Catching the 'Fever' in Dubai

by Michele MacDonald

Perhaps the most intriguing story in international racing now is beginning to unfold in the Middle East with shades of one of the sport's all-time great fictional tales, Walter Farley's The Black Stallion, transformed by a real-life script involving modern Arabian royalty and high stakes. 

The big, blackish and undefeated South American wonder horse Sir Fever (Uru) (Texas Fever) has begun training at the secluded Godolphin Marmoom Stables in the Dubai desert following a journey across the Atlantic Ocean to seek greater glory. 

The destiny of the colt with the relatively obscure pedigree seems oriented to follow the path blazed by his fellow Uruguayan Triple Crown winner Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes), who went on to victory in the world's richest race, the G1 Dubai World Cup. 

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby will guide Sir Fever in this chapter of his racing life, and he said Jan. 7, the day before the Dubai International Racing Carnival was set to kick off at Meydan, that he is delighted with the colt following his acquisition from Uruguay's Stud Oro Negro. 

“He looks great and he shipped over well. At the moment, we're just going to let him settle into his surroundings, which he is doing well–he's nice and relaxed. He's just having a very easy time of it. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to start cantering him. Then I can probably say bit more that we're going to look to go towards [a specific race],” Appleby said. 
“We have plans, obviously, to run during the Carnival, to aim toward Super Saturday and World Cup night,” he continued. “Those plans will be clearer in the next couple of weeks after he's settled in more and we've gotten to cantering him.” 

Representatives of Godolphin leader and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum sealed a deal to buy the paternal grandson of Belmont S. winner Victory Gallop in November after he won the Gran Premio Nacional at Maronas to sweep the Uruguayan Triple Crown. 

The sale price has not been confirmed, but the previous owners had indicated they wanted at least $1- $1.5 million for the colt, whose sire won two of 12 starts including the GIII Kentucky Cup Juvenile S. at Turfway Park for breeder Stonerside Stable and trainer Mike Stidham. Sir Fever's dam is Sirina (Arg) (Rainbow Corner {GB}), and through her, in a storybook twist, he shares his fifth dam Umbella (GB) (Umberto {GB}) with Invasor. 

When Appleby learned he was to be Sir Fever's trainer, he took action to speed the colt's transition to Northern Hemisphere racing by sending two of his stable lads to Uruguay to work with him. Based on his past experience, Appleby knew that since most South American-based horses are not regularly trained under saddle, they can be “very keen and a bit tricky to adapt. 

“The lads spent a month with [Sir Fever]–they did the quarantine with him in Uruguay–so we're already sort of a month ahead of where we would be when we receive a horse like this,” Appleby explained. “They've done a fantastic job settling the horse in. He had a month of being under tack and hacking around his own track in Uruguay. 

“That was our plan–to get him into our routine as quickly as possible so that when he arrived in Dubai, it wasn't too much of a culture change for him,” Appleby explained. 

In his 10 races, all winning efforts in Uruguay, Sir Fever has displayed ability to adapt, winning from 1000 meters (about five furlongs) to 2500 meters (about 1 9/16 miles) while coming from behind or setting on the pace. Since the Uruguayan Triple Crown is run on dirt and because of Invasor's precedent, he was a natural candidate for the Dubai World Cup Carnival, with Meydan's previous all-weather track having been converted to dirt. The training surface at Marmoon, where Appleby conditions his horses for the Dubai Carnival races, also is dirt. 

As a Southern Hemisphere-bred 3-year-old, Sir Fever is eligible to race in either the $2-million G2 UAE Derby at 1900 meters or the $10-million G1 Dubai World Cup at 2000 meters on the $30-million World Cup program set for Mar. 28. 
Invasor–who was bought and raced in Dubai and the United States by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum and now stands at his Shadwell Farm in Lexington–suffered his only career defeat in the UAE Derby when beaten by Godolphin's Discreet Cat (Forestry). 

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Invasor captured the 2007 Dubai World Cup the following year after collecting trophies from five Grade I American events (Breeders' Cup Classic, Whitney H., Pimlico Special Handicap, Suburban H. and Donn H.) and reigning as 2006 Horse of the Year in the U.S. 

For now, Appleby is not looking too far ahead with Sir Fever. His only immediate goal is to ease the colt into serious training and then see what targets appear to be most suitable. That being said, Sir Fever has done nothing to disappoint his new trainer. 

“He's a good-looking horse. He's a natural athlete. He's a strong, good-bodied horse and light on his feet. He shipped well and he's settled in well and he's an exciting horse for the future,” Appleby said. “In two or three weeks, I'll have him up and cantering and we'll know a bit more about where we are with respect to his fitness and how he's adapting to the training here, but so far we couldn't be any happier with him.”