Lea blows out for World Cup; Mshawish's foot bruise 'much improved'

Lea blows out for World Cup; Mshawish's foot bruise 'much

improved'

"He schooled great," said assistant trainer Alan Sherman. "Didn't turn a

hair. Now it's time for him to strut his stuff and get it done."

Candy Boy (Candy Ride), last seen finishing sixth of 14 in the Breeders' Cup

Classic (G1) last November, will also be making his first start for owner Ramzan

Kadyrov and trainer Doug Watson.

"We would have really liked to have had a prep race but it wasn't to be,"

Watson said. "All seems fine and we are just looking forward to the big race. It

is great to have a good runner in such a prestigious contest."

"We could be very happy with the result or left scratching our heads. Either

way, we will have a gauge on what we have and where we are at moving forward.

What that will be, I'm not sure. Either a turf race or a break."

The trainers of Japan's World Cup duo, Epiphaneia (Symboli Kris S) and Hokko

Tarumae (King Kamehameha), were pleased with their charges on the eve of raceday.

"He is in a really good form right now," Epiphaneia's trainer Katsuhiko Sumii

said. "Everything is going well as planned.

"This is the first experience on dirt for everybody and it is like a first

stage to show the ability of the Japanese horse on this surface. Also it will be

a good chance to give the Japanese horses more options to compete in the world.

"I plan to put the same type of horse shoes as he has in Japan, but I will

make a final decision by walking on the dirt tonight." 

Trainer Katsuichi Nishiura watched Hokko Tarumae put in a routine canter on

the dirt track at Meydan on Friday morning and was very satisfied with the

effort.

"Everything has gone well so far.  I can really see he has a great mood

and is very happy to run. The dirt has quite a different quality from what we

have in Japan, and I cannot tell how it will suit him at this stage.

"(We have) not found any clearly answer what type of horses will suit the

surface here.  We will see on raceday."

"He was able to lead all the way last year and it's no good to us if he is

taken on in front. But he is as good as we can have him and you have to take a

horse of his quality seriously, especially with a jockey like Ryan Moore on

board."

Trainer Michael Chang commented on Rich Tapestry's progress ahead of the

Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1).

"He didn't travel very well," Chang said. "He had a bit of a stomach problem,

but everything is back to normal now.

"He was also a bit dehydrated but he has recovered. He always goes well fresh

and this track is pretty similar to Santa Anita where he won a Grade 1 late last

year.

"I am never concerned about him on any dirt track and he enjoyed himself in

his canter this morning. He will jump and sit just behind the pace. I don't want

him to lead. There is a lot of pace in the race. My level of confidence right

now out of 10 would be a seven or eight."

Trainer Kojiro Hashiguchi offered a vote of confidence in Japanese Derby

(Jpn-G1) hero One and Only (Heart's Cry), an outsider in the Dubai Sheema

Classic (UAE-G1).

"He is really fit. I think he is more relaxed than I am. He has moved into a

top gear," said Hashiguchi, who saddled two winners on World Cup night in 2006

-- Utopia in the Godolphin Mile and Heart's Cry, One and Only's sire, in the

Sheema.

"What I experienced here in Dubai 10 years ago has brought me a lot of

strategies and knowledge for racing overseas.

"I would like to show all the people how good the Japanese Derby-winning

horse is and how prestigious the Japanese Derby is. I have to win the race to do

that, and I also look forward to Saturday. 

"His father Heart's Cry also won the same race back in 2006. Hopefully he is

able to grab the same title as his father. This time my son Shinsuke, who has

passed the exam of the JRA trainer's license and will start the stable

operations from next year, is joining the team to support us.

"The pair of Heart's Cry and One and Only were able to have an opportunity to

come here, so I also asked my son to come here with me to see the horse's big

feat."

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