba dirt and last year on Meydan’s
Tapeta.
Now eight, this admirable sprinter
has been placed in Group company
Call 01244 355 587 or
visit www.horseracingabroad.com
and was runner-up in the first ever
Meydan turf race last March. Do not
be surprised to see him win again as
his trainer reports him in fine fettle.
The trainer was disappointed not to
be able to run Comradeship at last
year’s carnival and the four-year-old
showed why his trainer has always
held him in such high regard when
routing his field in what looked a
good conditions race on what was,
remarkably, his sixth start since the
season opened in November. It will be
interesting to see how he copes with
the massive hike in the weights.
Jason Ford
Strawberrydaiquiri:
Royal Ascot winner
will race for
Bahrain trainer
Fawzi Nass
20
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 FINDING WINNERS
What it might take to be
a carnival king or queen
Draw and track position do not look crucial factors on the Tapeta surface
HOW TO FIND
THE WINNERS
Richard Young
A
DIFFERENT approach to
winner-finding was
required when Santa
Anita racecourse
replaced the traditional
dirt surface with synthetic Pro-Ride
for its Breeders’ Cup meeting in
2008.
And last January it was the same
scenario when $2 billion Meydan
racecourse staged its first carnival,
using Michael Dickinson’s Tapeta
rather than the dirt surface seen at
Nad Al Sheba, which hosted the
event from 2004-09.
Those fairly one-dimensional dirt
races at Nad Al Sheba – that offered
plenty of opportunities for clued-up
punters outside the UAE – have now
been replaced by a more forgiving
and consistent surface that most
horses handle, has little in the way
of kickback and has led to much
more competitive racing.
The following is an overview of
the way things panned out on
both Tapeta and turf at Meydan’s
first carnival and, although the
evidence is limited, to try to
pinpoint any areas where an edge
can be gained.
Type of horse The conformation of
this track and nature of the surface
lends itself to the handier type of
horse with tactical speed and a turn
of foot over the long-striding horses
with an inability to quicken. Siding
with progressive sorts has always
been a profitable exercise on synthetic
surfaces and several with such a
profile – Leahurst, Sirocco Breeze and
Mendip to name a few – were seen to
particularly good effect last year.
Saeed Bin Suroor, the trainer of the
last two, has among others an exciting
and progressive sort in Quick Wit,
who won both his starts in the UK last
year and looks an ideal carnival type.
Pace As on other synthetic surfaces
around the world, pace is a big factor
in determining the outcome of races
over all distances. Although horses
with a telling turn of foot such as
Godolphin pair Antinori and Once
More Dubai as well as Japanesetrained Red Desire were able to
overcome pace biases last year, it’s
usually worth taking the time to try to
work out how things may unfold.
Running style Dirt racing at Nad Al
Sheba favoured those up with the
know what’s required to win races
over 1m3f on Tapeta at Meydan as all
seven races over that trip at last year’s
carnival went to horses from these
yards.
Turf
The turf track was used very sparingly
at Meydan’s first carnival to preserve
the ground for World Cup night and
the fact that only 17 races were run
on grass means it is hard to be too
dogmatic judged on that evidence.
However, unlike at the triangularshaped Nad Al Sheba, the turf track at
Meydan, with its sweeping bends and
furlong shorter run-in, seems a much
more conventional course to assess
accurately.
Pace seemed the key and a series of
moderately run races saw the
prominent racers come to the fore,
whereas a strong gallop suited
Bankable in the Al Fahidi Fort,
although both Presvis and Imbongi
had the class to overcome pace biases
in the Jebel Hatta and Zabeel Mile
respectively.
While 6f winners Judd Street and
Joy And Fun were prominent racers
housed in the bottom half of the draw,
it is highly unlikely that a high berth
in big fields will prove any barrier to
success over that trip.
General
Trainers Mike de Kock and Saeed
Bin Suroor, the leading protagonists at
Nad Al Sheba, again led the way at
Meydan. The former has a couple of
very interesting runners for World
Cup night in the shape of Durban July
winner Bold Silvano and fellow
Grade 1 scorer River Jetez, who
shaped better than the bare form in
the same contest after racing widest
of all into the straight before faring
best of the older horses on her final
start for Mike Bass.
De Kock’s South African compatriot
Herman Brown has a strong squad
spearheaded by Grade 1 winner
Orbison (ran well from wide draw in
Durban July), while Mikhail Glinka,
who won the Queen’s Vase for Aidan
O’Brien, was far from disgraced over
an inadequate 1m on his UAE/Tapeta
debut.
Note also the likes of Jeremy
Noseda, who fields a potentially smart
sort for the colts’ Classics in Western
Aristocrat, and Luca Cumani, whose
strong team includes likely handicap
winner Start Right.
