By Kelsey Riley
The Dubai World Cup Carnival kicks off on Thursday and as could be expected with horses trained in 16 countries among the acceptances for the 10-week carnival, opening night at Meydan is an international affair.
Evergreen 9-year-old gelding Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) has been a mainstay in top sprinting contests globally for the better part of five seasons. A career-best year came in 2017 when he won the GI Shadwell Turf Mile and the G2 Boomerang S., and the David O'Meara trainee proved he was still at the top of his game last year, taking the G3 Supreme S. in addition to placings in the G2 Lennox S., G2 Summer Mile, G3 Criterion S., G3 John of Gaunt S. and the latest edition of the Shadwell Turf Mile. Suedois was last seen finishing three-quarters of a length third at Keeneland on Oct. 5; he was removed from the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita in November after developing a hoof infection the day before the race. Suedois lines up in the Listed Meydan Challenge S. going seven furlongs on the turf on Thursday.
“He likes seven furlongs to a mile,” O'Meara said. “Later on, we'll look at a race like the G2 Zabeel Mile. He'll likely have three races between January and February.”
“He will be ready,” O'Meara added. “He's an older horse and I wanted to keep him going through the winter. He fits well into the races in Dubai.”
Suedois is, at 110, by far the highest-rated runner in the 11-horse field.
Trainer Charlie Hills is no stranger to international travel, having plundered Group 1 races in five countries in just eight years with a license, and Hills looks to make a mark on opening night with Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer's A Momentofmadness (GB) (Elnadim) in the card's five furlong turf sprint handicap. Wechsler and Plummer, who keep a handful of horses in training together, had the bar set very high in 2019 by their G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Hills, who also trained Phoenix of Spain, said Dubai has been the target for the 7-year-old A Momentofmadness since he finished second to the highly rated Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}) while attempting to defend his title in the Portland H. at Doncaster on St Leger weekend in September.
“I'm obviously looking forward to running during the Carnival and with [A Momentofmadness],” Hills said. “It's the first time he's ever travelled and I'm pleased with the condition he's in over there. We're happy with him and looking forward to the handicap over five furlongs. I think the track should suit him. He likes five furlongs and fast ground.”
Mick Appleby sends out Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) in the same race off a 3 1/2 length defeat when seventh in the G1 Flying Five S. on Irish Champions Weekend.
The G3 Dubawi S. over 1200 metres on the dirt is the opening-night feature, and Alain Jathiere and Gerard Augustin-Normand's Tour To Paris (Fr) (Fuisse {Fr}) should draw support off a nose defeat of the 2017 G1 Al Quoz Sprint winner The Right Man (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in a listed race at Maisons-Laffitte on Oct. 12. The 5-year-old won a conditions race on the Deauville all-weather on Aug. 24 following a second to the talented City Light (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) over the same surface three weeks earlier, and tries dirt for the first time.
Tour To Paris will have to fend off the likes of Ibn Malik (Ire) (Raven's Pass) and Waady (Ire)–who tightened the screws in the Dec. 5 Listed Garhoud Sprint over this track and trip, finishing first and second–and Drafted (Field Commission), who was second in this last year before winning the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint and the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal. He was beaten 4 1/4 lengths when fifth in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen when last seen on Mar. 30.
Satish Seemar brings an exciting contender in Gladiator King (Curlin), who makes his local debut after being purchased privately by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi. Gladiator King won last year's GIII Hutcheson S., a key early 3-year-old sprinting race in the U.S., over this trip by four lengths last March and was a head second in the GIII Chick Lang S. in May. He hasn't run since finishing fifth in a listed stake at Gulfstream Park on June 11.
Seemar, who also saddles three-time former course and distance winner Lavaspin (GB) (Hard Spun), said of Gladiator King, “He's coming on well and he's ready to run his race in the Dubawi. Luckily we got him at the right time in the summer and he's acclimatised well. The American horses take a while to come along and he's enjoyed our program. We're pleased with him because he was actually stuck in the quarantine a bit too long, but once he got to Zabeel, he started properly climbing our steps and getting better. He's been working with some of our better sprinters, like Lavaspin and should only improve from this first race.”
The card gets underway with the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, a 1400 metre conditions race on the dirt for 3-year-old fillies. The fully subscribed 16-horse field includes 'TDN Rising Star' Rio Angie (Honor Code), who won by 4 3/4 lengths on debut over this track and trip on Nov. 7. Blowing the start in that same race and checking in fourth of five was Down On Da Bayou (Super Saver), and she came back on Dec. 19 to win over the same course and distance by an impressive eight lengths in a time almost a second faster than Rio Angie. Saeed bin Suroor saddles three including Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who was third in the G2 Queen Mary S. and G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and is the highest-rated runner in the field at 103.
Closing out the action is the Listed Dubai Racing Club Classic over 2400 metres on the turf. Godolphin's Mountain Hunter (Lonhro {Aus}) and Lucius Tiberius (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), trained respectively by Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby, look to build on listed wins during the second part of the season in Britain. William Haggas, meanwhile, sends out Pablo Escobarr (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) off a win in the Listed Wild Flower S. at Kempton on Dec. 4.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
