| On dirt and turf, both on and off the track, Japan’s mighty squad dominates Wednesday debates. $12,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup (Sponsored by Emirates Airline) While Forever Young was the talk of the Dubai World Cup media briefings on Wednesday, out on the track it was the Noburu Takagi-trained pair of Ushba Tesoro and Wilson Tesoro that drew admiring glances after going through their pre-World Cup paces. Yuga Kawada triumphed aboard Ushba Tesoro in the biggest race of the night two years ago but has since switched allegiance to six-year-old Wilson Tesoro, with whom he got reacquainted when the two stablemates breezed over five furlongs of the main track. “”He is in better form than he was in the Saudi Cup and moved well,” said Kawada. “I suppose he recovered well from his last appearance. I am confident to go to the race on Saturday.” Jockey Akira Sugawara was similarly impressed with Ushba Tesoro, adding: “He moved well and retains his condition from Saudi”. Ahead of what could well be his last start, Takagi observed of Ushba Tesoro: “He is powerful and in good form” Turning to Wilson Tesoro, Takagi added: “We breezed him strongly last week so this was just making sure everything is okay. He has improved since he was in Saudi Arabia.” $6,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic (Sponsored by Longines) Danon Decile rates as one of the more likely winners of a rich edition of the main middle-distance prize on Saturday night, having added a comeback success in the G2 American Jockey Club Cup (2200m) to Japan’s version of the Derby last May, the Tokyo Yushun. If trainer Shogo Yasuda is feeling any pressure to produce another statement success from the son of Epiphaneia, he certainly wasn’t showing it in front of a packed media conference. While admitting this year’s Sheema Classic is a deep renewal, Yasuda said: “We can’t do anything about the other horses in the race so we have to just consider our horse first. It is important how Danon Decile performs and whether he shows his true ability is the crucial thing. “That’s what we can control and what we will concentrate on.” And Yasuda gave an ominous indication that his stable star might be ready to emerge as a breakout on the international scene on Saturday. “We really want to try him going back anticlockwise and to see how he handles this Dubai Sheema Classic,” said Yasuda. “We think anticlockwise suits him and that he can improve later in his career. “He is still quite a green horse and although he trains brilliantly, my opinion is he hasn’t shown 100 per cent of his true ability yet. $5,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Turf (Sponsored by DP World) Another of Japan’s workers to take to the grass was Brede Weg, watched from the stands by an interested Christophe Lemaire, who takes the ride on Saturday for trainer Keisuke Miyata. “It was her first time breezing on turf at Meydan, and she concentrated well” stable representative Ryoji Sato after her 1000m piece of work. Karl Burke ventured to the training track to see the chestnut Holloway Boy finish his serious preparation on the turf course just after 8am, where he cantered for 600m and then quickened up the home straight. “It was just to open his lungs up, he’s fit as a flea and has travelled over well but he’s two or three kilos lighter than when he left here after running well the last time. $2,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (Sponsored by Nakheel) Doug Watson is hoping Rafid can uphold family honour on Dubai World Cup evening when he goes in search of the UAE Derby. Watson trained the three-year-old colt’s dam Rayya to win the UAE Oaks and finish second in this contest to Mendelssohn in 2018, and is receiving all of the right signs her son can be just as competitive after a ready success in the Al Wasl Classic at Jebel Ali last month. “Rafid came over late and we kind of pushed to get to the UAE 2,000 Guineas,” Watson said of his fifth-placed effort in the Group 3. “He was a little flat after that but he’s really come around in himself. “We had his dam, Rayya, who won the Oaks for us and ran second to Mendelssohn in this race. He’s the best he’s been all year, he’s really fresh and training well. “He has a good draw in eight so we’re really looking forward to seeing how he does. If he puts it in, which he might, he could be there with a little bit of a chance.” Japan’s Kurojishi Joe breezed over 1000m of the main track alongside Peptide Nile. “I asked his strongly and it was a nice breeze,” Atsushi Obayashi – a stable representative for Inao Okada – said of Kurojishi Joe. $1,500,000 Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint (Sponsored by Azizi Developments) A busy schedule seems to work for Believing, who began the first of nine runs last year with an outing in Hong Kong and wound up with a close third in the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye (1000m). George Boughey’s sprinter has achieved multiple Group 1 placings and now represents the exclusive ownership partnership of Coolmore and Resolute Racing following her sale for 3,000,000gns (approx $4,000,000) at Tattersalls last December. “Believing shipped over to Dubai as well as we could have possibly imagined,” Boughey said by phone. “She’s a filly who has obviously been quite busy and had her passport out the last couple of years so travelling has come as second nature to her. “It’s been the plan for a long time and she’s had a faultless preparation through the spring. She landed on Saturday night, has been out on the track and Kristan Archer and Jordan McMurray, my guys out on the ground, are delighted with her. “In the videos I’ve seen she looks super. She won’t do a huge amount this week, she was rock hard fit on her way out there, so she’ll just tip away and we’ll look forward to seeing how she gets on on Saturday evening.” Trainer John Size expects Howdeepisyourlove to be finishing hard when he contests the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) on