Stars Out To Shine At Meydan

What a difference a day makes. Following Tuesday morning's torrential rain, the weather had returned to something like the norm for Dubai by Wednesday, the sunshine bringing with it an influx of overseas trainers to Meydan to put the finishing touches to their runners for Dubai World Cup night.

Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) didn't appear on the main track, being restricted instead to an easy jog in the quarantine area along with Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), but the William Haggas-trained G1 Dubai Turf contender Mutakayyef (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was among the first out at 5am to be given a taste of the main track with jockey Jim Crowley.

“We wanted to give him a chance to get used to the lights so we brought him out really early but we might be a little more civilised tomorrow and make it 7am,” said the trainer's wife Maureen Haggas, adding that she is very happy with the Sheikh Hamdan's 6-year-old who later drew gate six for the 1800-metre contest.

As dawn broke, equine stars from a host of nations speckled the track. Arrogate's compatriots, the Todd Pletcher-trained stablemates Keen Ice (Curlin) and Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday) are clearly used to the hustle and bustle of being trained on track and jogged right under the noses of the media huddle on the far bend without flinching before turning to breeze back individually.

A strong French contingent at this year's meeting includes the Alain de Royer Dupre-trained defending G2 Dubai Gold Cup hero Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), who was one of the first to take to the turf in company with a lead horse and was swiftly followed up the stands' rail of the grass track by stablemate and fellow Aga Khan-bred Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Christophe Ferland, Fabrice Chappet and Didier Guillemin, each with a first-time runner at the meeting, unleashed their respective charges in close succession for an easy lap of the main track, with Chappet's Finsbury Square (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the Guillemin-trained The Right Man (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) set to take each other on in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint. Ferland will saddle Al Shaqab Racing's Group 2 winner Heshem (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) for the Dubai Turf and gained a favourable draw in stall three.

Roger Charlton, who was represented by his son and assistant trainer Harry when Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday, arrived at Meydan in time to see Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar's homebred have a strong canter under Andrea Atzeni.

“The plan with Decorated Knight was to win the Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday, which he did, and now he will have to find three or four lengths in this company, but I'm pleased with him,” said the trainer.

Decorated Knight was later followed up the grass by another Beckhampton Group 1 winner, Quest For More (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who will take on a strong field for the Gold Cup, including Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Big Orange (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). Those two old rivals took to the international training track later in the morning, with Trip To Paris completing two circuits on the grass under seasoned world traveller Steve Nicholson, while Gill Dolman gave Big Orange a blow-out on the synthetic track under the watchful eye of trainer Michael Bell and his wife Claire.

Bell's fellow Newmarket trainer Roger Varian, who celebrated the birth of his third child Reika just a few weeks ago, arrived for a briefing with assistant Will Johnson, who has been overseeing the care of last year's G1 Longines Sheema Classic winner Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in Dubai. Having hopped off Decorated Knight, Andrea Atzeni was legged aboard the 6-year-old––who looks in absolutely tremendous condition––for a spin round the training track grass.

Another horse to have strengthened into a really imposing individual is the 2015 G1 Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) who ran only twice last year after fracturing his pelvis during his seasonal debut at Newmarket in April. Partnered by regular exercise rider David Williams and accompanied by Gosden's travelling head lad Tony Procter on a lead horse, the 5-year-old stallion, who will jump from gate two in the seven-strong Sheema Classic field, moved easily on the synthetic track.

“It's a lovely surface––he bounced off it,” said trainer John Gosden, who had arrived at the track straight from the airport on Wednesday morning with his son Thady.

He added, “The journey was good and they have looked after us. We're happy with him. This is his game; he won an Irish Derby on a galloping track over 2400m. He likes a bit of cut, too, but the rain goes through this track fast as it is sand based.

Henry Candy's top sprinter Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) switched from the turf to the synthetic track on Wednesday and, though he still made his rider earn his breakfast when taking a keen hold, looked a little more relaxed than he had done 24 hours earlier.

The Ricardo Le Grange trainee Quechua (Arg) (Pure Prize), a lone representative for Singapore at the meeting in the Gold Cup, looked an altogether easier ride when completing a swinging canter on the grass, as did the well travelled Mondialiste (Ire), who will bid to add a Dubai Turf win to his international successes in the GI Arlington Million and GI Woodbine Mile. Similarly relaxed was the German raider Ross (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), the runner-up in the G3 Burj Nahaar on Super Saturday who was impeccably behaved during a relaxed workout with Patrick Gibson.

Since arriving on Tuesday morning, the nine Aidan O'Brien runners, which include Sheema Classic entrants Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Seventh Heaven (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), haven't left the quarantine barn but are reported to be in good order by Ballydoyle representative Pat Keating, who said, “They all shipped in well and we're very happy with them. All their work has been done at home, and they have just trotted round the quarantine yard so far.”