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Dubai World Cup Notes: Title Ready ‘Deserves A Shot,’ Mystic Guide ‘Has Flourished’ In The UAE

The following notes detail contenders in Saturday's $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse, and were provided by members of the Dubai Racing Club media team:

Chuwa Wizard – The sole Japanese contender cantered for half a lap on the dirt track with his regular work rider Kota Kato on board.

“He feels great. I think he can go into the race a fit horse,” Kato said.

“He will put on toe outer rim (shoes) with 2mm spikes for the race, as the 2000m (1 1/4 miles) has two turns, and will get familiarized with them in the trotting ring tomorrow. Everything is all set and fingers crossed.”

Gifts of Gold – Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said of his Red Sea Turf Handicap winner: “He had a prep run here over 2000m before Saudi. People were asking me why are you running him over 3200m, he's a 2000m horse. But in my mind I knew this was the right thing to do.

“The key to this horse is he has to be close, sitting quietly second or third will make the difference with him. Pat (Cosgrave) knows him well, he rides him in the mornings, he knew what to do. He won well and picked up some nice prize money.

“Now we prepare him for the Dubai World Cup, back over 2000m. It's tough but it's an open race. ”

Regarding the draw in stall 14, Bin Suroor continued: “I never pick a good one, luckily the horses have been good enough to win. It's not ideal but Christophe Soumillon knows the track well and has won the race twice. What's important for the horse is to jump well and get a nice position. The last piece of work was Thursday and he went very well, we can do no more now.”

Great Scot – Cantered one lap of the track and just stretched out over the final 200m of his work this morning.

Saud Alkahtani, speaking on behalf of trainer, Abdullah Mishriff, said: “He's training very good, he likes the track, it's different compared with the Saudi track, here it's sharper in comparison but he loves it.”

Reflecting on the third-placed spot in the Saudi Cup, he continued: “That's what makes us think very highly of this horse's chances tomorrow, he was beaten by two good horses in Charlatan, one of the best in America, and Mishriff – a Group 1 winner in the French Derby and the Saudi Cup now – so I think our horse has a good chance tomorrow.”

Hypothetical – The former John Gosden-trained 4-year-old enjoyed some light exercise this morning at Fazza Stables. Trainer Salem Bin Ghadayer said: “He's as good as he can be, we're happy with the draw and looking forward to tomorrow now.”

Jesus' Team – Continued with an easy gallop on Friday morning, going two steady laps on the dirt track. Former Venezuelan leading trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo watched his every move and was pleased with what he witnessed.

D'Angelo said: “He went slower than yesterday. When he finishes and you go slow he'll try to jump where the lights are. So I told my rider (Willo Mercado) to keep him going. I'm very, very happy.

“I am ready. A little nervous for sure, but we are ready. I can't express this feeling. Not just to run, but to be running with a chance is amazing for me.

“Today he looked focussed, better than yesterday. The rider said he's 100%. My plan has gone well. We're ready to rock and roll.”

A sizeable Venezuelan contingent has turned up in support of the young trainer, including D'Angelo's wife, mother, sister and friends.

Magny Cours – The Andre Fabre-trained Magny Cours was one of the last foreign raiders to come onto the training track on Friday morning, where he did a slow canter. Richard Lambert, his travelling head lad, said: “We are happy with him. He is handling the heat really well. It is quite late when we come out in the morning, but he has adapted well to the heat.”

Mystic Guide – Godolphin's Mike Stidham-trained leading runner came out to the Meydan dirt track at 7am and had an easy gallop around the track before gate schooling for the second consecutive day.

“He had a nice easy gallop,” Stidham said. “That was the plan and he went well. Yesterday he was a little anxious in the gate, but today was better. He walks right in as soon as they put the strap behind him.”

Lightly raced, the homebred 4-year-old colt makes just his eighth start on Saturday.

“He just has flourished here,” Stidham continued. “Every day I've been watching his weight and seeing if his coat was changing, but he's been perfect. I'm amazed at how well he's taking all of this.”

Salute The Soldier – Trainer Fawzi Nass has completed preparations with his big-race runner and is happy with where he stands.

“As we have said we would have preferred a better draw but the horse is in great shape and his last work was very good indeed. Adrie (de Vries) is a world-class jockey so I will leave tactics to him as the race unfolds,” he said.