It could also pay to monitor Satish
Seemar, who has had a lean time at
the last few carnivals but whose
horses have recently been in cracking
form on the domestic front.
Jockeys Frankie Dettori, Kieren
Fallon and Kevin Shea should ride
plenty of winners but the UAE
welcomes back Weichong Marwing,
who impressed at Nad Al Sheba in
his role of stable jockey to Mike de
Kock a few years ago. He will partner
World Cup hope Gitano Hernando,
who was arguably unlucky in a
muddling World Cup last year and
will be a player this time if there is a
truer test.
MEYDAN POINTERS
jjVery few horses should be
inconvenienced by Tapeta or its
kickback. The turf track at
Meydan looks much more
straightforward to read and ride
than Nad Al Sheba
jjWatch out for horses likely to
get an uncontested lead on
both Tapeta and on turf,
especially from an in-running
viewpoint
jjBe interested in horses with
progressive form on Polytrack in
the UK switching to Tapeta,
especially those strong travellers
with a turn of foot
jjAmerica’s dominance of the
Group 1 Golden Shaheen on
World Cup night continues,
despite the switch in surface;
all races over 6f showed
prominent racers in a good
light
jjThe South African contingent
remains strong – keep a
particularly close eye on horses
who ran in their premier Flat
race, the Durban July, a rich
source of carnival winners in
recent years
Ahmed Ajtebi
celebrates his win
aboard Calming
Influence in the
Godolphin Mile
All-weather (Tapeta)
pace and out of the kickback but
that’s not the case on Tapeta. Frontrunners fared nowhere near as well
on synthetics last year but it is worth
noting that not too many pacesetters
had a realistic chance and World Cup
winner Gloria De Campeao and
handicap scorers Barbecue Eddie and
Whispering Gallery showed an
uncontested lead can be a big
advantage.
The most interesting set of results
came over 6f where it proved a big
advantage to race prominently. Only
two of the 12 races over that
particular distance went to hold-up
horses and both of those came in
strongly run races when Tapeta was
on the slow side early at the carnival.
Draw Unlike at Nad Al Sheba where
those drawn very high or very low
could be inconvenienced, there’s been
little draw bias on Tapeta. Of course,
a low draw may not be ideal in big
fields for a hold-up horse who needs
the gaps, and it’s a similar story about
a wide draw for a horse who can pull
and needs cover, but there have been
winners from a wide range of stalls
over all distances.
Track position There is plenty of
guesswork about quicker strips of
ground and bad rails on artificial
surfaces in the UK but there has been
no evidence to suggest any part of the
Tapeta course was favoured either last
year or at meetings in the run-up to
the 2011 carnival.
Specialist distance Luca Cumani
(twice) and Saeed Bin Suroor (five)
21
ARAB RACING IN DUBAI, PAGE 22
representatives notched up 22 losses.
Bary has had many placed runners at
recent Nad Al Sheba carnivals, mainly
courtesy of Brazilian-bred runners on
dirt but, apart from the versatile
Gloria de Campeao, who took to the
Tapeta brilliantly, his horses have not
been so effective at Meydan.
NATION-BY-NATION
GUIDE
Ben Hutton
L
AST year the carnival packed
up and rolled out of Nad Al
Sheba to set up a magnificent
show at Meydan, where the
major factor that affected the
racing was the swapping of dirt for
the synthetic Tapeta.
Some of the immediate trends were
more predictable than others.
Brazilian-trained horses had excelled
on dirt but, a single win for Al Arab
aside, as expected they struggled to
land the same blows on Tapeta.
However, British trainers would
surely have been hoping that their
turf performers would take to the
Tapeta but a strike-rate of 5.5% was
disappointing.
Runners from 27 nations have been
represented at the Dubai Carnival
since its inception in 2004, with 22 of
them showing up at Meydan in 2010.
A total of 16 nations were represented
on the February 11 card alone, a
figure matched in March at the
Meydan Masters and on Dubai World
Cup night itself.
One particular 11-runner race, the
Group 3 Cape Verdi, featured horses
from no fewer than nine different
countries.
Given the multi-national form lines,
it is very difficult for any bookmaker
to accurately price up the chances of
every single runner, which can give
punters some excellent opportunities
– always providing, of course, that
you are outside the UAE, where
gambling is illegal.
Based on the past carnival
performances of horses from certain
nations, it is possible to pick up more
than a few clues to give you an
advantage.
Australia
Not often sighted in Dubai, but
runners do appear leniently
handicapped when they turn up based
on evidence from Nad Al Sheba. As a
gauge to whether such runners are
well-in, compare them with the
Japan
exposed Valedictum, who was not
quite up to winning at Group 1 level
in his homeland, but managed to land
a handicap off 107. Also, Benedetti
and Smart And Mighty, two solid
Listed/Group 3 campaigners down
under, who won off marks of 108 and
99 respectively four years ago.
