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COMMENTARY JANUARY 4, 2013 Dubai World Cup Carnival: Ten to Follow by Kelsey Riley On January 10, the annual Dubai World Cup Carnival (DWCC) will kick off at Meydan Racecourse. With 11 weeks of racing for purses totaling more than $37 million, the DWCC -- which culminates in the Dubai World Cup card on March 30 -- will attract a colorful cast of runners from around the globe. Below are a list of 10 intriguing horses you can expect to see in action over the next three months. Barbecue Eddie (Stormy Atlantic--The Green Owl, by Carson City) American racing fans may remember nine-year-old Barbecue Eddie as a Southern California stalwart back in 2007 and 2008, his best result on U.S. soil being a third-place effort in the 2007 Grade 1 Ancient Title. He was picked up by Shadwell for the 2009 Carnival, but failed to hit the board in four tries on the dirt at the now-defunct Nad Al Sheba racecourse. The reliable gelding, however, has since found a home on the Meydan Tapeta, winning or placing in 11 of 18 starts over the last two years. This season, Barbecue Eddie has shown he is no worse for his age, winning his first two starts this term in conditions company. While many of his American foes, including Street Boss, Lewis Michael and Benny the Bull, have long since gone to stud, Barbecue Eddie is still plying his trade on the track. And rather successfully, at that. While he has failed to factor in three tries in group company at Meydan, he is a consistent handicapper who will likely be seen a lot throughout the carnival. Dandy Boy (Danetime--Fleet of Light, by Spectrum) A one-time winner on the Meydan turf in his first visit to Dubai in 2011, Dandy Boy returned to the carnival last year, but failed to hit the board in three tries. He posted marked improvement, however, in the summer in England. He won the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 23 before jumping into Group 1 company. He finished 11th, beaten just 4 3/4 lengths, in the Group 1 Nunthorpe at York on August 24, and was a respectable fourth in the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 8, beaten 2 3/4 lengths. The five-year-old appears to have improved with age, and David Marnane knows how to prepare a horse for Dubai. Freezemaster (Reset--Her Grace, by Northern Flagship) Singapore-based trainer Steven Burridge burst onto the Dubai World Cup Carnival scene last year, winning four of 11 starts in his first season in the Emirates, including the listed UAE Two Thousand Guineas Trial with Dark Matter. Therefore, it is worth looking at the quartet of runners that Burridge will bring this year, and the most intriguing of the bunch is the six-year-old Freezemaster. He has won four times in five starts this year, including a victory over Singapore star filly Better Life. Better Life went on in her next start to defeat Singapore Triple Crown winner Super Easy in the Group 1 Kranji Mile on October 7. Hitchens (Acclamation--Royal Fizz, by Royal Academy) Hitchens spent much of the 2012 Carnival trading places with Group 1 winner Krypton Factor, who will be discussed later. After spending his early days campaigning primarily in England, Hitchens ventured to Dubai for the first time last year, and the results were encouraging. He bested Krypton Factor in the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint on February 3 before finishing behind his rival in his next two outings -- a second-place effort in the Group 3 Mahab al Shimaal on March 10, and a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen on March 31. Hitchens returned to England for the summer and campaigned with some success, winning the listed Chris Blackwell Memorial Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket on August 25. He has not been seen since finishing ninth in the Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 8. Igugu (Galileo--Zarinia, by Intikhab) Mike de Kock is another conditioner who must always be respected at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and his star attraction this year is expected to be Igugu. The six-year-old mare, named South Africa's Horse of the Year, has captured her country's two most important racing events -- the Group 1 Durban July in 2011 and the Group 1 J & B Met this year. The champion trainer will also unveil a handful of former Coolmore recruits this season, including consistent top-level galloper Await the Dawn; last year's Group 2 UAE Derby winner Daddy Long Legs; and the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed juvenile David Livingston. Interpret (Distorted Humor--Quendom, by Interprete) A half-brother to 2006 Horse of the Year and 2007 Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Invasor, the five-year-old Interpret has had a late start to his career, but has quickly begun to make up for lost time. Second in his debut over the Meydan Tapeta on November 8, Interpret came back two weeks later to again finish second by four lengths, this time to the highly rated Surfer (see below). Interpret followed that effort with a 10 1/2-length victory over the dirt at Jebel Ali on December 14. In the Spotlight (Alnasr Alwasheek--Radiate, by Placerville) A six-time Classic winner in her native India, In the Spotlight is one of the most highly anticipated invaders for this year's carnival. Because not many Indian horses have competed internationally, it is difficult to interpret her form, but trainer Sadakshara Reuben Padmanabhan is confident in his filly's abilities. "I have no doubt about her ability to perform on the big stage," Padmanabhan told Gulf News. "She is not only a star of Indian racing, but she is probably the best horse I have ever trained, and I have trained close to 150 grade or group winners. She is very special. She's better than the horses I have brought to Dubai before. She's way ahead of them." Padmanabhan also told Gulf News that his primary concern is running his filly on a left-handed course at Meydan for the first time. He did note, however, that she has been training well left-handed while in quarantine. In the Spotlight is slated for her first Dubai test in a handicap at Meydan on January 17. Her long-term goal is the Group 3 Dubai Gold Cup on the Dubai World Cup card. Krypton Factor (Kyllachy--Cool Question, by Polar Falcon) Owner/trainer Fawzi Nass experienced a banner year in 2012, largely due to the exploits of Krypton Factor. After a reasonably useful Meydan campaign in 2011 -- where he went winless in six tries, but placed three times -- Krypton Factor came back stronger than ever last year as a four-year-old. He kicked off 2012 as a 100-rated Group 3-placed horse, and five starts later he was a 117-rated Group 1 winner, taking the Golden Shaheen on the March 31 Dubai World Cup card. That marked the first victory at the highest level for Nass, who also stables runners in England and his homeland of Bahrain. In total, Krypton Factor recorded three wins and two second-place finishes in five starts at last year's Carnival. If his consistency carries over, he should be a force to be reckoned with this winter. Maritimer (Stormy Atlantic--Highland Mood, by Highland Ruckus) Canada's 2011 champion two-year-old male, Maritimer was sold to Ramzan Kadyrov prior to the start of the 2012 Dubai World Cup Carnival. He made just one start in the Emirates, finishing a dismal 11th of 14 in the UAE Derby for trainer Herman Brown, and was subsequently returned to North America and transferred to Seth Benzel. The strapping dark bay finished fifth after traveling wide and tiring in his reappearance in the Grade 2 Autumn going 1 1/16 miles at Woodbine on November 10. Surfer (Distorted Humor--Surf Club, by Ocean Crest) Surfer, who made his first five starts in England as a juvenile in 2011, last year earned himself the not-so-proud distinction as the highest-rated maiden in racing. Kicking off the 2012 Carnival with a rating of 99, Surfer quickly rose through the ranks while competing on the all-weather at Meydan. A fourth-place effort while wide throughout in the Group 3 UAE Two Thousand Guineas saw his rating climb to 102, and he justified that number next out when finishing second in the listed Al Bastakiya -- the local prep for the UAE Derby -- after yet another heartbreaking wide trip. Although he shot up to 106 off that run, it was not enough to get him into the UAE Derby. Surfer justified the confidence of his connections, however, by breaking his maiden in his first start of the 2012-2013 season at Meydan on November 22 when dropped back to the company of non-winners for the first time since September 2011. The half-brother to crack U.S. sprinter Emcee came back to record a double on December 20 in a conditions stakes at Meydan, and as a four-year-old at the 2013 Dubai World Cup Carnival, he looks to have a world of potential.
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