The news isn’t exactly man bites dog, or the sun rising in the west, but the appearance of a horse trained by Chad Brown beyond the borders of North America is unusual enough to take note. It happened in Qatar last month, when Brown sent Money Multiplier to finish third in the $1 million Emir’s Trophy, and it will happen again Saturday in Dubai, where Economic Model runs in the $1 million Godolphin Mile on the World Cup undercard.As the winner of the last two Eclipse Awards as outstanding trainer, Brown hardly needs his résumé buffed with exotic baubles. His concentration on domestic targets has raked in more than $71 million in purses since 2015, which tends to dilute the temptation to put horses on planes bound for England, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Middle East.Still, the rewards seem to outweigh the risks, and American-based trainers are answering the siren call of foreign ports more than ever. These days, there are annual pilgrimages to Royal Ascot and Hong Kong, as well as the World Cup Carnival in Dubai. On Saturday alone, at Dubai’s opulent Meydan race course, Brown’s name will appear on the World Cup program along with those of Mike Maker, Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Peter Miller, Mark Casse, Chad Summers, Dallas Stewart, Antonio Sano, and Doug O’Neill.About a year ago, Brown was asked when he would join the international cavalcade, and he replied with a coy, “I’m an American trainer. I like to run in America.”Of course, this was Brown keeping his cards close. And the fact that he has loosened the leash on two of his runners this year should not be interpreted as a wholesale pivot in his business plan. “It depends on the horse and the situation,” Brown said Wednesday from Palm Meadows. “I like to keep my options open to race outside my normal circles, and these opportunities presented themselves. “But in particular shipping horses long distances for major races, I really don’t want to go unless I feel I have a good chance to win,” Brown said. “I’m not interested in participating just to say I went somewhere. It’s just not in my makeup, or the management of my stable.”Both Economic Model and Money Multiplier were bought out of Brown’s stable by Middle Eastern owners interested in seeing their colors flown in prestigious events on home turf. Money Multiplier carried the colors of the Al Shahania Stud of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani in Qatar, while Economic Model was purchased by Dubai’s Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid al Maktoum for the Godolphin Mile.“Money Multiplier I thought had a good chance, and he showed it,” Brown said. His horse was beaten a little more than a length at the end of the right-handed mile and a half.“As for Economic Model, I was asked to prepare him for the race, run him, and then leave him there,” Brown said.Economic Model is a 5-year-old son of Flatter whose career has been periodically interrupted by foot trouble. He was among Brown’s best 3-year-olds of 2016 when he won the Easy Goer at Belmont Park and finished second to Drefong in the King’s Bishop, but his 4-year-old season was restricted to just four starts with only an allowance win to show for it.“He’s finally healthy and doing well,” Brown said. “He had a nice prep race here, and we’re very pleased with the way the horse has been training.”In the Hal’s Hope, on Feb. 24, Economic Model won a knock-down duel with Irish War Cry over Gulfstream’s one-turn mile. That race should set him up well for the Godolphin Mile, and his ownership gives him more than a fighting chance. Unlike the $10 million Dubai World Cup, which has been won 11 times by American-trained runners, the Godolphin Mile has tilted dramatically toward the home team. In its 24 runnings, the race has been won 18 times by various members of the ruling Maktoum family.There are four other Maktoum runners besides Economic Model among the field of 14 in the Godolphin Mile, as well as the former American runner Kimbear and a pair from Japan, Adirato and Akito Crescent.The Mile kicks off the program of nine races – eight Thoroughbred and one for Arabians – climaxed by the World Cup at a mile and one-quarter. West Coast, champion 3-year-old colt of 2017, heads the American contingent for the World Cup along with fellow Americans Gunnevera, Pavel, Mubtaahij, and champion mare Forever Unbridled, while Europe is ably represented by Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic, who will be making his first start on dirt.The few American victories in the Godolphin Mile have been memorable. Trainer Warren Stute, 80 at the time, shocked the 2002 running with the California-bred Grey Memo, ridden by Gary Stevens. Spring at Last won for Garrett Gomez, Doug O’Neill, and Paul Reddam in 2007, and in 2008 Rick Dutrow and Edgar Prado teamed to win with Diamond Stripes.Last year, the formidable Sharp Azteca descended upon Dubai with sights set firmly on the Godolphin Mile, but he could do no better than third in a reality check that underlined the difficulty of not only traveling halfway around the globe, but also competing in a desert climate, under lights, and without raceday medication. Otherwise, it’s a snap.