Sleepy Eyes Todd – A quiet morning was in store for Grade 2 Charlestown Classic victor Sleepy Eyes Todd, taking a steady turn around the Meydan dirt track. Trainer Miguel Angel Silva watched the grey from his customary spot on the apron.

Silva said: “He went very mildly, stretched his legs. We are ready. Hopefully we will go home with the prize-money. It's been a great learning experience and I love it. I would change nothing about the trip we've had.”

Five weeks ago Sleepy Eyes Todd appeared in Saudi Arabia, a first ever international venture for team Silva.

“He's been running every month. This is the perfect timing to be back running at 100%,” Silva continued.

“It is a dream come true for every trainer. Every person that works in this business is looking for a horse like this. There are only 14 horses in the race so there are very few people that can really come and enjoy this moment. We are really fortunate to be here, to be one of the few.”

Thegreatcollection – Trainer Doug Watson is thrilled but surprised that one of his stable stalwarts finally has a big-race chance.

“This horse owes us nothing; he has been a great servant to us all over four years and this time last year had just won the Silver Jubilee over 1400m at Jebel Ali,” he said. “If you told me then, or even in December when he won the Dubai Creek Mile, he would be running in a Dubai World Cup I would have laughed.

“But he has had a great season and proved he deserves his chance, especially with his second in the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge. He can be forgiven his lesser effort on Super Saturday because the bit slipped through his mouth and he has never been the easiest horse to ride.

“He has never been a flashy work horse and his last gallop was just typical of him and far from spectacular but that is normal. He saves his efforts for the races so hopefully Saturday is one of his big runs. There should be plenty of pace which will suit and we are really looking forward to it.”

Title Ready – Charles Fipke's homebred Title Ready jogged on Friday morning, getting the minimal amount of exercise and staying loose before his big bout tomorrow evening.

The son of More Than Ready has impressed the media with his appearance in recent days, hinting that he may be ready to step up to Grade 1 company off his Grade 3 victory last out in New Orleans. In November, he was off the board in the Breeders' Cup Classic over this same 2000m distance.

“We ran him in the Breeders' Cup and he ran pretty good, but then I ran him back too fast in the (Grade 1) Clark (Stakes) at Churchill (Downs),” trainer Dallas Stewart said. “He got some time and then won and looked really good at the Fair Grounds (in the G3 Louisiana Stakes). He's bred to be a good horse, by More Than Ready from the family of Personal Ensign. He deserves a shot in this race. He's a grinder and will keep trying.”

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This Side Up: Empty Stands and Full Hearts in Dubai

The show must go on. After a year of pandemic, that turns out to be pretty much the default setting of our commendably resilient species. And you couldn't ask for a much better example than the staging of the G1 Dubai World Cup–just three days after the death of Sheikh Hamdan; behind closed doors, and behind closed faces.

At the best of times, it's difficult for family and friends of public figures to grieve in a duly intimate register. Throw in the frigid constrictions of Covid, with no tactile consolation whatsoever, and the anomalies between formality and anguish become harder yet.

An industry that has benefitted from unprecedented investment by the Maktoum brothers has sometimes been made well aware, including recently, that a common love of the horse will never place us all into a single, harmonious cultural key. All societies have their different superiorities; and all societies, we hope, can learn from one another. Images of the Sheikh's funeral, however, remind us of the fundamental bonds that unite humanity, regardless of culture or rank. And any of us who have suffered bereavement, not least over this last year, must feel sympathy for those who were obliged to pray wide apart, in masks, as they bade farewell not to a rich and powerful royal, but to a kinsman or friend.

Because every syllable spoken about the founder of Shadwell this week invites us to penetrate that forbidding public profile, so somber and reserved, to discover the humor, fidelity and human insight unanimously emphasized by those horseman who reflected on the privilege of his patronage. Their testimony came as no surprise. For decades, talking with his men had permitted no doubt of the authentic human connection he achieved with them. You can always tell when a boss is respected because of dollars and cents, and when cherished for deeper riches.

In my younger days I remember friends, who were more interested in betting, deploring Sheikh Hamdan's loyalty to certain trainers. But that was actually how you began to get a measure of the man, and it must be said that the same friends tended to exult in the discomfiture of the British horse racing Establishment when the Sheikh enjoyed spectacular rewards for persevering with Dick Hern, confined to a wheelchair by a hunting accident, when even the Queen had moved on. (The dam of Nashwan (Blushing Groom {Fr}) had, of course, herself been culled by the royal stud.) Americans, likewise, observed the Sheikh's faith in the durability of spirit and horsemanship in Kiaran McLaughlin when he, too, encountered physical adversity.

