Commentary

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)

Owner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum

Breeder: Margaret Addis

Trainer: Doug Watson

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)

Owner: Malih Lahej Al Basti

Breeder: Az Ag Rz Emiliana Srl

Trainer: David Marnane

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)

Owner: Hippocrates Stable

Breeder: Bridsan Bloodstock

Trainer: Steven Burridge

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)

Owner: Laurence O'Kain and Paul Murphy

Breeder: Curragh Bloodstock Agency Ltd

Trainer: David Barron

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)

Owner: Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum

Breeder: Kia Ora Stud

Trainer: Mike de Kock

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)

Owner: Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed al Maktoum

Breeder: Alessandro Miserocchi

Trainer: Musabah al Muhairi

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)

Owner: Capt. Jamshed J. Appoo

Breeder: Poonawalla Estate Stud & Agri Farm

Trainer: Sadakshara Reuben Padmanabhan

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: Fawzi Abdulla Nass

Breeder: Lady Fairhaven

Trainer: Fawzi Abdulla Nass

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)

Owner: Ramzan Kadyrov

Breeder: Howard Walton

Trainer: Seth Benzel

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)

Owner: Zabeel Racing International

Breeder: Darley

Trainer: Satish Seemar

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.