Dubai World Cup day: Thursday roundup from Meydan

Dubai World Cup (G1), 1 1/4 miles

From a form perspective, there are few more fascinating horses in this year’s Dubai World Cup than Laurel River.

A promising sprinter-miler in the U.S., Laurel River was a big winner of the Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2) at Del Mar in 2022 with two of Saturday’s rivals, Señor Buscador in third and Defunded in sixth. Then trained by Bob Baffert, he was set to start as one of the primary contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile that year before injury ruled him out.

Given a long break, he joined Dubai trainer Bhupat Seemar late last year. Well-beaten fresh in the Al Shindagha Sprint (G3), he returned to his brilliant best with a facile victory in the Burj Nahaar (G3), which turned Seemar’s attention to a potential Dubai World Cup berth.

The question for Seemar, though, is whether Laurel River, untested beyond a mile, will stay the 1 1/4-mile trip, actually 2,000 meters, of the Dubai World Cup.

“We think the best is still to come with him,” Seemar said. “There’s a lot about whether he will stay or not, but me and my jockey (Tadhg O’Shea) feel that he will not just stay but will be even better over this trip. He wasn’t stopping in the Burj Nahaar and I think he will be just fine.

“He’s a very high class horse and high class horses all tend to have speed and versatility. I remember Ghostzapper did a similar thing, he started off sprinting and then stretched out to win a Breeders’ Cup Classic. It was easier to start him out over six (furlongs) and then step up to a mile, we had a lot to work with and he’s taken it all so well.”

Wednesday’s barrier draw only served to confirm that, all being equal, Laurel River will lead uncontested in the Dubai World Cup. Drawn in post 12, O’Shea will attempt to cross the field in the short run to the first turn.

“He’s got so much tactical speed so, if they want to match him, they’ll have to be very fast,” Seemar said. “In the Burj Nahaar, he was drawn 14 and crossed over gradually. It will be different here but I expect him to lead. If something wants to take him on, it is likely to be a kamikaze mission from them and I hope that Laurel River can withstand the pressure and kick on.

“Since I was a kid, I have been watching horses in the Juddmonte colors, the likes of Dancing Brave, Rainbow Quest and Warning. To think I now have a horse in those colors in what is one of the biggest races in the world, you can never imagine that will happen to you.”

Dubai Sheema Classic (G1), 1 1/2 miles, turf

There could be no doubting the chief human attraction of Thursday morning trackwork. Spirit Dancer’s breeder and co-owner Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary former manager of Manchester United FC, appeared to see his horse.

A winner of major races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia over the last few months, the son of Frankel was fourth in the Jebel Hatta (G1) as part of his build-up and returned to Meydan after his trip to Riyadh along with track rider Callum Pittendreigh.

Spirit Dancer cantered on the dirt track before being led over to a quiet corner where Ferguson and co-owner Ged Mason gave him a pat. The Scotsman crossed back over the track to a chorus of camera clicks and obliged numerous television and selfie requests.

"It’s a marvelous honor to be invited and the horse won’t let us down, he’ll run a good race," Ferguson said.

"I’ve had horses for many years but having bred a horse like him, there’s great enthusiasm. It’s a fantastic part of my life. He’s improved and improved."

Spirit Dancer will be trying 1 1/2 miles, actually 2,400 meters, for the first time and Ferguson feels it’s worth a shot. "We don’t know, but he’s by Frankel and he’s been going past the winning line OK. We feel he has the pedigree to run over a mile and a half.

"Richard has been the architect of how the horse has been placed.

"It's like going into a football match, you want a team with confidence and in good form. He’s in good form and we hope he does the business."

Fahey added, "He’s well acclimatized. The horse is enjoying it, the owner is enjoying it and the trainer’s enjoying it. He’s always been finishing his races well over a mile and a quarter and it’s always been in mind to try him over this distance. He’s here to compete."

Aidan O’Brien’s seven runners for the Dubai World Cup program were out on the main dirt track for the third consecutive morning on Thursday.

The group was led again by Tower Of London, followed, in order, by Auguste Rodin, Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale, Henry Adams, Navy Seal and Cairo.

The septet trotted a full lap then followed it with a stronger canter compared to previous appearances.

Pat Keating has been Ballydoyle’s trusted traveling head lad for pretty much as long his boss has been sending horses abroad. He is content with the progress of his latest shippers to Dubai.

“They have settled in very well. To me, Dubai has long set the standard in terms of facilities for visiting horses and they’re a happy bunch. They look great, their coats are gleaming,” Keating said.

Of the septet, Auguste Rodin is the star of the show.

“Straightforward horse to deal with,” said Keating. “He enjoys his work and Rachel (Richardson), who rides him, is happy with him.”

Point Lonsdale joins his vaunted stablemate in the Sheema Classic.

