Black Seventeen may scratch from Golden Shaheen

European champion sprinter Marchand d’Or faces a big question on the dirt (Dubai Racing Club)

As BLACK SEVENTEEN (Is It True) was weighed Friday morning at the quarantine
center, his trainer and co-owner, Brian Koriner, remarked a “game-day decision”
will be made as to whether the horse will run in Saturday’s Dubai Golden Shaheen
(UAE-G1).

“We want to do right by the horse,” Koriner said.

Black Seventeen missed some training this week because he was acting
sluggish. Although he galloped Friday morning, exercise rider Colleen Hartford
got off his back after he left the track and hand-walked him back to the
quarantine barn. Black Seventeen looked a bit spent, and had his head down as he
trudged onto the scale.

“You never want to see the exercise rider leading a horse off the track,”
Koriner remarked.

Black Seventeen tipped the scales at 578 kilograms, or 1,271 pounds. Koriner
said he has no idea how much the sprinter weighed before he left California.

“We never weigh our horses at home,” Koriner said. “There aren’t scales there
to speak of.”

Lucky Quality has been blazing up the track in Hong Kong (Dubai Racing Club)

Even the connections of the other American horses have remarked how well
Indian Blessing seems to have taken to Dubai in general and the dirt track at
Nad al Sheba in particular.

Barnes’ wife, Dana, is the exercise rider for the John Sadler-trained
Machismo, who is loving life in Dubai.

“He’s just having a ball,” Dana Barnes said. “He loves the grass here. We
just don’t have grazing areas back home (at Santa Anita). He’s pulling me over
to the grass whenever he leaves the stall.”

In other Golden Shaheen news, Europe’s champion sprinter MARCHAND D’OR (Marchand
de Sable) had a canter on the main track, and his trainer Freddie Head is
confident that the horse will run well.

“He trains on a sand surface all the time at home, so I am not worried about
the track here,” Head observed. “He’s proved he’s a champion at home, and I hope
he can prove it here as well,” Head said.

Youmzain bids to shed his bridesmaid tag (Dubai Racing Club)

Turning to the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1), Mick Channon’s YOUMZAIN (Sinndar),
who is a major contender having twice been runner-up in Europe’s premier race,
the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1), had a regulation final canter on Friday
morning. Channon has adopted different tactics this year, sending out Youmzain
to Dubai six weeks in advance of the race.

“His last piece of work really delighted Richard Hills, who has ridden most
of his work out here, and I think he’s ready,” Channon said. “He’s a very good
horse, make no mistake, and he’s been unlucky to meet a couple of good ones in
two Arcs (Dylan Thomas [Ire] in 2007 and Zarkava last year).

“I’d love him to win a really big one — he deserves to. I don’t think it
matters too much how the race is run, he’s not a slow horse and there’s a long
straight here, but you always need a bit of luck.”

Quijano, like rival Youmzain, will be lining up in his third straight Sheema (Dubai Racing Club)

Trained by Peter Schiergen in Germany, Quijano delighted connections with his
second-place finish in the Dubai City of Gold (UAE-G2) on Super Thursday (March
5) behind FRONT HOUSE (Sadler’s Wells), whom he re-opposes on Dubai World Cup
night.

“He wasn’t fully wound up then, and everything has gone well since, and I
think he’ll be competitive again in this race,” Stokes said.

Johnny Murtagh expects a good showing from KING OF ROME (Montjeu [Ire]), who
was third in the Dubai City of Gold.

“King of Rome came over from Ireland quite late, so he was not fully tuned up
for his first race (when ninth in the Zabeel Mile [UAE-G3]), and he improved
again to finish third in the City of Gold,” Murtagh said. “Any more rain would
increase his chance, but a strong run mile and a half should suit him well, and,
though he is now mixing it with the big boys, I’ll be disappointed if we are not
in the first three.”

Aussie shipper Niconero is in a much better frame of mind for this year’s Duty Free (Dubai Racing Club)

“Kip’s always ready,” Nevin said. “He loves to go out and train and he’s very
happy here. Kip always comes with his very best shot, and we think he will do
that again on Saturday.”

It was a case of more of the same this morning for Australia’s Dubai Duty
Free contender TUESDAY JOY (Carnegie [Ire]) as she cantered two laps of the turf
track, marginally increasing the tempo on the second circuit.

“This has been quite deliberate,” explained leading veterinarian John
Peatfield, who accompanied stable foreman David Meijer and the Gai
Waterhouse-trained mare to Dubai.

“Gai had her very fit before she left and the plan was simply to keep her
ticking over,” Peatfield explained. “Let the tank fill up again. I know the mare
well and I’m confident she’s in good order. The most important thing is that
they don’t get sick when you travel horses. If that happens you might as well as
pack up and go home immediately but, in her case, all the signs are good.”

Informed hopes to score his first stakes win in the Godolphin Mile (Dubai Racing Club)

Godolphin Mile (UAE-G2) contender INFORMED (Tiznow), who has typically been
unruly, has become more and more tractable on track with each passing day of
Dubai World Cup week. Friday proved to be his best day of training yet, which
raised the hopes of his connections.

“He treated me so nice today,” said exercise rider Tony Romero, who has had
to call on all his skills to stay aboard the five-year-old through a series of
rears, lunges and jumps this week. “He’s started doing better, and he trained so
good today — really, really good — that I have a good feeling about the race.”

Brian Meehan believes that CAT JUNIOR (Storm Cat), second in the Challenge S.
(Eng-G2) at Newmarket last up in October, may have the best chance of his three
runners on World Cup night

“He’s a very progressive horse, who’s improving all the time. He came through
a stalls session this morning with no problems and he’s really pleased us since
he’s been here. He’s got to have a great chance.”