This was a man who, between his religion and his horses, developed a fatalism that staggered any who ever had to bring him bad news. Rick Nichols, long-serving manager of the Kentucky farm, came to view his employer as a genuine father figure; and, of course, as a true horseman. The Sheikh knew the physique and pedigree of each and every individual in his worldwide cavalry. (Certainly it was a relief to Nichols to deal with such a man: he had once had a client rant at him for 10 minutes over his failure to get her mare covered, when it was already mid-April. “Ma'am,” he replied, when eventually given the chance. “I thought it'd be a good idea to let her foal before we breed her.”)

How the Shadwell show goes on, from here, remains to be seen. So soon after mourning another breed-shaping investor from the Gulf, Prince Khalid, our industry is certainly being reminded never to be complacent in such benefactors. At Juddmonte and Shadwell alike, you would hope that their branded pedigrees have been cultivated with too much love and patience for any abrupt disbandment. But nothing can be taken for granted, when these empires have been built by so personal a dynamic.

Whatever the future may hold, those cavernous stands at Meydan will seem to ring aptly hollow Saturday. Conceived as a showcase of the Maktoum family's homeland, the 25th World Cup night will have a very different symbolism: at once a memorial, and a lavish gesture of hope. At some point, after all, we will all have to pick up the pieces. That's true, emotionally, of those who have just interred a departed kinsman, in rites of scrupulous and moving humility; and it's also true, of course, of whole economies, whole societies.

Success for the Sheikh's brother in the World Cup would have an obvious poignancy, but let's hope that won't cast any kind of shadow over the sense of achievement to which his trainer would be entitled. You have to love the way Mike Stidham, an exemplary horseman of the type often identified by this family, has nurtured Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper); and the horse has long hinted at unusual flair, even when he put out that call for blinkers in the GIII Peter Pan at Saratoga last summer.

So I hope the barn gets a deserved result after Proxy (Tapit) was a little disappointing last weekend, even taking into account a pretty messy trip. With Godolphin already represented by Essential Quality (Tapit) on the Derby trail, I guess Proxy may be given the chance to regroup now.

It's yet another son of Tapit who gets his final rehearsal in what will, for many of us, be an even bigger focus this weekend. Greatest Honour has looked a born Derby colt this winter but in the GI Florida Derby meets the last horse to beat him, Known Agenda (Curlin), who got it back together in frightening fashion last time for a trainer dominating this meet.

Todd Pletcher originally had Shadwell's unbeaten Malathaat, also by Curlin, lined up for the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, but she was not declared. This filly was among those who joined Pletcher following the retirement of McLaughlin last year, much to his delight after just missing out on his “first-round draft choice” as a $1.05-million Keeneland September yearling.

Though he had been ill for some time, the Sheikh had remained ever invigorated by the next cycle coming through, whether home-bred or found at the sales. Sadly, because of the pandemic, he was denied the tonic of attending Royal Ascot last year when Shadwell had no fewer than six winners. Hopefully, the greatest shows of our sport will soon be playing to full galleries once again. But while Sheikh Hamdan was as far from being a showman as it's possible to be–much like Prince Khalid, in fact–it won't feel the same without two of the all-time great impresarios.

Happily, whatever happens to their work now, both have long since guaranteed a legacy that will endure in the breed for generations after we have all followed them over the horizon. So, yes: to that extent, at least, we know the show will go on.

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D’Angelo Relishing Every Moment With Dubai World Cup Contender Jesus’ Team

Dreams shape the future and for 30-year-old trainer, Jose Francisco D'Angelo, one might come true this Saturday, when his charge Jesus' Team (USA) lines up for the 25th anniversary of the $12m Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline.

The former leading Venezuelan handler found himself travelling across states during his first full year of training in the USA, him behind the wheel and his precious cargo, Jesus' Team in the back.

During the spring of 2020 the bold bay walked into D'Angelo's Palm Meadows barn and since then has taken the trainer, his team and owners to new heights.

“This horse has put me on the map,” D'Angelo said.

He provided trainer D'Angelo with a first ever starter in an American Classic race when 3rd in the 2020 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, behind subsequent US Horse of the Year Authentic and champion 3-year-old filly, Swiss Skydiver.