One winner from six runners at
Meydan in 2010 doesn’t tell the whole
story with the Japanese runners. Red
Desire won a Group 2 at 8-1 before
finishing 11th in the Dubai World Cup
and, also on World Cup night, they
had a fourth at 25-1 (Glorious Noah),
a fourth at 33-1 (Laurel Guerreiro)
and a second at 6-1 (Buena Vista).
These results drop a tantalising hint
that there could be some big runs at
decent prices from Japanese horses
this year.
Brazil
Brazilian-trained horses enjoyed a
tremendous record on dirt at Nad Al
Sheba, where they struggled on turf.
There were also no wins from five
runs on turf at Meydan, which isn’t
particularly noteworthy – but what is
of interest is Brazil’s poor one-from-22
record on Tapeta, with the win
coming from the Antonio Cintra
Pereira-trained Al Arab at 11-1.
Such a downturn wasn’t entirely
unexpected given the differences
between the dirt and Tapeta surfaces,
and with dirt no longer featuring at
the carnival, the Brazilian-trained
horses appear to have lost their edge.
South Africa
Britain
A strike-rate of 4.5% on dirt at Nad Al
Sheba has gone up to 5.5% on Tapeta,
but this is not the magnitude of
improvement that may have been
expected given that turf horses are
usually better suited to all-weather
surfaces. True, we have only one year
of figures to go on, but this doesn’t
bode well for British-trained horses on
Tapeta in 2011.
Moreover, it is often difficult to eke
out any value in the prices of the
British runners, as the bookmakers
know all about them. Still, given the
exposed nature of the fields in
handicaps, progressive types should
always be of interest.
France
Both French wins at last year’s
carnival can be attributed to Pascal
Bary’s World Cup winner Gloria de
Campeao, and he started his career in
South America. France’s remaining
At Nad Al Sheba they had a strike-rate
of 14.2% on dirt and a 15.4% record
on turf, with a healthy level-stakes
profit being posted on the grass.
Two wins from 27 runners (7.4%)
on turf at Meydan was disappointing,
whereas the 12 wins from 67 runners
(17.9%) on Tapeta was much more
promising, especially as all those
winners were trained by Mike de
Kock. While the sample sizes may be
inadequate in terms of making overly
confident assumptions, de Kock’s
horses have certainly taken well to
the Tapeta.
Previous advice regarding South
African-trained runners in handicaps
is that if they have been competitive
in Grade 1s in their homeland then
they should be rated at least 110.
Subsequent World Cup runner-up
Lizard’s Desire – also a Group 1
winner in Singapore later on –
demonstrated this point by winning
handicaps off 100 and 107 at Meydan
last season.
At Nad Al Sheba’s final carnival,
Silver Mist won a handicap off a mark
of 106 on his Dubai debut, so this rule
of thumb looks a really solid pointer
when it comes to assessing South
African chances in handicap company.
Spain
A record of nought from ten at all
carnivals and nought from six at
NATION-BY-NATION SUCCESS AT THE CARNIVAL 2004-2009 (NAD AL SHEBA)
OVERALL
Country
UAE
TURF
Meydan, doesn’t make Spanishtrained horses obviously appealing
propositions, but their performances
last season suggest a win may not be
far away.
The Mauricio Delcher-Sancheztrained Silverside put in three solid
efforts and was unfortunate not to
come away with a victory, and
stablemate Aranel grabbed a second
at 33-1, plus a third. Yan Durepaire
also trains in Spain, and he saddled
16-1 shot Synergy to finish third.
Delcher-Sanchez is likely to send
Silverside over to Dubai again, and he
could be joined by As De Trebol.
Turkey
Last year this was written: “12 placed
efforts from 23 starts is an
eyecatching record, especially as there
has been an almost identical split
between dirt and turf.”
Pan River was the sole Turkish
representative at last year’s carnival,
and he managed a handicap win off
108, a second in a Group 2 and a
decent seventh in the Sheema Classic.
Mystical Storm and Dervis Aga could
travel over this year and attempt to
further bolster those impressive stats.
UAE
Don’t get carried away with the small
profit posted on turf by UAE-trained
runners at the Meydan carnival as this
was almost a result of the shock 40-1
success of Al Shemali in the Dubai
Duty Free on World Cup night.
Horses rated 100-plus are required
if an owner wants to get a run in a
carnival handicap and are therefore
popular with owners wanting to be
represented at Meydan but many
horses of this ilk are thoroughly
exposed and have very little
improvement left in them.