“Things didn’t go his way last time in Qatar, but he has good form before that in Bahrain and he’s a good traveller,” he said.

Dubai Turf (G1), 1 1/8 miles, turf

When Voyage Bubble and Straight Arron were foaled three days apart on the same farm, Torryburn Stud in the heart of Australia’s famed Hunter Valley, few could have imagined they would eventually end up traveling the world together, first to Hong Kong and now to Dubai for Saturday’s Dubai Turf.

For the first 15 months of their life, Voyage Bubble and Straight Arron remained in the same paddock until they were both prepared for auction, Voyage Bubble to the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and Straight Arron to the prestigious Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Fast forward four years and they combine again as Hong Kong chases its first ever win in the Dubai Turf. The closest a Sha Tin-trained horse has come to success in this race was in 2001, when Fairy King Prawn finished a neck second to the remarkable Jim And Tonic.

Fairy King Prawn was prepared by the late Ivan Allan when he came to Nad Al Sheba, and his original trainer Ricky Yiu eventually would strike Dubai success with Amber Sky in the Al Quoz Sprint in 2014.

Ten years on from that famous victory, Yiu believes that Voyage Bubble can prove competitive when he lines up in the Dubai Turf on Saturday.

“I’ve always wanted to come back to Dubai, but I wanted to wait until I had the right horse!” Yiu said on Thursday morning. “He’s a horse that is magnificent, he has just kept on improving. This season over the mile, it really has seemed like nothing can stop him, except for Golden Sixty!”

The highest-earning Thoroughbred of all time, Golden Sixty has never raced away from his home track, primarily because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with both Voyage Bubble and Al Quoz Sprint contender California Spangle to offer an insight into the strength of his form at Meydan on Saturday.

“In fact, he’s got form around both of our champions currently,” said Yiu. “Romantic Warrior went to Australia and won the Cox Plate and he only beat us a neck at 2,000 meters in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. I think 1,800 meters is a better distance for him so we go in hopeful. And it really is important for us to play a small part in showing the world just how competitive Hong Kong can be.

“He had a good preparation before he came to Dubai and he travelled over really well. He’s a good eater, he finished his feed the day he arrived, and we’ve been giving him experience going the other way around. He’s a smart horse, he seems to grasp it, his rider is happy with him and he’s enjoying every moment.”

Mickael Barzalona will partner Voyage Bubble for the first time with the pair to jump from the inside gate.

Another with Romantic Warrior form is Luxembourg, beaten a head by Hong Kong’s middle distance star in the Hong Kong Cup (G1).

“Luxembourg is another experienced traveller,” said Ballydoyle traveling head lad Pat Keating. “He finished a close second in the Hong Kong Cup and he could have done with more pace in Saudi last time. It was still a good run and he will improve for it. He’s a hardy horse.”

“He will be joined in the race by Cairo who is racing in the colours of his new owner [Refai Alghuraban] and he has done well since he went close in Qatar last month.”

Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), 6 furlongs

Eight-time United Arab Emirates champion trainer Doug Watson has not had the best of luck in the Golden Shaheen in years past, but he holds out hope that last-start Listed Jebel Ali Sprint winner Colour Up may be able to figure at his return to Meydan.

The 6-year-old is a three-time course and distance winner, including a five and a half length victory in handicap company last year before adding the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint in December.

Although Watson believes he now has Colour Up ready for his biggest test, he acknowledges the gravity of the assignment.

“He ran well early in the season in stakes races but he was just never right in his coat and I was never happy with him,” Watson admitted. “I thought he had no chance in the Jebel Ali Sprint and then he won it and since then his coat is gleaming. He has lost all that hair and he really seems to have come into himself. Really, though, he has to be at his best to compete in this company.”

Al Quoz Sprint (G1), 6 furlongs, turf

Few in the Al Quoz Sprint can match California Spangle's exploits in downing horses of the calibre of Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior, but trainer Tony Cruz has issued a scary warning to his rivals: he just might be at his peak at 1,200 meters, about six furlongs, a distance at which he has not raced in more than two years.

"He's a sprinter-miler and I think he might even be best at this distance," Cruz said after watching California Spangle complete a jumpout from the barriers earlier this week. "He was so good early at sprint trips but when you have a horse like that in Hong Kong you have to try and win those mile and middle distance races for four-year-olds.

"When he won the Classic Cup at 1,800 meters, we decided to keep him at a mile and it's worked for him but I've always been excited to get him back to a trip like this."

California Spangle remains the only horse to defeat the highest-earning racehorse of all time, Golden Sixty, in the last two years.

A cursory glance suggests a lull in form over the winter which was reversed with a dominant all-the-way win in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (G1) this month under Brenton Avdulla. But Cruz said it has taken him much longer than usual to get the 6-year-old back to peak fitness this season.

