Views from connections ahead of Dubai World Cup day at Meydan

SATURDAY

12:40 Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors

Oisin Murphy, rider of Coltrane: “Coltrane has travelled to Dubai really well and Maddy O’Meara (Balding’s assistant) has been cantering him every day. It’s a really hot contest and there’s Trawlerman, Siskany, Eldar Eldarov, Giavellotto, Tower Of London and that’s with probably leaving some out – it’s a really competitive race. It’s a really competitive renewal of the race, but he’s beaten many of them before.”

Aidan O’Brien, trainer ofTower Of London: “We were delighted with what he did in Saudi Arabia. We felt he was only just ready to start so for him to do that was very encouraging. We are stepping him up in class for the Dubai Gold Cup and we think he can come forward from his win last month. He handles fast ground, he’s pacey, he quickens and stays well. That type of horse can do very well around the world.”

Thady Gosden, trainer of Trawlerman: “He came here last year and was in Riyadh before when things didn’t quite go to plan, but his form improved through the year and of course won on Champions Day at the backend. He’s been training well through the winter and he seems to be going the right way.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Siskany: “Siskany does what it says on the tin really, he’s a very consistent horse who loves the flat tracks, he’s two from two for the winter and goes there in great order. We’re putting the cheek pieces back on, just because we’re stepping up into tougher company. I feel this year’s renewal of the Gold Cup is one of the strongest we’ve seen for a few years. Turning in I thought we might have just nicked it in this race last year, but he probably just got outstayed. Two miles is his maximum trip and unfortunately we just came out second best.”

13:15 Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Star Of Mystery: “There’s no man with as much experience around Meydan as Frankie (Dettori) on World Cup night. Frankie rode for myself and the Moulton Paddocks team for a number of years and his Godolphin history is far longer and better than mine! With the weights as they are, William can’t do the 53 (kilograms) and having watched Frankie doing the light weights in America as he has been doing all winter, we approached him to ride a filly who, as I said to him, will give him a good spin around there.

“She’s thrived since she’s been out here. I’ll be brutally honest, when we rolled the dice in the Blue Point, we were sort of dipping our toe in to try and get that Group-race placing on her CV, but she was very impressive in the way she picked up and I felt she repeated it again on her last start. If you switched the positions on the track, we could have won again, but take nothing away from the winner Frost At Dawn, who has been very consistent as well and sprinting looks to be her forte.

“Dropping back to the five furlongs for the Blue Point and the Nad Al Sheba has taught our filly how to race the right way, she was always a bit free in the jockey’s hands over six and would get there too easily and was not doing things quite the right way round. Over five, she comes from way off the pace and hopefully that will allow Frankie to be able to drop her in and ride a race on her and use that finishing speed that she’s shown.”

William Knight, trainer of Frost At Dawn: “It’s massively exciting, to have a runner on World Cup night is what we all get up for, but to go into the race with what I feel is a real, live chance makes it even more exciting. Once we dropped her back to six furlongs and then to five on Super Saturday, she’s really shown her true potential. It’s probably been a blessing coming out here as we’ve been able to work out her trip properly. Having won a seven-furlong novice at Chelmsford in early December, it’s crazy to think we’re out here on World Cup night running in the Al Quoz Sprint.”

15:10 Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World (Group 1)

John Gosden, trainer of Lord North: "He’s training well and we’re confident he’ll put up a very bold show. It was always the plan for Frankie to ride; we discussed it when I said goodbye to him on Champions Day at Ascot in October before his move to America.”

Thady Gosden, trainer of Lord North: “Frankie’s (Dettori) won three Dubai Turfs on Lord North, so he knows him like the back of his hand now. To win it once is an achievement but to do that three times is really something special. It’s actually the horse’s fifth time out here because of course he came out here during Covid when the race was cancelled, so he knows the place very well – he even comes out here on holiday and does not run! He’s taken to it like he usually does and seems to be in good order. He’s eight years old now, so you have to treat him with respect and can’t go running him every week. He had a nice, long break through the summer, which I think he thoroughly enjoyed, and he’s come back better for it. Although he’s a year older, he doesn’t seem to be any different from last year.

“He ran well at Southwell after a long time off the track. He was a bit rusty and normally the race is run at Lingfield over a mile and a quarter, whereas they switched it to Southwell this year over a mile and three furlongs, so it gave the race a completely different complexion. He wanted a little bit for fitness there and was taking on a very good, race-fit horse in the winner, but he came out of it well and seems to have switched on for it.”

Thady Gosden, trainer of Nashwa: "Nashwa is an exceptional filly in a tough race. She needed a couple of races to get her back into the zone (last season), but she’s trained well at home and is in great order. She’s been abroad to France before and Ireland and she’s travelled well. She does everything in a laidback fashion and she’s doing well. It’s an incredibly sporting decision to keep her in training. It’s fantastic to see these sort of horses, they don’t come along very often so when they do it’s great when they stay with us. She’s a filly by Frankel who runs to a consistent level. She’s obviously run on different types of tracks and has won Group Ones over a mile and a mile and a quarter, so coming here for a race over a mile and one on what is obviously a fast course should suit her down to the ground.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Measured Time: “He’s two from two out here, winning the Al Rashidiya and then heading on to the Jebel Hatta. The restructuring of the programme means the Jebel Hatta is run at the end of January now, so we brought him back for a racecourse gallop, he pleased us that morning and has done everything right since. He’s got to step up now, I know he’s a Group One winner but it’s going to be a different Group One on Saturday night. But he’s a horse we’ve always had a lot of confidence in, he’s pleased us and one hopes he’s going to be very competitive on Saturday.”