Mind you, these exposed UAEtrained runners can occasionally bag a
win, as Kal Barg and Escape Route did
last year, but anything with a
progressive profile has to be
respected, with Meydan wins also
coming for the likes of Whispering
Gallery, Highland Glen, Emirates
Champion, Sirocco Breeze and
Antinori.
It is no coincidence that all of these
horses were trained by Saeed Bin
Suroor, who tends to be responsible
for the pick of the Godolphin animals.
IF IT’S
INTERNATIONAL
IT’S ONLINE
The best coverage
on the net
vvOur database tells you
everything you need to
know about a horse – don’t
study form without it
vvFind out what’s
happened, wherever it has
happened
vvRead
Racing
vv
vRe
R add the
th
he R
aciing PPost
ost
newspaper on your laptop
– download it from 3am
every day at
racingpost.com/
digitalnewspaper
vvThe finest
information, the
easiest way to bet – use
the Racing Post’s new
iPhone app. Go to
racingpost.com/iphone
vvBet direct from our cards
with your existing accounts
– the fastest route from
form to bet
BE IN THE KNOW
NATION-BY-NATION SUCCESS AT THE CARNIVAL 2010 (MEYDAN)
DIRT
OVERALL
1st
Runs
+/-
1st
Runs
+/-
1st
Runs
+/-
220
2710
-£691.13
99
1400
-£448.81
121
1310
-£242.32
South Africa
85
567
-£14.20
55
356
+£72.81
30
211
-£87.01
Britain
65
759
-£249.05
56
558
-£115.84
9
201
-£133.21
USA
13
103
-£20.46
0
26
-£26.00
13
77
+£5.54
Brazil
11
138
+£59.00
2
50
£0.00
9
88
+£59.00
Ireland
9
137
-£49.97
9
121
-£33.97
0
16
-£16.00
Saudi Arabia
8
84
+£4.25
1
19
+£2.00
7
65
+£2.25
Kuwait
8
220
-£130.25
4
104
-£47.50
4
116
-£82.75
TURF
TAPETA
Country
1st
Runs
+/-
1st
Runs
+/-
1st
Runs
+/-
UAE
37
435
-£30.08
7
91
+£4.87
30
344
-£34.95
South Africa
14
94
-£40.84
2
27
-£19.25
12
67
-£21.59
Britain
12
164
-£32.32
5
36
+£25.50
7
128
-£57.82
France
2
24
+£6.00
0
6
-£6.00
2
18
+£12.00
Saudi Arabia
2
38
-£16.00
1
4
+£3.00
1
34
-£19.00
Hong Kong
1
3
+£10.00
1
2
+£11.00
0
1
-£1.00
Turkey
1
3
+£3.00
1
3
+£3.00
0
0
N/A
Japan
1
6
+£3.00
0
1
-£1.00
1
5
+£4.00
USA
1
9
-£1.00
0
5
-£5.00
1
4
+£4.00
Kuwait
1
13
+£2.00
0
2
-£2.00
1
11
+£4.00
-£10.00
France
6
92
-£12.17
6
51
+£18.83
0
41
Australia
5
19
+£28.00
5
17
+£30.00
0
2
-£2.00
Germany
5
51
-£3.77
5
39
+£8.23
0
12
-£12.00
Macau
4
62
-£18.00
0
14
-£14.00
4
48
-£4.00
Brazil
1
27
-£15.00
0
5
-£5.00
1
22
Turkey
3
23
+£16.00
2
12
+£12.00
1
11
+£4.00
Singapore
0
1
-£1.00
0
0
N/A
0
1
-£1.00
Japan
3
35
-£17.25
2
11
-£0.75
1
24
-£16.50
Australia
0
2
-£2.00
0
1
-£1.00
0
1
-£1.00
India
2
19
-£9.50
2
16
-£6.50
0
3
-£3.00
Macau
0
4
-£4.00
0
0
N/A
0
4
-£4.00
Singapore
2
27
+£7.00
2
20
+£14.00
0
7
-£7.00
Norway
0
4
-£4.00
0
1
-£1.00
0
3
-£3.00
Hong Kong
1
11
-£1.00
1
7
+£3.00
0
5
-£5.00
Italy
0
5
-£5.00
0
2
-£2.00
0
3
-£3.00
Norway
1
21
+£13.00
1
11
+£23.00
0
10
-£10.00
Spain
0
6
-£6.00
0
1
-£1.00
0
5
-£5.00
Czech Republic
0
1
-£1.00
0
0
N/A
0
1
-£1.00
Sweden
0
6
-£6.00
0
1
-£1.00
0
5
-£5.00
Argentina
0
2
-£2.00
0
1
-£1.00
0
1
-£1.00
New Zealand
0
2
-£2.00
0
2
-£2.00
0
0
N/A
India
0
7
-£7.00
0
3
-£3.00
0
4
-£4.00
Spain
0
4
-£4.00
0
3
-£3.00
0
1
-£1.00
Bahrain
0
13
-£13.00
0
6
-£6.00
0
7
-£7.00
Greece
0
7
-£7.00
0
5
-£5.00
0
2
-£2.00
Germany
0
18
-£18.00
0
6
-£6.00
0
12
-£12.00
Ireland
0
22
-£22.00
0
3
-£3.00
0
19
-£19.00
Denmark
0
10
-£10.00
0
Sweden
0
15
-£15.00
0
Italy
0
26
-£26.00
0
Bahrain
0
51
-£51.00
0
20
3
7
-£31.00
-£3.00
0
-£7.00
8
-£8.00
0
7
-£7.00
12
-£12.00
0
14
-£14.00
-£20.00
0
31
-£31.00
JOIN MEMBERS’ CLUB AND ACCESS ALL AREAS
22
David Carr
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 THE ROLE OF ARAB RACING
Howard Wright puts the
spotlight on Arab racing, the
hybrid form of the sport that
plays a big part in the UAE
racing season – including the odd
appearance at the carnival
O
NLY the best is good
enough for the Dubai
Carnival at Meydan, which
explains why races for
purebred Arabian horses,
one of the regular features during the
rest of the five-month season in the
UAE, are about to take a back seat.