That week was characterized by fresh experiences and an extensive amount of pressure, but also carried an introspective undertone. D'Angelo's grandfather had died mere weeks earlier.

“When my grandfather passed away I was driving the truck from Saratoga to Monmouth for the Preakness, it was the day after the (Grade 2) Jim Dandy. I heard whilst I was driving and I had to stop, it was too hard,” the trainer recalled.

“I dedicated the Preakness to my grandfather because I felt him with me. I couldn't go to his funeral in Venezuela because I was with 'Jesus' and because of the pandemic I couldn't travel.”

A scintillating performance at Pimlico was followed by a runner up finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile, behind Knicks Go, a win in the Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes and another second placing behind the aforementioned foe in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Foreign riches beckoned and connections started dreaming of greater goals by the end of the autumn, when the Dubai World Cup became a target. Groom Angel Ayala, regular rider Willo Mercado and trainer D'Angelo left for the United Arab Emirates in mid-March.

When watching the elite contenders during morning workouts it is the exuberant Jesus' Team, with his blinkers, draw reigns and free striding action, who always seems to catch the eye.

A spirited character, the Grupo 7C Racing Stable runner has taken to the Meydan dirt track and a customary trick or two suggests the dark bay to be in top condition.

“Jesus is a little bit like a baby. He looks like a professional on track, but in the barn he wants to play like a 2-year-old. Jesus is a very delicate horse. You have to be able to deal with him,” said D'Angelo.

Even though the preparation has gone exactly as hoped, with Jesus' Team improving every day, D'Angelo knows anything can happen in the lead up to the race itself.

Adrenaline was pumping through the veins of D'Angelo during the Dubai World Cup draw, but the nerves subsided after a satisfactory stall 9 was announced.

“I'm very nervous, I would like Saturday to come right now. But we can do this. I've gone to the stable at 10pm, 11pm, 12pm. Talking to him: 'Hey 'Jesus' you all good?' I check in on him, change the water. He makes a soup out of his feed, mixing it with water, so I have to clean it,” says a smiling D'Angelo.

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Dubai World Cup Notes: Jesus’ Team Should Be ‘Aggressive’ Early, Mystic Guide ‘Obviously Thriving’

The following notes detail contenders in Saturday's $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse, and were provided by members of the Dubai Racing Club media team:

Chuwa Wizard – Schooled at the paddock ring before he cantered on the dirt track under his exercise rider Kota Kato.

“He was full of beans this morning,” Kato said. “He breezed on Tuesday and did just hand-walking yesterday, so he was very fresh. He was patient in the starting gate when he got familiarized with it. He will just stretch his legs on dirt tomorrow.”

Great Scot – Had a steady canter on the main track this morning under his usual work rider, Abdullah Aloufi, who is a successful professional jockey in Saudi Arabia.

Aloufi said: “The dirt track is faster here than in Riyadh and it was the horse's first time on it yesterday. We just did a steady canter yesterday and today. He was keen, that's just him but he felt good.”

Jesus' Team – A routine two laps on the dirt track for an energetic Jesus' Team, compelling rider Willo Mercado to pay close attention, with trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo looking on trackside.

“Today he had his head a little high because the horse wants to go. I said to the rider, let him [stride on]. He's OK, controllable. He didn't do a fast time. Tomorrow we are going to do the same two laps, but more slowly. So we can arrive on raceday with good energy,” D'Angelo said.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for the D'Angelo team, but yesterday's favorable draw has helped settle the nerves.

D'Angelo continued: “I slept better last night, for the first time. I like the post position (9) because 'Jesus' can find a good spot to make an aggressive move in the first part.”

A genuine smile reveals the present sentiment in camp Jesus' Team as D'Angelo said: “I asked Bob Baffert and my friend Chad Summers about preparation. They are familiar with the environment here. I took their advice and made my plan. All horses are different, and need different things to get ready. 'Jesus' is coming into this race perfectly.”

Magny Cours – After going a bit quicker on Wednesday on the dirt track at Meydan, the André Fabre-trained Magny Cours returned to the training track on Thursday morning.

“Mr. Fabre is very happy with him,” said Richard Lambert, the travelling head lad who has been all over the world with the French handler's runners. “He came to watch him just do a little canter this morning and everything is fine. The horse is calm and doing well. He will not be going back to the dirt track before Saturday.”

