World Cup Night - de Kock entries

hibernia Wrote:

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> Kavanagh big runner on the night


go sleep!
this horse runs a good one or two to boost confidence to FIRE!
and when u back it, all of a sudden slips into reverse.
will add into exotics or so but not a cent bet on it .

A 13th possible runner is Star Empire, who has received an invite to Gold Cup on DWC night.

Pirates I fell into that trap,could not believe the price and as you said,did my Tom in cold blood.

Monterosso faces 12 rivals, nine of which are Group 1 winners, when he attempts to become the first horse in history to defend his crown in the US$10m Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline, at Meydan on March 30.

The star-studded line-up includes dual Breeders’ Cup winner Royal Delta, 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom and Pacific Classic victor, Dullahan from America, Hong Kong Vase winner, Red Cadeaux, from England and a strong UAE team headed by recent Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 winner Hunter’s Light.

African Story, the 2012 Godolphin Mile and 2013 Super Saturday Burj Nahar winner will also be having a tilt at the 18th running of the Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.

The fields for the other nine races on the US$27,25m card have also come into focus. There are 41 individual Group 1 winners included among the likely fields.

Gentildonna, the champion three-year-old filly and Japanese Horse of the Year in 2012 will take on Dunaden, winner of the 2011 Melbourne Cup and Hong Kong Vase and 2012 Caulfield Cup winner in the Dubai Sheema Classic presented by Longines. Group 1 stars, St Nicholas Abbey, Shareta, Trailblazer and Girolamo are also among the field.

In the Dubai Duty Free, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, the US Breeders’ Cup Turf star, Little Mike, will switch back to the grass after a Tapeta trial on Super Saturday. New Zealand’s champion, the 2012 W.S. Cox Plate winner, Ocean Park will also start as well as Group 1 winners, Giofra, Igugu, Sajjhaa and Wigmore Hall. Dubai World Cup Carnival star, Trade Storm, who won the Group 2 Zabeel Mile will also run, alongside Beverly D Stakes winner and stablemate, I’m A Dreamer.

The Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News has attracted defending champion, Krypton Factor as well as Australian sprint star, Mental, winner of his Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint prep race at Meydan on February 14. Representing the third leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, the Dubai Golden Shaheen will also be contested by Gordon Lord Byron, Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Trinniberg and Emcee as well as Dubai World Cup Carnival victor, Kavanagh.

“There wouldn’t be many race meetings this year that contain 41 individual Group 1 winners on the same programme which merely emphasises the quality of horse that the Dubai World Cup meeting attracts from around the world,” said Martin Talty, International Manager, Dubai Racing Club. “There are 13 countries represented with runners including champions from the USA, Japan and New Zealand.”

“It is also pleasing to see that a number of horses that have performed well throughout the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Trade Storm, Kavanagh and Reynaldothewizard have all progressed from a strong season to a run on Dubai World Cup day.”

The Dubai Kahayla Classic, the Group 1 race for Purebred Arabians run over the same 2000m distance as the Dubai World Cup has attracted a stellar line-up of 12 Group 1 winners, including defending champion, TM Fred Texas, Areem, Nieshan, Sahib du Clos and international raider, Al Mamun Monlau.

The likely fields for all the nine races on Dubai World Cup day can be found here:

www.dubairacingclub.com

Dear Media,

Please note a change to the likely fields. ROYAL DIAMOND (IRE) moves from the Dubai Gold Cup to the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Please click here to download latest likely fields.

Best Regards,

DRC Media Team

Taken off de Kock's website this morning. There's also a nice photo that has not copied across:


Early DWC comments
March 24, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

RACING journeyman Peter Ward popped in at Mike de Kock’s Dubai stables and sourced some early comments about the stable’s formidable group of runners on the night.

Dubai World Cup

Treasure Beach: “We were very happy with him on Super Saturday and he ran a very good trial on his first all-weather start, staying on well having been last turning in.

“He has definitely improved a lot, both mentally and physically since then and is continuing to do so. Perhaps ideally I would have preferred another couple of weeks but he is in good shape and we expect him to go well.”

Dubai Sheema Classic

Await The Dawn: “He is a horse who has pleased us pretty much all along as he has overcome his earlier problems and has been in good shape. He needed his first run badly and showed a great turn of foot to win his second outing before being undone by the total lack of pace on Super Saturday.