Abu Dhabi, where thoroughbreds
contest only one event per meeting,
and to a lesser extent Jebel Ali and
Sharjah will continue to feed the
long-established local enthusiasm for
arabian racing, but the programme at
Meydan for the next ten fixtures is
much more selective.
Arabians, the native breed in the
area for thousands of years, have their
own equivalent of the three-round
Maktoum Challenge for
thoroughbreds, which are laid out as
stepping stones to the main event, the
Kahayla Classic on Dubai World Cup
night.
Worth a total of $250,000, the
Kahayla Classic mimics the World Cup
itself, being a Grade 1 race run under
purebred arabian conditions over
1m2f on the Tapeta surface, and is
guaranteed to attract some of the
world’s best available horses.
That there is little else for arabians
on the main stage, and their
programme is not even included in
the carnival conditions book, can be
traced to quality – or rather the lack
of it.
Emirates Racing Authority senior
handicapper Melvin Day has 750
arabian horses on his current ratings
file, which he hands over to colleague
Neil Abrahams for raceday
compilation.
However, Day, the Racing Post’s Flat
handicapper until he was invited to
join the ERA in 1998, explains: “At the
moment, a massive number of the
arabian horses in the UAE are
maidens, probably around 70 per
cent. Only 24 horses are rated above
100, whereas the majority come in at
50 or below, which makes it hard to
frame races for those above a mark of
80.”
For followers of the thoroughbred,
who might come across arabians only
as an adjunct to cards at Newmarket,
Newbury and Ascot, or on Arc day at
Longchamp, Day’s approach to
assessing arabian horses helps to
explain one of the chief differences.
“Handicapping arabians is almost
the same as for thoroughbreds,” he
says. “You look at the profile of a race,
see what’s going up and what’s going
down, and make a judgement about
the form.
“But they are not like
thoroughbreds for consistency. In fact,
as a group they are generally notably
inconsistent. They can sometimes turn
in a really bad run in the middle of
being in the form of their lives.”
However, Day adds: “But we do get
close finishes in handicaps, especially
at Abu Dhabi, which has a short
straight, and in one respect, arabians
are just like thoroughbreds. The better
the quality, the better the chance of
them being consistent. The problem is
that the pool of very good horses is
relatively small.”
Two other differences between
arabians and thoroughbreds make
handicapping arabians less of a
precise science – arabians are slower
than thoroughbreds, but they are
better able to show the same form
over a range of distances.
The race that’s the
same as the World
Cup, but for
purebreds
Off and running in last year’s Kahayla Classic, a contest for purebred arabian horses worth some $250,000 that mimics the World Cup itself
Recent evidence suggests winners
of arabian races in the UAE run
between nine and 11 seconds slower
than thoroughbreds, whatever the
distance, which on the BHA finishing
distance scale for Polytrack equates to
a maximum of 66 lengths.
From the sharp end of training both
arabians and thoroughbreds, Erwan
Charpy is well placed to judge the
pros and cons of both breeds.
“They are very similar in getting
them fit, but once an arabian horse is
fit, you have to train his mind to work
for you,” he says.
“I wouldn’t say that as a bunch
arabians are ungenuine, but you have
to understand them to get the best
out of them.
“They can quickly get bored with a
routine, and you’ve got to pick on
their minds and their curiosity.
“As a rider, you have to outsmart
them sometimes. That’s why there are
some jockeys who do particularly well
with arabians, because they can be as
tricky as the horses.