Military Law – Musabbeh Al Mheiri's Military Law had his final blow out on Meydan's dirt track on Thursday. The 6-year-old Dubawi gelding has been assigned stall 5 and Al Mheiri said: “We have a good horse in Military Law. He is honest and works hard and has always shown us that in training. A good draw has improved his chances and we could not have asked for a better spot. We will look for a good break and for Antonio Fresu to get him into a good spot just off the pace so that he can give himself a good chance at the finish.”

Mystic Guide – Godolphin's Mike Stidham-trained Mystic Guide came out to the dirt track on Thursday morning and the son of Ghostzapper continues to impress onlookers, including his conditioner.

“This was a race that was in the back of our minds, but obviously Maxfield was possible for this, too,” Stidham said. “We chatted with (head of Godolphin USA) Jimmy Bell about it and after he ran so well at Oaklawn (winning the Grade 3 Razorback), there was a possibility of this race. When Maxfield was sent to Santa Anita, it left the door open and everything just fell into place. Mystic Guide ran so well and came out great, so it worked out.

“It's an honor and a privilege to be here and especially for a horse for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed on the 25th anniversary,” he continued. “It could not be better and we just can't wait to get on the racetrack. Going a mile and a quarter, I would love to see him break well and be forward and be in a comfortable stalking position, depending on how fast they're going in front of him. Luis Saez certainly handled him well at Oaklawn and got along well with him. I'm happy to have him back.”

Since arriving earlier this week Stidham has had an opportunity to look around and is impressed with Meydan as a facility and the Dubai Racing Club, as a whole.

“It's fabulous and pretty amazing,” he said. “I can't put enough exclamation points around it. The track is fantastic and the event is really well-prepared and Stephanie (Cooley, head of the International Department) has been vital to this. The barn is great and I wish more American track owners would come and see how these places are made. Just beautiful barns that are well-kept and you get lots of help. It's second to none.

“When you think about it, this long walk is the opposite of what we do back home and they're getting a lot more training wise just from the walk back and forth,” he continued. “It's a whole different process. It's good for the horse, as long as the horse is handling it well and ours seems to be thriving on it. He has good energy and his coat and weight look fantastic, so he's obviously thriving on the routine. I'm sure there are horses who come over here who don't do well with this, but fortunately we are doing well.”

Salute The Soldier – Stall 11 was not roundly welcomed by his nonetheless upbeat jockey Adrie de Vries, who said: “The draw could have been kinder but the horse is in great form and his final piece of serious work was very pleasing. When he works well he normally runs well so let's hope that is the case again!”

Sleepy Eyes Todd – An easy morning was in store for the charismatic Sleepy Eyes Todd as he made his way around the Meydan dirt track. Trainer Migel Angel Silva looked on from the rail, content with what he saw.

“He looks very good right now. He hasn't missed a meal since we got here. He's in really good shape,” Silva said.

After a month in the UAE, arriving here the day after the Saudi Cup, the big race is coming up quickly for Sleepy Eyes Todd and Silva.

“I'm not nervous because he's the kind of horse that doesn't make you nervous. He always gives you 100%. With some other horses you don't always know how they are going to run, this guy always gives it all. It gives you confidence,” he continued.

“It's an amazing experience, we are really grateful. With all the invitations, with all the people, with God, the owner, the organization, everybody. We are grateful to be here. “

Thegreatcollection – Owner Zaur Sekrekov is excited at having a big-race outing with his popular campaigner.

“We are just delighted to be in the race and our horse has really seemed to progress this season apart from Super Saturday but there was a tack issue with the bit in that race,” he said.

“Doug Watson and his team seem very happy with the horse and a middle draw looks a good one. We cannot wait for Saturday!”

Title Ready – Charles Fipke's homebred Title Ready came to the dirt track at 7am and had an easy hack around with his trainer Dallas Stewart watching from the viewing area around the 1400m mark of the 1750m dirt track. A son of More Than Ready, Title Ready is a homebred descendent of the brilliant mare Personal Ensign.

On Wednesday, the nearly black charge drew post four.

“The draw is OK,” Stewart said. “I'd maybe rather be a little more outside, but what can you do. We came to race and I'm looking forward to it. He's a horse I think has to step up, but that's why they run the race. I'm glad to be here with [Fipke] and we're excited.”

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