Saturday. The Australian Racing Hall of Fame trainer, a 12-time champion in Hong Kong, is making his fourth attempt at the Al Quoz Sprint. Amazing Kids finished sixth to The Right Man in 2017 before Sight Success finished fourth and fifth the last two years behind Danyah and California Spangle respectively. However, where Amazing Kids was a 1200m specialist and Sight Success was best at 1000m but could stretch out to 1200m under the right circumstances, Howdeepisyourlove has more stamina. He is coming off a third to the world’s premier sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) – the same race that California Spangle won last year before his Al Quoz triumph. $1,000,000 Group 2 UAE Derby (Sponsored by Jumeirah) Doug Watson is hoping Rafid can uphold family honour on Dubai World Cup evening when he goes in search of the UAE Derby. Watson trained the three-year-old colt’s dam Rayya to win the UAE Oaks and finish second in the contest to Mendelssohn in 2018 and is receiving all of the right signs her son can be just as competitive after a ready success in the Al Wasl Classic at Jebel Ali last month. “Rafid came over late and we kind of pushed to get to the UAE 2,000 Guineas,” Watson said of his fifth-placed effort in the Group 3. “He was a little flat after that but he’s really come around in himself. “We had his dam, Rayya, who won the Oaks for us and ran second to Mendelssohn in this race. He’s the best he’s been all year, he’s really fresh and training well. “He has a good draw in eight so we’re really looking forward to seeing how he does. If he puts it in, which he might, he could be there with a little bit of a chance.” $1,000,000 Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors The last two runnings of the Dubai Gold Cup have been won by Aidan O’Brien and Continuous is favourite to give the legendary Irish trainer a hat-trick in the race on Saturday. The five-year-old is already a seasoned traveller having finished ninth in the Hong Kong Vase in December and a promising third to Byzantine Dream in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia in February. That run over 1m7f suggested a return to staying trips would be a wise move and the conditions of Saturday’s race are set to suit the son of Heart’s Cry. The 2023 St Leger winner was without his usual workmate Ghostwriter at trackwork on Wednesday, when he went for a routine canter on the dirt track at Meydan. “We’re very happy with him and he’s settled in well,” said O’Brien’s travelling head lad Pat Keating. “All is good. He’s just been ticking over as all of his work has been done before he came out. He’s been very good since Saudi.” O’Brien won the Dubai Gold Cup for the first time in 2023 with Broome, who holds the course record, before Tower Of London swooped to success last year. $1,000,000 Group 2 Godolphin Mile (Sponsored by EMAAR) There looks a “Raging Torrent” of pace in the G2 Godolphin Mile (1600m) and trainer Frankie Lor confirmed that Sword Point will add to the early battle on Saturday. From gate two, Lor expects jockey James McDonald to jump out and lead early and he says he is happy to lead on his own. However, with potential leaders Raging Torrent, Mufasa, No Lunch and Little Vic all drawn wide and Japanese G1 winner Peptide Nile drawn between them also capable of pressing the pace, it looks like being run at a strong clip through the first half-mile. “James has said that it is a track where being on speed and on the rail is important,” said Lor after Sword Point completed his final major workout under McDonald. “From gate two I think he will lead early and we are happy to take up the running on our own. If someone else wants to lead we are happy to sit behind them.” Sword Point has had two starts in dirt handicaps in Hong Kong for two impressive wins. Lor said that he would have liked to go around in the Dubai World Cup, but as an invite was only forthcoming for the Godolphin Mile, he runs there instead. “I’m very happy with him and James said he worked really well,” he said. “I entered him for both races and the way it’s turned out, the 2000m race might have been more suitable. It’s great to be here though and hopefully this might be the first of a couple of opportunities to travel with him.” Michael Costa’s runners always deserve respect when they make the short journey to Meydan and he will be represented by Sadaaty in Saturday’s Godolphin Mile. The lightly raced miler showed his potential for top-level contests when second in the Jebel Ali Mile in February as it was only in the closing stages he was mowed down by Qareeb. Unlike his stablemate and fellow World Cup night runner Marbaan, Sadaaty was in action at Meydan on Wednesday under the watchful eye of Costa’s assistant trainer Johanne Taylor. She said: “He’ll just be coming for a quiet hack canter on the dirt and then he’ll go in the stalls just to give him some confidence ahead of the big night. Like Marbaan, he also did his last serious piece of work at Jebel Ali on Monday.” $1,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic (Sponsored by One Zabeel Feed) Doug Watson believes First Classs is back to something like his best as the Arabian bids to regain his Kahayla Classic crown from 2021. The eight-year-old has received another wide draw in stall 14 and while he failed to make an impact from a similar position last year, his trainer believes him to be in a different vein of form this time. “He was wide last year too but he wasn’t the same horse then,” Watson said. “He’s breaking a lot better now, he’s happy and training well. If he can get himself a nice spot I’d imagine he can get in the money. “However, from his draw it will be tough. With Tilal Al Khalediah in there I think we’re all running for second anyway. They should put a race on for him and then we can have a horse race. “We keep seeming to draw wide in the Arabian races, so that’s tough, but the horse has come around and done very well this season. He’s in great form, but the draw hurts us a little bit.” |