“It’s been fascinating to see Kieren
Fallon doing so well on arabians this
season. He’s a clever jockey, and he
can trick horses by giving them the
impression they are kings of the
place.”
Charpy, who has spent a dozen
years in Dubai, adds: “Tactics and the
pace of a race are even more
important for arabians than
thoroughbreds. The top horses are a
TIME COMPARISONS: PUREBREDS AND THOROUGHBREDS
Date
Distance (m), surface, race type
Winner
11.12.10 Sharjah
Course
1,200, AW, PA mdn
1,200, AW, TH, 0-74 hcap
Sharaf
Montmorency (rated 75)
1m19.77s
1m10.45s
Time
09.12.10 Meydan
1,900, AW, PA
1,900, AW, TH, condtns
Santhal
Trois Rois (rated 105)
2m09.24s
1m58.27s
03.12.10 Jebel Ali
1,200, AW, PA mdn
1,200, AW, TH mdn
A’Nnabak W’Rsan
Nanni The Teaser (rated 79)
1m23.64s
1m12.90s
02.12.10 Meydan
1,600, AW, PA
1,600, AW, TH, 6-85 hcap
AF Aghabra
Game Stalker (rated 75)
1m51.00s
1m40.01s
20.11.10 Sharjah
2,000, AW, PA, 0-75 condtns
2,000, AW, TH, 0-75 hcap
Estiqraar
Gulf of Gold (rated 72)
2m18.90s
2m06.22s
27.03.10 Meydan
2,000, AW, PA, Kahayla Classic (G1) Jaafer
2,000, AW, TH, Dubai World Cup (G1) Gloria De Campeao
04.03.10 Meydan
2,000, AW, PA
2,000, AW, TH
No Risk Al Maury
Red Desire
2m13.61s
2m03.83s
2m13.48s (PA track record)
2m02.62s (TH track record)
*PA, purebred arabian; TH, thoroughbred
**Results are for UAE and cover those from Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Meydan and Sharjah racecourses
tight bunch and the way a race is run
is so important.
“Arabians can make you taller. But
there’s also nothing better than an
arabian to make fools out of trainers
and jockeys. The moment you think
everything is going right, it’s liable to
go wrong.”
Four-time Kahayla Classic winner
Gill Duffield, who splits her year
between Newmarket and Dubai as
Sheikh Hamdan’s chief trainer,
concentrates on arabians and echoes
Charpy’s comment about getting into
their minds.
“The basic principal of preparing
their fitness is the same as for
thoroughbreds, but then you’ve got to
get on to their mental wavelength,”
she says. “They’re very mentally alert,
very clever.
“Of course, some are ungenuine,
just like thoroughbreds, but if you can
gain their confidence, get them to win
a race and think ‘that’s nice’, they
usually go on. None of my best
horses has had to wear blinkers, for
instance.
“But if they have too many hard
races, they can turn sour, and once
that happens, it’s very difficult to get
them back.”
Duffield is taking extra care to keep
her horses sweet this season, after a
change of conditions following the
building of Meydan.
“I’m unconventional in the UK,
because I take the horses
everywhere,” she says. “They never
know where they’re going from one
day to the next. But here I now have
to train on the track every day. By the
end of the season, the ones who stand
out will be the fresher, sounder
horses.”
However, Duffield, who claimed a
piece of UAE racing history by
training the first winner at Meydan
last January, is full of praise for the
new course and the carnival’s
emphasis on quality.
“Some horses liked the old main
track at Nad Al Sheba, some hated it,”
she says. “The Tapeta surface is first
class, and whereas some people from
overseas wouldn’t send their horses
until the Kahayla Classic, because of
the dirt surface, I’m sure more will
come now.
“I hope they do. It might make
things more competitive for those of
us who train here all season, but the
public want to see the best arabians
taking on each other – and that can
only be good for the sport.”
Arabians to follow
Erwan Charpy
Santhal
9g – owner Sheikh Hamdan
Arabians and thoroughbreds: the differences
What is a purebred
arabian horse?
Arabian horses originated as
a breed on the Arabian
Peninsula more than 4,500
years ago. They have
refined, concave or ‘dished’
heads, a broad forehead,
large eyes and nostrils, and
small muzzles, with an
arched neck, and stand
between 14.1 to 15.1 hands
high. They dominate
endurance riding, but have
versatility to take part in
racing and eventing and
beauty for showing. Put
simply, in racing terms they
are slower and smaller than
thoroughbreds.
Defined since 1974 by the
international governing
body the World Arabian
Horse Organisation
(waho.org) as “one which
appears in any purebred
arabian stud book or
register listed by WAHO as
acceptable,” after a threeyear study to eliminate
previous loose descriptions.