“He is a smart horse and, with a bit of pace in the race and some luck he should be a player.”

Dubai Duty Free

The Apache: “He has done nothing wrong in his two starts, winning the first one and then just touched off on Super Saturday. This looks a hot race but I think he has improved again over the last three weeks and he will run a solid race.”

Mushreq: “He was so busy in the early part of the year that we have freshened him up since his win in the Al Fahidi Fort five weeks ago. Nothing went right in either of his first two starts and it was a case of third time lucky with him.

“That was only a handicap though and we tried him back on Tapeta then in Al Maktoum Challenge II before switching back to grass for that Al Fahidi Fort. He is in really good form and hopefully is still improving.”

Igugu: “She has improved with each of her two starts and hopefully we have sorted out the hormone issues which were making it difficult to train her as we would have liked. She is certainly a lot fitter this time but this is obviously the strongest race she will have contested in Dubai.

“Hopefully she can bounce back to something like her best.”

Al Quoz Sprint

Shea Shea: “We knew he had improved a lot from his first run and expected a big effort on Super Saturday and he certainly did not let us down. You could not fail to be impressed with that and Christophe (Soumillon) certainly was.

“He must have a serious chance but this is a stronger race and I see the American horse Varsity has a blisteringly fast winning time to his credit. He would be a big danger if showing that kind of speed but Shea Shea is at least as well as he was three weeks ago, hopefully a bit better.”

Golden Shaheen

Kavanagh: “He won very well last time but that was only a handicap and this is a lot tougher. He has ground to make up on several of these but he tends to run his bets races after a break so the fact he has been off four weeks should be in his favour.

“He is in good shape and will not be disgraced.”

Godolphin Mile

Soft Falling Rain: “This is certainly his toughest task ever and a very big test indeed against his elders but he certainly deserves his chance in this company and we are really looking forward to it because we are going to find out just how good he is.

“He has so much speed the 1600m is as far as he wants to go but he goes well on the surface and we have freshened him up. However, he fares, he will be off to England where the tracks should really suit him.”

Master Of Hounds: “He is basically a happy horse who goes well on either surface and people tend to forget he is a Group 1 winner. He has run well both his outings this season and there is no reason he should not do so again.”

Rerouted: “He has had a good season with two wins already and the form of his two defeats is pretty strong so deserves his chance in this company.”

UAE Derby

Zahee: “He has improved with each of his outings but possibly just lacks that touch of class to win this but he will certainly run an honest, solid race.”

Emotif: “She is as fit as we have had her this season and her condition continues to improve. She needs to raise her game markedly to be competitive but she is fit and well.”

Gold Cup

Star Empire: “He is another probably just short of the mark classwise but he is as honest as the day is long and will give his best as always.”

I'm certain most clansmen here punted Igugu from the sentiment of the heart.
Surely what we witnessed in Sajjhaa's two scintillating victorys,shes hard to oppose again?
I caught MdK's interview with ABonn on Winners Circle, where the trainer said Musheq is a big runner in that race.
Perhaps we can strike it lucky with Igugu,when she races in the UK.

I backed Igugu only because she is Igugu. I backed her for both her runs in Dubai and I even backed her for the World Cup

Happy with the 15/10 Shea Shea.........

Track Record Holder Shea Shea Sure To Feature In Al Quoz Sprint

Takes On O’Brien’s Starspangledbanner And US Speedball, Varsity

The maximum field of 16 have been declared for the Group 1 US$1m Al Quoz Sprint, sponsored by Emirates NBD.

The 1000m turf dash and the Mike De Kock-trained Shea Shea looks certain to be a popular Pick Six selection after his track record breaking winning effort on Super Saturday.

He and Christophe Soumillon blitzed their rivals three weeks ago with an awesome display of sprinting and De Kock reports his charge in good heart and said: “We knew he had improved a lot from his first run and expected a big effort on Super Saturday and he certainly did not let us down. You could not fail to be impressed with that and Christophe certainly was.

“He must have a serious chance but this is a stronger race and I see the American horse Varsity has a blisteringly fast winning time to his credit. He would be a big danger if showing that kind of speed but Shea Shea is at least as well as he was three weeks ago, hopefully a bit better.”

