Trackside In Dubai Thursday

By Michele MacDonald 
The sprawling complex of Meydan Racecourse buzzed with activity from end to end on Mar. 26 as fans came out en masse to enjoy Breakfast with the Stars and runners from around the world tuned up for their appointed dates with destiny on the $30 million Dubai World Cup program. 

Hong Kong Horse of the Year Designs on Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) was eagerly awaited by morning railbirds and he did not disappoint as he breezed about six furlongs on the turf under exercise rider Kevin Wong, who reported that the 5-year-old gelding hardly took a deep breath afterward. 

“He’s really fit, he looks particularly well in the coat and I couldn’t be happier with his preparation,” trainer John Moore told the Dubai Racing Club’s notes team after the move, which he described as “nice and easy.” 

Jockey Joao Moreira, who is set to ride Designs on Rome in the $6 million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, could take his mount back out on the turf during training hours Friday, Moore said. 

Also catching the eye with a turf canter was 2014 Japanese champion 3-year-old filly Harp Star (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was partnered by her jockey Ryan Moore as they aim to take on Designs on Rome and American championMain Sequence (Aldebaran) in the Sheema Classic. 

Harp Star had not looked particularly robust or fluid when galloping earlier in the week on the Meydan main track, but she appeared a different horse as she glided over the grass. Moore reported that she seemed to be easy to ride and in a good frame of mind. 

Another contender for the Sheema Classic–which offers perhaps the deepest field on the Dubai World Cup program with nine high quality runners–appearing for a gallop was G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the runner-up to Main Sequence in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and to Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Flintshire, trained by Andre Fabre, joined a string of French-based runners who stretched their legs on the main track as they have done together for several days. 

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, reported that he was “very pleased” with how Flintshire seems to have come on in fitness since his prep race, a runner-up effort to Sheema Classic rival Dolniya (Fr)(Azamour {Ire}) over the all-weather track at Chantilly on Mar. 3. 

Dolniya also drew praise from her trainer, Alain de Royer Dupre, who described the 4-year-old filly as having filled out into a more impressive specimen this year. Dolniya, who has been one of the most visually appealing of the French-based horses at Meydan, cantered once around on the main track. 

While many of his rivals came out to the main area of Meydan, Main Sequence returned to the relative seclusion of the training track after what is expected to be his only appearance at the racing complex the previous day. Trainer Graham Motion schooled Main Sequence in the starting gate for the second time and the gelding was calmer than he had previously been before cantering about 1 1/8 miles under regular exercise rider Alice Clapham. 

Back at the main track, Freddy Head was among the growing number of trainers on the scene, and he observed Alain and Gerard Wertheimer’s Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) as the 5-year-old gelding did an easy canter. Winner of the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein last year, Solow has drawn the outside stall in the 10-horse field in the G1 Dubai Turf and will be ridden by Maxime Guyon. 

Jockey Joel Rosario, well known in Dubai for winning the 2013 World Cup aboard Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), was also on the scene Thursday. Rosario laughed when relating his momentary panic when he got a phone call requesting he come out to exercise his G2 Godolphin Mile mount, veteran campaigner Haatheq (Seeking the Gold), for trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe, because he had not brought any clothes for trackwork with him. However, he found some appropriate attire and donned his vest and helmet and made the appointment. 

In addition to Haatheq, Rosario will ride in his first purebred Arabian race when he partners Valiant Boy in the $1 million Dubai Kahayla Classic to open the Dubai World Cup program. His other mounts are Big Macher (Beau Genius) in the Golden Shaheen and Lea (First Samurai) in the World Cup.