16:00 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic

Aidan O’Brien, trainer of Auguste Rodin: “He’s so important to the breed of the thoroughbred. He brings together the best of Japan and Europe – the best of two continents – and it’s fair to say he’s one of the most important and exciting horses we have ever had. He really does have a chance of exerting a huge influence on future racehorses.

“It was a very brave decision by the lads to keep him in training, most definitely. There was already huge interest in him as a stallion prospect. But his owners are enjoying their racing more than ever these days and they are conscious of how unique this horse is. I think it’s great for everyone in racing that we can enjoy him again this year.

“We feel he has matured well from three to four and the reports from the team at Meydan are that he has travelled there well and is in great form. He is ready to run to his best and we are very excited about the journey ahead. I think, as a rule, Deep Impacts are more grass horses, but we were very surprised the way he worked on dirt in America during the Breeders’ Cup. He cruises over the dirt, he’s a beautiful mover. He’s a very unusual-actioned horse so it will be very interesting to see how the season progresses. We can’t wait to see him back.”

Ryan Moore, rider of Auguste Rodin: “He had a gallop at Dundalk last month and he has been gearing up very well for this target since then. We never underestimate the opposition though, and you’d be pretty foolish to, given the make-up of this field. The strength of the Japanese circuit is there for all to see in this – Liberty Island’s winning run was only brought to a close by Equinox in the Japan Cup and we have to give that filly 5lb here, which is a pretty big ask – and there are Group One winners everywhere else you look too, not to mention the progressive Spirit Dancer. The winner will have earned their success.”

Thady Gosden, trainer of Emily Upjohn: “Obviously things didn’t quite go right there (in the King George), so we gave her a bit of time afterwards and she’s been in good order since really. She’s been training well through the winter. Obviously it’s very difficult getting horses ready with the long, dark nights and the cold weather, but she’s enjoying her work and has travelled over without a bother. Like everyone she’s happy to be here and is enjoying the experience.

“She’s a filly who has always shown plenty of talent and she’s progressed well through her career, of course winning the Coronation Cup last year against the boys. She’s in a similar situation here over a mile and a half against colts, albeit in a much more international race against some of the best horses in the world, as you’d expect.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Rebel’s Romance: “It was great to see him back at that level in Doha. He obviously had that great spell two years ago, winning those Group Ones culminating in winning a Breeders’ Cup Turf. Last year was a bit stop-start. Our plan of working back from the Sword Dancer met with a bit of a mishap where he clipped heels (at Saratoga in July). He didn’t go down, but Richie (Mullen) got a bad fall and the horse just lost his confidence.

“We went to Kempton for an easier assignment with the hope that he would gain confidence from it and you could visually see that he had and we went to Qatar with a horse that we felt was back on his A-game. It was a great ride by William that day, but you’ve got to have the horse underneath you and the combination did a great job and won very impressively. He’s come here in great nick. The Sheema Classic is probably the strongest race of the evening, but the mile-and-a-half turf division is always a strong division wherever you go.”

SUNDAY

2.35 Fairyhouse - Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer of Fun Fun Fun, Jade De Grugy et al: “I bred Fun Fun Fun and it’s great to get back on her. Her pedigree suggests the ground and trip will be no problem, she’s a relation to The Listener and Yorkhill. She’s stepping up in trip and she’s usually a fast horse, so there is a question mark, but her pedigree suggests she will be fine.

“Jade De Grugy will probably be hard to beat. “I think Cheltenham very much turned into a sprint and it was a Flat-bred horse that won the race. We would be disappointed if we don’t see better from her on Sunday.”

Fergal O’Brien, trainer of Springtime Promise: “We’re very pleased with Springtime and she surprised us first time up and has just progressed from there. Sedgefield wasn’t pretty but she got the job done and then she was very good at Sandown in the Jane Seymour, which I think was a deep enough race. Springtime and the Skelton horse (Cherie D’Am) pulled a long way clear from everything else and we’ve been very pleased with her. She won’t mind the ground, so we keep our fingers crossed. Willie Mullins has declared 10, but we always just do our own thing and whatever turns up, we do our best to try to beat them. In these graded races, you have to worry about yourself and, touch wood, she is in great form, she’s schooled well and had a little breeze on Friday – and I’m very happy with her.”

4.55 Fairyhouse - WillowWarm Gold Cup (Grade 1)

Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer of Blood Destiny and Tactical Move: “Blood Destiny and Spillane’s Tower are having round three and I think conditions are probably going to suit Spillane’s Tower better with it being back up in trip and level weights. But we’re probably going to use the same change of tactics with Blood Destiny as we did the last day. We had been riding him forward, but we’re now riding him more conservatively and maybe that will help Blood Destiny turn the tables from the last time they met over this trip anyway. We were hoping he was going to be an Arkle horse, but just the way the season started with him, we changed tack. This is a very valuable race at a prestigious meeting, so it worked well.

“Tactical Move is out of a sister to Denman and is a horse of huge ability, just very fragile. You couldn’t rule him out either and he’s a horse with a huge engine. He’s obviously a lot older than your usual novice, but he has Grade One potential without doubt.”

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