Starspangledbanner, a Group 1 winner in both Australia and Europe, represents Ireland’s Champion Trainer Aidan O’Brien. Having not raced in 2011, he failed to win in five starts last year but pleased his trainer at the Breeders’ Cup.

“He showed a glimpse of his old speed in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, said O’Brien. “He is now dropping down in trip which will hopefully suit him. Nice ground is important to him and he seems in good form.”

Also from Ireland is trainer Mick Halford who has both Russian Soul and Invincible Ash declared and said: "Russian Soul has improved with each run over the course. He has more to find but is progressive. Invincible Ash seems to be coming to herself. It's her time of year and she has started to spark since her last run. She's been working a lot better recently and we're hopeful of a big run."

Fellow Irish raider Sole Power, runner-up in this race last year, also chased home Shea Shea three weeks ago but has been pleasing connections in his work. Trained by Edward Lynam, he will be ridden by Johnny Murtagh and Lynam said: “He's very well and they say that 15 of 16 is a good draw. We have two and a half lengths to make up on Shea Shea from last time but we're hoping he might do it and run as well as he did when second in the race last year."

The UK is also well represented with Robert Cowell who saddles both Spirit Quartz and Monsieur Joe and the Jeremy Gask-trained Medicean Man.

Joy and Fun won this for Hong Kong in 2010 but the now ten-year-old, who was also third last year, may well find a few of his younger rivals too strong on this occasion. Compatriot Eagle Regiment looks to hold stronger claims but has suffered a late injury scare and appears to have the worst of the draw in one.

Some more comments about his runners, off de Kock's website yesterday:

"2013 Dubai World Cup!
March 29, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

TREASURE BEACH (photo) is Mike de Kock’s representative in Saturday’s $US10 million Gr1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan, on a day when more than 100 horses from 13 countries will battle it out for the richest horseracing prizes on the planet.

Two South African champions of last season are set for the biggest paydays of their careers, reports ROBERT GARNER.

This is the Olympics of horseracing and there are more than 40 Grade 1 winners among the runners carded, including champions from Australasia, Japan and the USA.

Winning won’t come easy and the pace, luck and catching the right wave in the charge to the line will be more critical than normal.

All that said, it could easily be another huge night for South African horseracing.

Mike has 13 runners carded and will have at least one runner in each of the eight races for thoroughbreds.

Heknows better than anybody what it takes to win here. He first went to the UAE back in 2003, when he rode into town at the head of a five-horse army.

Few knew about him when he arrived, but he was the talk of the town by the time the curtain came down on Dubai World Cup that year. His charges Victory Moon and Ipi Tombe won the UAE Derby and Dubai Duty Free respectively, putting South African horseracing and Mike De Kock on the international map in the space of a few hours.

So who does the leading international trainer at Dubai World Cup think are his three best shots at a big win this time round?

“Shea Shea, Soft Falling Rain and Zahee,” was his prompt response this week.

“Shea Shea must have a strong chance in the Al Quoz after his win on Super Saturday and I’m not losing any sleep about Soft Falling Rain’s wide draw in the Godolphin Mile. It could work in his favour. Sixteen horses over 1600m on the all-weather track are too many, nearly reckless, and being out wide may keep him out of trouble,” he said.

“Zahee may just lack that touch of class, but he’s improving and will run a solid race,” he added.

His other big runners on the night comprise Treasure Beach in the topliner, Await The Dawn in the $5-million Sheema Classic and Igugu, The Apache and Mushreq in the $5-million Dubai Duty Free.

All come into the reckoning. “Treasure Beach ran a good trial on his first start for me and his first on the all-weather track. His best efforts have been over further, but he’s got speed and should be all over them at the finish. I would have liked a bit more time with him.

“Await The Dawn has overcome his problems and is a top horse. Give him a pace and some luck and he’ll be a player.

“Hopefully we have sorted out Igugu’s hormone issues and she has improved since her last run. Wherever she runs, she’ll be better in England later this year when I can get more work into her. The Apache should run a sound race and Mushreq is in really good form, but it’s a hot race,” De Kock said.

TAB will host the global tote pools on the Dubai World Cup and that will ensure big pools, which coupled with the inevitable upsets, should provide opportunities for some tidy wins.

The meeting will be televised live on Tellytrack.

Heard MDK been a bit off this last couple of weeks in Dubai

Good thing he's not running then.