The Long Road to Dubai to the Dubai World Cup

The long road to the Dubai World Cup

by Liesl King


Pic LieslKing


On March 30th, a strong contingent of South African contenders will line up in the various races on Dubai World Cup night. Unlike 2012 when Mike de Kock had only a handful of horses to compete with, South Africa’s champion trainer will be going into the 2013 Dubai World Cup with all guns blazing.
Few however realise quite what a journey these equine stars have undertaken to get there. Keeping a racehorse fit and his mind on the job is hard enough. Keeping a racehorse fit and concentrating when he has to undergo 60 days of quarantine is difficult at best. But keeping a racehorse fit and his mind on the job, when he has to spend nearly five months in quarantine in three different countries is considered quite impossible.
Yet that is precisely what De Kock’s string of 12 superstars had to endure to get to Dubai for that one night in March. After 20 days in quarantine at Kenilworth, they made the five-hour flight from Cape Town to Mauritius. There they spent 90 days at a secluded site at Poste Lafayette on the east coast of the Indian Ocean Island.
Island life seemed to agree with the string and with access to a sand track, De Kock managed to keep them ticking over. At the end of September, their island holiday sadly, came to an end and the string made the long flight to the UK where they spent a further month in quarantine at Newmarket.
Finally, around October 12th, De Kock’s string left the cold of England and departed for the hot weather of Dubai. It was a journey that De Kock would rather not have made, but his superstar mare Igugu (AUS) was shortly turning six and De Kock could wait no longer.
“For Igugu and the others to be able to compete internationally, we had no choice but to make early arrangements to get them out this way. It is ridiculous, more than six months of a horse’s racing career is lost.”
De Kock’s string luckily settled in well in their new desert home and as soon as the Dubai World Cup Carnival started, the horses came out firing. The first of the superstars to face the starter was the highly regarded Soft Falling Rain (SAF). Crowned Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt prior to his departure, Sheikh Hamdan’s unbeaten colt’s international debut in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial on the 17th of January was eagerly awaited.
For De Kock however it was not a done deal. “There are more questions than answers about Soft Falling Rain. Will he go on the Tapeta surface? Will he perform over the 1400m and will he be able to give weight and a beating to his rivals?”
Soft Falling Rain who had not seen a race track since April 2012 and was carrying a hefty 62kg, answered with the authority of a champion. Leading from start to finish under Paul Hanagan, the colt never saw another rival to win comfortably by two and a half lengths.
At the fourth meeting of the Carnival on January 31st, De Kock delivered a masterclass in travelling and training horses, when he saddled three of the six winners on the night. Having his first start in almost a year, The Apache(SAF), stormed to victory in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya over 1800m under Christophe Soumillon, relegating Godolphin’s globetrotting City Style to second.
Earlier on the night Paul Hanagan had steered the unlucky Mushreq (AUS) to land the opening 2000m turf Handicap to the delight of De Kock. “That horse really deserved it! I do not think I have ever had a more unlucky horse than Mushreq in all my years of campaigning here.”
Lee Westwood’s Rerouted was not to be outdone and promptly landed a 1400m contest on the all weather, providing Soumillon with a double.
One week later the De Kock juggernaut struck gain, with Star Empire(SAF) and Royal Ridge(SAF) winning, while Jardim(BRZ) and El Estruendoso (ARG) finished in the places. Emotif (ARG), another talented filly that De Kock rates highly, needed her comeback run and was beaten by just 2.75 lengths. De Kock was delighted commenting that the filly was blowing heavily after the run and confidently predicted that she will be hard to beat next time out.
Valentine’s day brought Mike De Kock the perfect birthday gift as Soft Falling Rain, stepped out in the Group 3 UAE Guineas at Meydan. Again, there were questions as the colt was racing over 1600m, a distance he had never tried before.
But under the steady hands of Paul Hanagan and the watchful eyes of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his brother His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Soft Falling Rain delivered De Kock’s fifth UAE 2000 Guineas victory with consummate ease.
De Kock was overjoyed, calling it the best birthday present, especially with stable companion Zahee(NZ) finishing in third. Anaerobio (ARG), Rerouted (USA) and Kavanagh(SAF) also finished in the placings on the night. Soft Falling Rain may be aimed at the UAE Derby on World Cup night, a race that De Kock and Saeed Bin Suroor have dominated between them since its inception.
Then finally it was the turn of the mighty Igugu (AUS), making her debut in the Group 2 Balanchine. The mare, who won the 2012 J & B Met at Kenilworth in her last start, has been nominated for the US$ 10m Group 1 Dubai World Cup on the all weather, as well as for the two Group 1 US$5m turf races, the Dubai Duty Free and the Dubai Sheema Classic.
Igugu jumped well and eagerly dictated a fast pace at the head of the field. Coming round the final bend though, her long 13-month layoff started to tell and she faded into third behind Sajjhaa. Igugu should come on in leaps and bounds from this run and De Kock confirmed that she is another one to watch at her next start. Await The Dawn(USA) however, showed that he had benefited nicely from his first run, winning the second unchallenged.
Not to be upstaged, the three M’s Mushreq, Master Of Hounds(USA) and Musir(AUS) dominated the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort, with only the flying Iguazu Falls(USA) denying De Kock a perfect trifecta, by relegating Musir(AUS) to fourth. Mushreq’s 3.25 length victory surprised even De Kock, who admitted that the bay gelding could now be a possible Dubai Duty Free entrant.
The countdown to the Dubai World Cup has begun and despite their arduous travel regime, the De Kock string is sure to be front and centre, representing the best of South African racing.

Liesl is going to be in Dubai and is going to send us morning reports on the big day of what looks good etc ( with pics )

Looking forward to it (tu)

Fantastic (tu)

Thanks Liesl you are a King

-DCan't wait

Good article, and now the promise of some very good photos! Thanks a mill, Liesl.