Godolphin’s bin Suroor, Appleby hope to win for Sheikh
Mohammed
Trainers shipping horses into Dubai World Cup night are
anxious enough for their horses to acquit themselves with honors, but a greater
burden of expectation rests with those already on site.
For Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby, there is no more poignant a stage than
the one built by their stable patron. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, vice
president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, is the
vision behind an evening of racing where horses vie for a share of a record
prize purse worth $27.25 million.
Sheikh Mohammed’s worldwide Godolphin racing operation is at the forefront of
the racing industry and the organization’s two trainers, Appleby and bin Suroor,
are all too aware of the fact that the world will be watching.
“It is very important for us to have a winner,” affirmed bin Suroor, who will be
crowned champion trainer at the Dubai World Cup Carnival for the seventh time at
the end of the night. “Last year we had two, and luckily we have some nice
horses for Saturday. I think we have a chance in seven (of the nine) races.”
Bin Suroor is plainly the man to beat. He has won 32 races on World Cup night
and saddles 11 horses this time — among them two runners, African Story and
Prince Bishop, in the world’s richest race, the Group 1, $10 million Dubai World
Cup. He sees possibilities in both horses.
“Physically, Prince Bishop has improved so much this year,” the trainer said.
“He is just a different horse and Kieren Fallon rides him very well. And I
really like African Story (the mount of Silvestre de Sousa). He also is a much
better horse now. He hit his head on the stalls very badly on his last run, so
we must forget about it and give him another chance.”
Asked for his best prospect of a winner, bin Suroor highlighted the chances of
Cavalryman (in the Group 2, $1 million Dubai Gold Cup) and Shuruq (Group 2, $1 million
Godolphin Mile, before
adding: “I am hoping all my horses will run well.”
Bin Suroor is a veteran of the World Cup stage but Appleby gets his first dance
on it, having taken over Al Marmoon Stables in May. Appleby is thus savoring
his inaugural Dubai World Cup Carnival, at which he has saddled six winners to
date.
“We are very fortunate in that it has gone well,” he said. “We had a few nice
winners early on. To win with our first runner, Ahtoug, was a bit of a dream.”
Ahtoug subsequently progressed to secure his place in the Group 1, $1 million Al Quoz
Sprint on Saturday.
“He is improving and enjoying
himself,” Appleby said. “Everything is going right for him.”
Like bin Suroor, Appleby has two contenders in the night’s feature race, which
has drawn a maximum field of 16. He acknowledged that Cat O’Mountain must
overcome a difficult post position in stall 15 but the horse’s well-being is
such that he is not despondent.
“We have been very happy with his preparation and he has the ability to
accelerate on the all-weather surface,” Appleby said of Mickael Barzalona’s
mount. “The draw is not ideal but it’s not the end of the world.”
Vancouverite, for his part, has an ideal berth in stall 3.
“He has got natural
speed and will be handy from the start, so his post position suits him well,”
Appleby reasoned.
Of his other six runners, Appleby became animated about the prospects of his
Australian import, Long John, in the Group 2, $2 million U.A.E. Derby over 1900
meters on the all-weather.
“He was impressive that day,” Appleby said of his romp in last month’s
U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas, “and has continued to please
us. We know he has speed and the trip is a bit of an unknown, but this race
gives him the best opportunity to get it.”
Although Appleby’s heartbeat is sure to rise when Long John leaves the stalls,
he recognizes his horses’ fate ultimately rests with his jockeys.
“It’s a world
stage and everybody will be here,” he said, “but when raceday dawns you can do
no more. It’s an achievement just to get the horses there. May the best one
win.”
Appleby’s sentiments are echoed by bin Suroor.
“The World Cup is an open race
this year,” the latter offered. “The horses are all closely matched but we will
try and win for Sheikh Mohammed.”
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