Since 2004, WAHO has
closed arabian stud books to
new horses that do not trace
to previously accepted
horses under the definition,
although stud books can be
added if they meet the
WAHO criteria. The
authenticity of pedigrees
accepted in some countries
remains a subject of private
debate.
Arabian racing is overseen
by IFAHR, the International
Federation of Arabian Horse
Racing Authorities
(ifahr.net), of which the
UK’s Arabian Racing
Organisation
(aroracing.co.uk) was one of
18 founding members in
1999.
What is a
thoroughbred?
A totally separate breed
nowadays, registered in
dedicated stud books
administered by
International Stud Book
Committee, but developed
from the 17th century in
England from native mares
who were bred to imported
arabian stallions, most
notably the Byerley Turk,
Darley Arabian and
Godolphin Arabian, from
whom all modern
thoroughbreds descend.
Britain’s General Stud
Book was first published in
1793 by James Weatherby,
whose family still owns the
accredited volume, and has
been replicated as the
source for thoroughbred
pedigrees and registrations
in virtually all horseracing
jurisdictions.
With 14.2hh the general
cut-off point between a
pony and a horse,
thoroughbreds are bigger
than arabians and typically
range from 15.2 to around
17.0 hands high. They are
bred for the agility and
speed associated with
racing and rarely have the
stamina needed for
endurance sport.
Thoroughbreds can only
be registered in an accepted
stud book if conceived by
live cover, whereas use of
artificial insemination and
embryo transfer is common
with arabian horses.
“I have a lot of young horses who are
not ready for big races yet, and
Santhal is the only one of the right
calibre in the stable. He needs space
between his races, so I didn’t want to
run him quickly after he won at the
beginning of December.”
Gill Duffield
Adjinn D’Aroco
5g – Sheikh Hamdan
“He’s coming along nicely. He won a
Group 2 at Newbury in June and then
ran third over the same course and
distance behind the Kahayla Classic
winner Jaafer in a Group 1.”
No Risk Al Maury
8h – Sheikh Hamdan
“He hasn’t run since being beaten by
Jaafer in the Kahayla Classic, but he
won the very first race at Meydan and
two legs of the Maktoum Challenge
before that and he’s going again for
the Challenge.”
23
David Carr
DUBAI CARNIVAL 2011 HOW THE WORLD CUP WAS WON LAST YEAR
A feeling
Bary is
never likely
to forget
All-the-way-winner: Gloria De Campeao leads the field before holding fast-finishing Lizard’s Desire to create an upset in last year’s World Cup
Drama in the desert as Gloria
De Campeao pulls off surprise
win in world’s richest race
IT MAY have been the richest-ever race,
but Brazilian jockey TJ Pereira kept it
simple as he made all aboard Gloria De
Campeao to win the first Dubai World Cup
run at Meydan in a desperate three-way
finish.
Desperate is probably the feeling South
African jockey Kevin Shea is still
experiencing after celebrating what he
thought was victory on Lizard's Desire,
who was actually denied by a nose.
Ahmed Ajtebi on Godolphin's Allybar,
himself a short head away in third, had
even congratulated Shea after they
crossed the line.
Last year’s St Leger winner Mastery
finished fifth under Frankie Dettori but
the British challenge failed to make
much of a mark. Gitano Hernando finished
sixth, Crowded House ninth and Twice
Over tenth behind the winner, who had
been unplaced behind Curlin in the 2008
World Cup and a distant second to Well
Armed 12 months ago.
The Pascal Bary-trained Gloria De
Campeao, sent off at 16-1 by British
bookmakers, was a first World Cup
winner for France. Brazil can also also
claim this as something of a victory as
the winner was bred in Brazil and raced
there until joining Bary as a four-year-old.
He carries the colours of Swedish
owner Stefan Friborg's Estrela Energia,
and Friborg was exultant after the race.
jjResult Emirates
Airline Dubai
World Cup
1 Gloria De Campeao ....16-1
2 Lizard’s Desire............33-1
3 Allybar ......................16-1
Owner Stefan Friborg
Trainer Pascal Bary
Jockey TJ Pereira
Breeder Haras Santarem
Distances nse, sh hd
Brough Scott’s
Racing Post
report
“I don’t have a word for it!” said the
owner, who has a select string of exBrazilian horses with Bary. “It was
fantastic. It was planned to go in the
front – he’s very tough. He enjoys to
run and fight and he never gives up.”
A disappointed Shea said: “It’s a very
bitter pill to swallow, but I’ve got to
swallow it. When I looked up it was just
after the line and I was in front and I
thought I’d got it.
“He’s run the race of his life and been
denied by the narrowest of margins. It’s
very disappointing to be beaten so
narrowly, but it was great to be involved
in such an exciting race.”