"The way our program is in Hong Kong, he last raced in April and then didn't race again until October," he said. "He put on so much weight during that time and he just got unfit. Even when he won in October (the Sha Tin Trophy (G2), a handicap in which he carried top weight), he wasn't fit at all and it's taken me until now to get him fit. Finally I think I have him right and if he is right, I go in hoping and thinking he can win."

Every jurisdiction has a trainer whose horses are renowned for being on the lead and, at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, that trainer is Cruz. However, while California Spangle has generally led up his races over further, the horseman is content with being handy while also not necessarily setting the pace.

"I want Brenton to go forward but I know there are a few horses with speed in there," he said. "He's got the speed to go forward but he will be very strong late so I don't mind if he is up there because that pressure may be good for him.

"You really need a 1,400-meter horse here to win an Al Quoz, that's what I think. The straight is tough and California Spangle has already won down the straight at Sha Tin in class record time too, so we're here for the glory. There's nothing like that feeling when you win and I hope we are winning on Saturday."

Cruz's Peniaphobia was twice placed in this race, while the trainer's brother Derek prepared Joy And Fun to become the first Al Quoz Sprint winner at Meydan in 2010.

Dubai Gold Cup (G2), 2 miles, turf

If there was an eye-catcher in exercise on Thursday it was Eldar Eldarov, who fairly whizzed around the turf course on the training track in front of trainer Roger Varian.

"They set off at a mile and he just quickened up on the back straight. He wasn’t hard pushed but that was just what we wanted to see," Varian said.

The Ian Williams-trained Enemy, beaten a whisker by Tower Of London in the Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3) in Saudi Arabia, has been a good test of the skills of work rider and trainer’s representative Megg Burton.

"He breezed on Wednesday but he was still very full of himself today," Burton said. "Hopefully that’s a good sign. He’s been training very well this week and fingers crossed he runs well again on Saturday."

Under the weight-for-age scale of the Dubai Gold Cup, 4-year-old Tower Of London meets Enemy six pounds better off for a head margin in Saudi Arabia.

“Tower Of London leads the group. He seems to enjoy that,” said Pat Keating. “He’s a very genuine horse and he also seems to enjoy the travelling. I was thrilled the night he won in Riyadh last month. I never cheered so much for a handicap winner. He has come out of that race well.”

Andrew Balding’s wife and assistant Anna Lisa watched dual Group 2 winner Coltrane canter on the dirt track Thursday morning.

"He’s been a slow burner and this is actually the first time he’s travelled away from home," she said.

"It takes a very laid back horse to handle it all, and he seems very happy. Being drawn four is a help and we’d be hopeful he’ll be there or thereabouts at the finish."

Godolphin Mile (G2), 1 mile

Isolate is one of six winners from this meeting last year who will line up again this year, but the Doug Watson-trained speedster faces a tough roadblock this time around in the form of Saudi Crown.

Both Isolate and Saudi Crown come out of the Saudi Cup (G1), where Saudi Crown led until the final 30 meters before settling for third and Isolate weakened after a pace-tracking run to finish sixth.

Although Saudi Crown led Isolate in the Saudi Cup, Isolate made all to win this race last year and it was thought he may try to wrest the front-running role this time around. But with Saudi Crown drawn in gate nine and Isolate two stalls further out, it appears likely that Isolate instead will be allowed to chase under Luis Saez.

“He travelled across well for the Saudi Cup but, when he came back from Riyadh, he was a little quiet for a week or so,” said Isolate’s trainer Doug Watson. “He is training really well now and we are happy with him ahead of Saturday.

“Look, the draw is not great in gate 11. However, we think that both he and Saudi Crown, or Luis and Florent, aren’t naive enough to get into a speed duel early on so we’ll see how it pans out.”

Also coming out of the Saudi Cup is Scotland Yard, who finished three lengths behind Isolate in eighth. Nicholas Bachalard, formerly based out of Jebel Ali Stables, returns to the United Arab Emirates from his Saudi base with the five-year-old.

“He has traveled well and he looks well,” Bachalard said. “He ran well in the Saudi Cup to finish a decent eighth and it’s hard to have any complaints about that run.Hopefully, there will be plenty of pace and he will have something to run at.

“It’s always good to be back at Meydan, although for some reason, Saudi Arabia seems a bit nicer and kinder to me.”

One of the more intriguing runners is Uruguayan mare Pacholli, who comes into this race fresh off a five-length win under Joao Moreira in the Gran Premio Ciudad de Montevideo (G1) in January. While Moreira does ride at Meydan on Saturday night, Jose da Silva takes over the reins on Julio Olascoaga’s latest acquisition.

“She is an interesting mare who has won many times, including that Group 1 at her last start in January,” he said. “She looks fit and ready. The question mark will be her first time running here and against males.”