HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While the current crisis in the Middle East is a concern for everyone, a couple of locally based trainers, Jose D’Angelo and David Fawkes, are paying closer attention to the situation than most. Both are currently planning to run horses on the Dubai World Cup program on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse. D’Angelo has been pointing Bentornato to the Dubai Golden Shaheen since his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Fawkes is planning to start Reef Runner in the Al Quoz Turf Sprint following his victory in the 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 14. “We are hoping to go, just waiting at this moment to get more information,” D’Angelo said. “We have all the flights lined up. The horse leaves on the 14th, and I have a flight on the 19th. Naturally, I’m a little concerned considering what has been happening over there lately. But if the horse goes, I will be there. In this business, we have to do what we have to do.” Bentornato has worked seven times at the Palm Meadows training center since returning to South Florida following his impressive 2 1/4-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.75 on Friday morning and has one more breeze scheduled next Friday before boarding his flight to Dubai the following day. That is, assuming all systems are still a go. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  D’Angelo said he is pondering other options for Bentornato’s 2026 debut should conditions in the Middle East worsen and he is unable to make the trip. “We are looking at several alternatives for him if he stays home that includes races here at Gulfstream Park, Churchill Downs, and Oaklawn,” D’Angelo said. “If that happens, I’ll sit down with the owners and we’ll come up with a different plan.” Reef Runner is already at Meydan preparing for the Al Quoz Sprint, having shipped directly from Saudi Arabia shortly after he registered a neck decision in the 1351 Turf Sprint. It was the fifth time Reef Runner has finished first in his last six starts. The only time he was beaten to the wire during the streak was his fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. He was disqualified from an apparent victory in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap on Aug. 30 at Del Mar. “The horse is doing great, I get videos every day. The only thing is I’m not there,” Fawkes said. “I have a flight for the 18th. I wanted to get there earlier, but that was as good as they could do for me right now.” Aside from Bentornato, other significant works that took place around the local area on Friday included likely Florida Derby favorite Nearly, who went five furlongs in 1:01.31 in company with Luminaire at Palm Beach Downs, and Grade 2 stakes winner Macho Music, who breezed five furlongs from the gate in 59.40 seconds under Javier Castellano at Gulfstream Park despite stumbling badly at the start and fighting a strong headwind much of the way. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.