Americans take in Dubai surroundings

Trainer Julio Canani, a familiar presence on Dubai World Cup Day since 1999,

is back again this year and believes he may have winner on his hands

in HYPERBARIC (Sky Classic), a contender for Saturday's Dubai Duty Free

(UAE-G1).

Hyperbaric enters the 1,777-meter turf race riding a four-race winning

streak, though the six-year-old has not run since winning the Citation H. (G1)

at Hollywood Park last November. Canani said he is not worried about the time in

between starts because the gelding has been in training since his last race, and

has run well following longer periods between races.

On Tuesday, Hyperbaric galloped once around the main dirt track. With his

ears pricked as he passed the grandstand, Hyperbaric was clearly curious in his

new surroundings.

Strolling serenely on to the track on Tuesday morning, 2007 Breeders' Cup

Mile (G1) winner KIP DEVILLE (Kipling) came to a stop and stood like a statue.

Gazing around Nad Al Sheba, the big gray looked as if he had not a care in the

world and was certainly not concerned about his impending workout.

When he decided he was ready, Kip Deville ambled off leisurely before picking

up a trot and eventually a rolling canter. When assistant trainer and exercise

rider Michelle Nevin asked him, the six-year-old strode through 800 meters

(about four furlongs) in a fluid manner, getting an official time of :36.8 for

600 meters and :23.9 for 400 meters.

"We just wanted to open up his lungs a little bit," Nevin said. "He was nice

and comfortable out there."

Although Kip Deville's race is on turf, Nevin worked him on the dirt, a

pattern that trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. also has followed frequently back home.

Nevin explained that the white markers positioned on the turf course away from

the rail, which indicate where horses can work in order to do the least damage

to the racing surface, would have disturbed Kip Deville's focus.

"It would have been distracting for him. He has a little weirdness about

things like that; he will put his head down and just look at those things the

whole way around," she explained.

As to his standing and peering around before his workout, Nevin said that is

typical behavior for the veteran of five racing seasons.

“He stands for a long time every morning. He only does what he wants to do --

and when he wants to do it," she said with a smile.

Champion female sprinter INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) walked on Tuesday

morning in the quarantine barn area following her half-mile workout on Monday.

The four-year-old emerged from the drill in excellent condition, reported

assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes.

"She had a nice walk this morning and she looks really good," Barnes said.

Trainer Brian Koriner decided not to work BLACK SEVENTEEN (Is It True), who

is also entered in the Golden Shaheen. Instead, the five-year-old jogged the

wrong way around the main dirt track. Koriner said Black Seventeen is exhibiting

signs of lethargy, a likely result of the trip from California last week.

"He's kind of flat and rather than knock him out today by working him, we are

hoping that he will snap-to in the next day," Koriner said. "I'm a little bit

concerned."

Koriner, who arrived in Dubai Monday evening, said Colleen Hartford, Black

Seventeen's exercise rider, told him the horse was perky the last couple of

days.

"But this morning, I saw him in the barn, and just decided to leave the work

alone," Koriner said.

Jaime McCalmont, the English-based racing manager for California owner J.

Paul Reddam, liked what he saw through his binoculars on Tuesday morning as RED

ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) galloped strongly over 1 1/2 miles on the dirt track

in preparation for the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1).

"The money available here is so good that we feel like we have nothing to

lose," McCalmont said, adding that the six-year-old has almost always handled

shipping to international locales very well. "And, as you can see, he seems to

be doing very well."

Although Red Rocks has been somewhat inconsistent in his racing career,

winning only six of 21 starts, he has proved himself a force to be reckoned

with, particularly with his Grade 1 wins in the 2006 Breeders' Cup Turf and last

year's Man o' War S. over Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) winner Curlin.

This will be Red Rocks' second tilt at the Dubai Sheema Classic trophy. He

finished ninth in 2007, but McCalmont noted "they went at a pedestrian pace that

night." Additionally, that race marked Red Rocks' first start in almost five

months.

This year, Red Rocks had a prep race, although he finished eighth behind

Dubai Duty Free contender Kip Deville in the Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) on

February 1. McCalmont said Red Rocks found the turf at Gulfstream Park too firm

and also noted that the 1 1/8-mile distance "was far too short" for the

long-bodied distance specialist.

With trainer Neil Drysdale scheduled to arrive in Dubai Tuesday evening,

Dubai Sheema Classic hopeful MARSH SIDE (Gone West) had an easy canter during

training hours Tuesday at Nad Al Sheba. The light exercise followed a quicker

move the day before. Although a workout time was not recorded on Monday for

Marsh Side, the six-year-old did pick it up through the stretch of his turf

gallop.

One of the big hopes for the Godolphin Mile (UAE-G2) is American challenger

INFORMED (Tiznow), who made a dramatic entrance on to the Nad Al Sheba track on

Tuesday morning, performing a series of almost Lipizzaner-like leaps before

spurting into his 1 1/2-mile gallop, approximately 2,400 meters. But assistant

trainer Leandro Mora and exercise rider Tony Romero gave the five-year-old good

grades for the day.

"He was way better this morning than he has been," Mora said, "and he looks

great."

"What can you do?" Romero said with a smile when asked about how he deals

with the fractious horse. "Only a couple of more days to go."

Mora said he believes Informed has a big chance to win the Godolphin Mile. In

fact, he said he would have liked to have seen Informed in the Dubai World Cup

as he has markedly improved since being claimed by trainer Doug O'Neill last

summer.

"I love him; I really thought he could have fit with the Dubai World Cup

field because he's competed with some of the best at Santa Anita," Mora said.

Second by only a nose to Cowboy Cal in the San Pasqual H. (G2) on January 10

at Santa Anita, Informed also has raced against Dubai World Cup contenders

Albertus Maximus and Well Armed.

Informed clearly is at his best at a distance approximate to that in the

Godolphin Mile -- all four of his career victories have been recorded at 1 1/16

miles -- approximately 1,700 meters.