Indian Blessing draws far outside in Shaheen; Gayego, 'Salsa loom in Godolphin M

Indian Blessing worked sharply on Monday (Dubai Racing Club)

Two-time champion filly INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) will break from the far

outside post 12 when squaring off

against 11 males in Saturday's $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1),

contested down the about six-furlong straightaway at Nad al Sheba.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Indian Blessing has found her niche sprinting on the

dirt. The dark bay blazed to daylight victories in the Prioress S. (G1), Test S.

(G1) and Gallant Bloom H. (G2), but did not look as potent in her next two

starts on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride. Runner-up to the sensational Ventura (Chester

House) in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Indian Blessing posted a 1

1/2-length score against her own age group in the La Brea S. (G1) last time out.

Baffert deliberately chose to freshen her up in advance of the Golden Shaheen,

her first assay versus males. With John Velazquez opting to stay in the United

States to ride Quality Road (Elusive Quality) in Saturday's Florida Derby (G1),

Edgar Prado takes over at the helm.

Her fellow American contenders are BLACK SEVENTEEN (Is It True) (post

6) and MACHISMO

(Trippi) (post 9). Black Seventeen garnered the Vosburgh S. (G1), dethroning the

defending champion Fabulous Strike (Smart Strike), but has not won in three

subsequent races. The Brian Koriner charge was seventh in the Breeders' Cup

Sprint (G1) and third in both the El Conejo H. (G3) and Mr. Prospector S. (G3).

Regular rider Clinton Potts will be in the saddle.

Gayego (left) goes in the Mile, while Big City Man (right) lines up in the Golden Shaheen (Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins)

Europe's preeminent dasher, five-time Group 1 hero MARCHAND D'OR (Marchand de

Sable), takes another stab at the Golden Shaheen from post 7. When making his dirt debut in

the 2007 edition, the Freddy Head trainee wound up eighth to Kelly's Landing.

Adding further international flavor are multiple Japanese stakes winner

BAMBOO ERE (Afleet) (post 11) and Hong Kong's own all-weather phenom, LUCKY QUALITY

(Elusive Quality) (post 4).

"He's probably the best dirt track sprinter here in Hong Kong but I

think the

consensus here would be that if he can run well in Dubai it will be a fair

achievement on a sand surface which is much deeper than what he is used to in

Hong Kong," Hong Kong Jockey Club racing writer and form expert Jeremy

Greene said of Lucky Quality.

Other entrants are the Doug Watson duo of HAMMADI (Red Ransom)

(post 10), coming off a

photo-finish win in the Jebel Ali Sprint, and Nad al Sheba allowance scorer

FORCE FREEZE (Forest Camp) (post 1); CHANGE ALLEY (Elusive Quality) (post 5), fifth to Gayego in

the Mahab al Shimaal; and French Group 2 veteran BALTHAZAAR'S GIFT (Xaar) (post

8),

exiting a turf handicap score.

The Godolphin juggernaut of GAYEGO (Gilded Time) and TWO STEP SALSA (Petionville)

would have been prime contenders in the Golden Shaheen, but they were pitched

into the $2 million Godolphin Mile instead. Both made a big impression in their

debuts under the royal blue silks.

Two Step Salsa was too hot for his foes last time out (Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins)

Gayego, last year's Arkansas Derby (G2) winner, oozed class when getting up

in time in the Mahab al Shimaal, and the added ground here should prove no

obstacle. Ted Durcan has the return call from post 13.

Only one American has signed on, INFORMED (Tiznow) in post 11, from the Doug O'Neill

barn. A near-miss second to Cowboy Cal (Giant's Causeway) in the San Pasqual H.

(G2) two back, he was most recently a dead-heat fourth in the San Antonio H.

(G2). Note that the San Antonio runner-up is World Cup hopeful Well Armed (Tiznow).

"I'm very, very optimistic that we have a good chance in the race,"

assistant trainer Leandro Mora said. "When we

beat Well Armed, we knew we could compete with a Grade 1 horse at any place in

the world."

The hardest part of the race will be getting Informed to the track. Somewhere along the path of his life, Informed

has developed habits that

include rearing,

lunging and jumping when he arrives on to the racetrack in the mornings -- and

sometimes even before he leaves his own barn. When handlers put a bridle and

saddle on

Informed, "he tries to run out of the stall," Mora said.

"He has some kind of a mental problem about it," Mora explained. "He is the

sweetest horse in the stall otherwise, just very nice."

The five-year-old has

been so

unruly when dispatched for his morning exercise that O'Neill and

his staff

have had to not only exhibit great patience but also come up with some creative

ways to

keep him under control.