DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Oh, for the clarity of last year. In the 2008 Dubai World Cup, Curlin matched his on-paper superiority with an eight-length blowout victory. But among the 14 horses entered in the 2009 World Cup there are no such standouts. This year, not even the skies are clear.
Just as the quarantined horses from across the globe took to the track to train shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday, rain began pelting down on Nad Al Sheba. A storm already had passed through the night before.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The $5 million Dubai Duty Free is one of the richest races in the world, and Saturday's running has drawn a field to match its value. Total earnings for the group of 16 is about $28.2 million, and six horses have bankrolls greater than $2 million. And if the Japanese mare Vodka takes the top prize she will surpass $10 million in earnings.
Intense Focus may have a class edge in the $90,000 Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial on Sunday when he makes his 3-year-old debut in this one-mile, Group 3 classic prep.
A Giant's Causeway colt, Intense Focus gave his trainer, Jim Bolger, his third successive victory in Europe's definitive juvenile race, the seven-furlong Dewhurst Stakes on Oct. 18 at Newmarket, following in the footsteps of European 2-year-old champions Teofilo and New Approach. While not quite in the same class as those two, Intense Focus merits even-money favoritism.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Injured Sun Classique can't repeat her mild 2008 upset, but her trainer, Mike de Kock, still has better than a one-in-four chance of capturing his second straight $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic. There are 15 horses in the 1 1/2-mile grass race, and de Kock trains four of them.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Gambling is illegal in Dubai. Racegoers at Nad Al Sheba can fill out pick-seven cards, but that is more a lottery than anything, a stab at hitting all seven winners on one card. Try to look back at odds on past Dubai World Cup performers, and you'll find no such official figures exist. But it is mighty hard to fully detach gambling from horse racing. The whole claiming game is predicated on a half-blind gamble. Go a step further, and realize that any equine purchase basically is a bet that the horse is worth the money.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday morning marked the annual Godolphin open house at the operation's training headquarters in Al Quoz. Parading in a line before the small training center grandstand is not a part of regular daily activity for the horses stabled here, and they definitely were not loving it. There was a lot of sweating, quite a bit of balking, and a general equine disinterest in showing off. But one horse among the final, highest-class group to be presented stood out - Desert Party.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - None of the top contenders even had to stifle a cringe at the Dubai World Cup post position draw Wednesday night. Trainer Mike De Kock sought post 5 for Asiatic Boy and got 6. Can't complain about that. Well Armed is well enough armed in post position 7. And trainer Kiaran McLaughlin wanted to be somewhere not too far outside, but outside of Well Armed; he got his wish, when Albertus Maximus was assigned post position 10.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - They came whizzing past the Nad Al Sheba grandstand about 6:30 Tuesday morning like this was a Los Angeles freeway. No sooner had trainer Mike de Kock turned his binoculars away from one pair of work horses than the glasses were trained on another pair breaking off down the backstretch. In all, eight de Kock horses breezed in quick succession, and barring misfortune, all will run on the Dubai World Cup program here Saturday night.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Meydan, the colossal racing and entertainment facility under construction just yards away from Nad Al Sheba Racetrack, will be completed not just in time for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, but in time for the usual November opening of the Dubai racing season, the Emirates Racing Club's CEO, Frank Gabriel, said Tuesday.
