Tuesday, 25 March, 2014
“She is a very hyper filly and she did the same thing when I took her to Turkey (at her last start) .” Banks said the most important thing was that Ambivalent was the “best in the barn” as far as eating and drinking was concerned. Varian will be here on Thursday to supervise her final piece of work
Cirrus Des Aigles (FR) – Winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic presented by Longines in 2012, French raider Cirrus Des Aigles (FR) had his first experience of the all-weather track since then when clearing quarantine and cantering a circuit of the main track Tuesday.
“He has travelled over well and I am happy enough with him. Corine will be here tomorrow morning,” said trainer Corine Barande-Barbe’s representative Jean-Jacques Poincelet.
Denim And Ruby (JPN) -- Denim And Ruby (JPN) galloped on the turf course under the jockey Suguru Hamanaka on Tuesday morning.
Hamanaka said, “In the Japan Cup last year (when she was second), she was a little bit stiff in her her neck and shoulder, but after she was back from a vacation, she was getting more flexible. I thought the grass was long, well-conditioned and very good condition on the surface. It seems we may have a comfortable travel on the surface. She was very fit.”
Assistant trainer Shuta Takeda said, “She was a bit spooky with the surroundings on the first day she was here, but she got used to it quickly and settled well on the next day. She eats up very well and has a good conformation.”
Dominant (IRE) -- “He travelled well, possibly the best of our three even if there was nothing wrong with the other two. He will be out on the track on Wednesday morning and Joao Moreira will ride him in a workout on Thursday,” said trainer John Moore.
Dubday (GB) – The winner of his three races in Qatar, he did his last piece of work on Monday before travelling the short distance to Dubai early on Tuesday morning.
“He worked very nicely at home, as he usually does,” trainer Jassim Al Ghazali reported. “He will do normal light training for two days and then rest again on Friday, which is what he would do at home. It is so close to the race that we do not need to change anything.”
Dubday (GB) was successful in his first two races in Qatar before being bought by the Al Shaqab Racing operation of Sheikh Joann bin Hamad Al Thani, for whom he won Qatar’s most valuable Thoroughbred race, the Emir’s Trophy, under Saturday’s jockey Frankie Dettori.
Dunaden (FR) -- Dunaden (FR) came out onto the all-weather track on Tuesday morning together with his stable companion Flotilla (Godolphin Mile). He was ridden by Matthieu Brasme who said: “We went round once at a slow canter and then we went a bit quicker the second time round. This is what he usually does. He is in good form, he likes being here.”
Empoli (GER) -- Empoli (GER) returned to the all-weather track on Monday evening to be put through the stalls. His work rider Ilke Hildebrand, who is also trainer Peter Schiergen’s assistant, explained: “Empoli walked into the stalls without any problems last night. I then cantered him once around the track, so on Tuesday morning, he got some time off. I only trotted him from the quarantine yard to the track and back. He will resume his normal work routine tomorrow.”
Festive Cheer (FR) and Magician (IRE) – Two of the six-strong team from the Ballydoyle stable of Aidan O’Brien who left Ireland on Monday evening and were due to arrive at Meydan late on Tuesday afternoon, before clearing quarantine on Friday.
Gentildonna (JPN) – Gentildonna (JPN), the back-to-back winner of the Japan Cup in 2012 and 2013, put in a routine canter on the turf track.
Trainer Sei Ishizaka commented, “This is her second time staying here, so she looked more relaxed and settled. From the experience of last year, we could prepare for everything including the travel issues from Japan. Of course she ran (a good) second in last year’s race, but I think she is in better form and will show better performance. We are here to win the race.”
Meandre (FR) – Jockey Pat Dobbs said: “He has done nothing wrong this year and comes here in great form. Obviously it is a strong race and the draw is going to be crucial.”
Mount Athos (IRE) – The Marco Botti-trained gelding stood at the junction of the chute and main track before cantering around one circuit at a leisurely pace.
“It helps to keep them relaxed if they take in the sights before their exercise,” said Botti’s wife, Lucie. “The horse is fresh and well and we are hoping he might give us our first winner on Dubai World Cup night. Our horses ran well last year but it would be good to get into the winner’s enclosure.”
Twilight Eclipse (USA) – As has been his routine since arriving in Dubai over the weekend, Twilight Eclipse (USA) made his way to the all-weather strip as the sun rose at about 6:30 a.m.
With assistant trainer Dave Wallace in tow, the son of Purim had an easy 2400m gallop. To the eye it appeared to be the easiest of his gallops here but the 5yo gelding was nonetheless energetic as he left the course to return to the stables.
“Can you walk fast?” Wallace joked as he was being interviewed as they headed down the 1400m chute.
“He travelled great. Just look at him,” he added when asked how the horse was doing. “Tom (trainer Albatrani) will be here (Wednesday) morning and we’ll decide if we will do something on the turf with him or keep him on (the all-weather).”