Once Pereira had Gloria De Campeao
in front early he steadied his horse to his
own rhythm so that he had enough to hold
on in the most desperate of races to the
line. That steady rhythm was always
going to present problems for the British
runners behind him. Kieren Fallon was
locked along the rail on Gitano Hernando,
Tom Queally was going to have work
wide on Twice Over and John Velazquez
made Jamie Spencer’s oft-criticised
waiting tactics look positively hasty as he
dropped Crowded House way last of the
posse.
Queally was the first to move and
straightaway it did not seem wholly
convincing. He got the big colt into a
quicker rhythm on the outside and while
he did get a bit of attacking momentum
off the last turn, there was not a lot of
snap in his stride as he battled in the
straight and it soon became clear even
the minor placings were likely to be
beyond him.
Gitano Hernando met the predictable
traffic problems in the straight but did
at least collect $200,000 for making
sixth and, while Crowded House did
begin quite a promising move once they
levelled out, it was not an excitement that
was going to live too long. That was left
to what was happening up front.
Gloria De Campeao was originally
accompanied by the Saudi-trained outsider
Amor De Pobre and Mastery, whom
Dettori was sensibly making as much
use of as possible. In view of his final
placing of fifth, Dettori might have wished
he had attacked earlier, but Mastery
probably lacks a little in this class and it
was his stable companion Allybar and
Ajtebi who was coursing down the leader.
Ajtebi is popular with the local crowd
and a roar went up as he closed on
Gloria De Campeao, and was also
threatened on the outside by the thrusting
yellow silks of Shea on Lizard’s Desire.
As the trio flashed toward the light it
seemed sure that Allybar would not
make it, but right on the post it appeared
that Lizard’s Desire had got there and Shea
threw his arm upward in delight.
But as the replays came the leader
seemed more and more likely to get the
call. When it came, it was just the latest
and richest example of the oldest rule of
all. If no one else wants to be there, the
best place is in front.
THERE can have been no greater
illustration of the international
nature of racing in the last 12
months than the sight of Gloria De
Campeao’s connections celebrating
the narrowest of victories in last
season’s Dubai World Cup.
Jockey TJ Pereira clad in the blue
and gold silks of Swedish owner
Stefan Friborg, wrapped in the
Brazilian flag of both his and his
horse’s birth, and welcomed back
by ace French trainer Pascal Bary.
It was a case of third time lucky
for Gloria De Campeao after
finishing 14 lengths behind Well
Armed a year earlier at Nad Al
Sheba and eighth behind Curlin in
2008.
Reflecting on what he describes
as a superb night, Bary points to
the value of giving the horse plenty
of time to acclimatise. “He’d been
at Meydan for three months,” he
says, “and, importantly, he had
become used to running on the
surface and running in the heat.
Everything was in place for a good
run.”
Having won his first start in
Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge
at the end of January, Gloria De
Campeao was just touched off in
his final prep race by Red Desire in
a blanket finish. At the time it
might have appeared an
inconclusive trial, but with Allybar
a close-up fourth, it featured two of
the principals in that desperate
three-way photo finish in the World
Cup.
Bary recalls: “After winning on
his return to action, he was beaten
on his next outing. But the winner
came very late down the outside.
We knew he was in good form.”
Bary has been campaigning his
horses globally for more than 20
years, landing the first of three
Breeders’ Cup wins in the 1991
renewal of the Turf with Miss
Alleged. Yet the emotions of
winning the World Cup in such
circumstances clearly still touch
him now. He recalls: “To wait quite
a long time for the result, and for
the victory to be so slight . . . I
mean, the photo finish was very
tight. It was superb.”
Friborg’s horses run under the
banner of Estrela Energia, and this
year’s carnival contenders are
being prepared in Dubai by
Brazilian trainer Eduardo Martins.
Among them, Hotsix and Oroveso
were both previously with Bary in
Chantilly. But where one door
closes, another has opened, and the
57-year-old will be represented by
the four year old Argentine import
Interaction, of whom Bary says:
“He’s lovely, and he’s still young.”
If the example of Gloria De
Campeao holds true, you can be
sure his handler will show plenty of
perseverance with his new recruit.
Scott Burton
CATCH UP WITH THE CARNIVAL ACTION WITH OUR RPTV REVIEWS – FOUND IN THE MEDIA CENTRE
Pascal Bary:
superb
World
Cup
24

WC11.01.1ST.EPSF

Transcription

Similar documents

megawave - James Law Cybertecture

Profile New_Dr Zulekha D

layout 1 - All Celebrity Travel

Dubai Today - Gulf for Good

CMRJ NEWS

a huge thank you from the carnival chairs and committee to all who

Foxdell School Year 1 Rio de Janeiro Carnival

to a PDF file with complete information for this weekend.

Venetian Mask

Viva il CARNEVALE