It’s Carnival Time!

It’s Carnival Time! 30 March, 2012 – Lisa Barrett

The Dubai Racing Carnival is heading towards a thrilling climax this weekend when some of the best horses in the world line up for prize money totalling nearly $30 million. South African trainers, in particular, Mike DeKock, have found Meydan to be a happy hunting ground, and this year will should be no different. Racing fans are certainly spoilt for choices in the various races on the big night.

As expected, champion trainer Mike de Kock has a full house with a hand in every single race on World Cup night races on the night. His most formidable rival though, is the KZN-based trainer Herman Brown Jnr, who once again battles it out with De Kock in many of the major Group races on the famous night Between them they have a total of fifteen runners in the various races, and it should be a scintillating evening of racing one way whichever race you decide to bet on.

Brown was dealt a major blow to his World Cup hopes, when his Group One winning colt Gitano Hernando was ruled out of the $10 million race. His consolation will have to come in the other races, such as the $1 million Godolphin Mile, where Oasis Dream colt, Dux Scholar, is slated to line up. He is likely to face some form from mercurial but supremely talented de Kock entry, Viscount Nelson, and the highly rated son of Pivotal, African Story, who is in top form at present.

Thankfully Brown has several other entries in the evening’s major Group races. The first of these is in the $5 million Duty Free (Gr.1) where Green Destiny, the highly rated European and Group 3 winner faces Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Ambitious Dragon, and the all-powerful O Brien contingent of Await The Dawn and Dark Shadow.

The Duty Free is one of those races that could go anyway. Mike de Kock saddles the potent combination of Musir and Mutahadee here. It was originally decided to run Musir in the Goldphin Mile, but as Musir seems to prefer the turf, it was decided that the Duty Free it was. According to Mike, Mutahadee has been a revelation in Dubai, and has improved in leaps and bounds over the past few months.

Brown has switched his Mercury Sprint winner, August Rush to the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (Gr.1) where he will line up against the highly rated filly and winner of the Meydan Sprint, Invincible Ash and Mike de Kock’s War Artist, runner-up last year in this very race. War Artist has been prepped well for the race, and the straight course should suit his sprinting abilities well.

One best ding-dong battles between the two South African trainers, is likely to be the $1 million Dubai City of Gold (Gr3) over 3200m. Brown’s biggest chance must surely Mikhail Glinka (winner of the Dubai City of Gold Gr.2). The stable are confident the distance will suit the 5YO, and he should stay well under the expert tutelage of top jockey Glyn Schofield, who has come all the way from Sydney just to ride him. Mikhail Glinka will line up with stablemate Bronze Cannon, multiple Group Two winner. Meanwhile Mike De Kock saddles Zanzamar and Irish Flame in the race. Mike feels that the race should really suit Irish Flame, conceding “this is probably his trip” and the surface will be right up his alley. As for Zanzamar, De Kock confesses that it was a bit of a toss up between this race and the Sheema for him, though he should stay on well provided he doesn’t get boxed up. They will though be in for some fierce competition from the Godolphin stable and their powerful duo of Fox Hunt and Opinion Poll (ridden by turf legend Frankie Dettori). Sparks should fly!

Even though he is going up against the mighty Aussie entry, Helmet in the $2 million UAE Derby. Herman Brown’s entry, the Canadian 3YO colt, Maritimer is in with a shout. However, its De Kock’s entry Mickdaam that is creating quite a stir. The Derby is a fertile ground for De Kock, who has won it five times, one short of the record held by Saeed Bin Suroor (6). According to Mike, Mickdaam has improved beyond all recognition and the stable hope he’s on an upward curve. His win on Super Saturday in the Al Bastakiya on Super over the same course and distance, must surely count for something, though he will need to step up like never before against his competitors. Brown is in with a real shout in many of the races here, and should never be underestimated. Something that champion trainer Mike De Kock is all too mindful of.

The only race that both trainers are not represented in is the $2 million Golden Shaheen sprint, where some of the best sprinters in the world will line up. Singapore Horse of the year, Rocket Man will be aiming for a second victory here, but doubts over his racing performance linger, after sub-par performances in Hong Kong and Japan. Can Pat Shaw get him to fire on all cylinders? That’s the big question, and he will face some stiff opposition from The Factor, trained by legendary American Bob Baffert, who caused his own headlines earlier this week when suffering a mild heart attack. The Factor, who comes off a two race winning streak, with victories in the Malibu (Gr.1) and San Carlos Stakes (Gr.2) will be hard to oppose, as will Sepoy, the Group One winning Aussie superstar. The only thing that might count against Sepoy, is that he has not raced on the all-weather tapeta before. Meanwhile Hong Kong entry, and 2011 Singapore Cup hero, Ambitious Dragon might be in with a shout, should he recover from his nagging hoof injury. Of the other entries that line up, the American entry, Giant Ryan, is the most interesting. He comes fresh and ready to run, having won two Graded Stakes races to cap off a six race winning streak in the States, and should never be underestimated.

De Kock’s Bold Silvano, originally scheduled for the Dubai World Cup, has been switched to run in the $5 million Sheema (Gr.1)along with his stablemate Mahbooba. The De Kock stable realised that Bold Silvano’s two below par performances on the all-weather, particularly his one in the third leg of the Al Maktoum Challenge, where he got his tongue over the bit and developed a coughing bout after swallowing some of the all-weather, meant that he would be better suited to the grass. Mike believes that the surface and the distance will suit him, and it remains up to Bold Silvano himself to weather the powerful Aidan O Brien coupling of Nicholas Abbey (incidentally, ridden by Aidan’s son Joseph to victory in the Breeders Cup) and Irish Derby hero, Treasure Beach.

Of course all eyes will be on Master Of Hounds in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (Gr.1) over 200m on the tapeta. Thankfully he has drawn pole position (No.1) for the big race, and this should give him a good platform to launch De Kock’s bid for a first Dubai World Cup victory. The draw is great as far as the De Kock stable is concerned, as it gives Master of Hounds the chance to make amends for getting caught in the UAE Derby in 2011, when he was trained by Aiden O Brien. Over the years, its been a case of so near, yet so far for De Kock, when he saddled both Asiatic Boy and Lizard’s Desire, to second places in the event. What he lacks in experience, his victory on Super Saturday was only the second of his career, he makes up for in heart, and it’s hoped that he can find the space and go for glory. The race makes history this year, with the first female jockey, Chantal Sutherland, who rides Breeder’s Cup runner-up Game On Dude. Then there is the burning question, can the multi-surface Group winner, Royal Delta become the first female to win the World Cup?

Whatever the outcome, one thing’s for sure, KZN and the rest of South Africa will be glued to their television sets, as Herman Brown Jnr and Mike De Kock set out to make equine history!