Champion filly
Royal Delta galloped with her usual
eye-catching style on Thursday at Meydan, her ears pricked and her stride long
and easy as she traveled approximately 1 3/8 miles for Saturday’s Group 1 Dubai
World Cup.
“It was just a regular gallop, nothing fancy,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott
said. “But she looked great to me. We wouldn’t change a thing.”
Mott, who made history by saddling the inaugural Dubai World Cup winner Cigar,
is trying for another record with Royal Delta, who would be the first female
runner to win. Since Wednesday’s post position draw, during which Mott got
first choice and selected his lucky number, seven, he has been studying the form
for the field.
“It looks like there is some good speed in the race — Game on Dude, Smart Falcon
and Capponi,” he said. “We could be in a stalking position just behind the leaders.
Hopefully, we’re not far off them.”
Royal Delta is known for her strong stretch run, so if the Empire Maker filly can keep a good
position early, she will be ready to rally in the stretch.
The connections of Group 2, $2 million UAE Derby contender Lucky Chappy were able to
breathe a sigh of relief on Thursday when the small but spirited colt galloped
without misbehaving.
On the previous day, Lucky Chappy dislodged assistant trainer and exercise rider
Alice Clapham from the saddle, and there was the possibility he could have run
off and risked injury. But Clapham was able to hold on to the colt and resume
their work session, revealing later that the son of High Chaparral is well known
back at his home base for his antics during training.
“We’re quite used to it,” trainer Graham Motion confirmed after the gallop. “But everything went smoothly this morning. He had a proper gallop
without any unusual events.”
Lucky Chappy, who began his career in Europe and trains better when accompanied
by another horse or a string of horses, has been going out at Meydan with
Royal Delta. Since the filly breezed down the stretch on
Wednesday, Clapham kept Lucky Chappy on his own and that’s when the trouble
occurred.
Other than that incident, Motion said Lucky Chappy’s preparations have been
outstanding, and Royal Delta has not only helped keep the colt focused on most
days but also has led him through some very strong gallops that have honed his
condition.
The UAE Derby is highly competitive this year, and Motion said he is not sure
how to assess Lucky Chappy’s competition, which includes runners from South
America, Europe, Japan and the UAE.
“As I read in a quote by Bob Baffert, this is one of the places where you take
them over and you don’t know what to expect in the race — it’s so hard to
evaluate,” Motion said. “But I guess that’s one of the things that makes it so
special.”
Baffert, who is recovering from a heart attack he suffered on Monday while on
the grounds at Meydan, could receive the perfect “Get Well” gift on Saturday as
his talented gray sprinter, The Factor, attempts to improve on the second place
finish of the trainer’s 2011 starter, Euroears, in the Group 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen.
The Factor, who has trained beautifully all week, jogged and cantered one lap
around the Meydan main track Thursday morning, before standing in the starting
gate, located in the chute near the 1,400m mark.
Regular exercise rider, George Alvarez, was aboard the Grade 1-winning son of War Front as the
colt loaded eagerly and stood like a perfect gentleman in the stalls.
Photographers snapped photos only a few meters from The Factor, but
the four-year-old was unfazed.
Fellow Golden Shaheen starter Giant Ryan out onto the main track Thursday
morning at his usual 6:15 a.m. to jog an easy lap and then jog a little more
serious second lap under his regular Meydan exercise rider James Heavey. The
six-year-old son of Freud completed his final serious preparations in the United
States last week, and had a slight “blow out” over the Meydan all-weather on
Tuesday.
“He knows what he has to do Saturday,” trainer Biznath Parboo said Thursday
morning as he watched Giant Ryan cruise the main track. “He’ll
let us know what he wants to do tomorrow by how he acts after this. He’s a smart
horse.”
Giant Ryan will start from post 3 in the Golden
Shaheen with jockey Willie Martinez in the irons.
“Willie won on him at Calder (in an overnight handicap in June 2011),” Parboo
said.