Ushba Tesoro enjoys the final workout of his illustrious career. Photo: Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King

Dubai World Cup Trackwork Notes (Friday April 4)

Final preparations for leading contenders ahead of Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan

$12,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup (Sponsored by Emirates Airline)

Ushba Tesoro, who aims to become the first horse to ever reclaim his Dubai World Cup crown, enjoyed the final workout of his career in front of a packed track on Friday morning.

The 2023 Dubai World Cup winner will retire to stud after Saturday's race and his easy lap was closely watched by those trackside.

"He just likes it here," said trainer Noboru Takagi. "It is a fitting place for him to have his final start. He has been an amazing horse."

The final touches to Bhupat Seemar's Dubai World Cup duo have passed without a hitch as the trainer prepares to defend his title in Saturday's feature race. 

Seemar saddled Laurel River to a dominant success in last year's event and will be represented by Imperial Emperor and Walk Of Stars this time around.

"It’s unfortunate Laurel River isn’t here to defend his title," Seemar said. "We’ve got two very nice subs. They both like the track, they’re proven here, and I’m very happy with my team.

"Imperial Emperor is improving. He likes this track and I like his draw. He’s won from draw 13, so we should be alright in 10. He’s honest as they come and he’s very uncomplicated. He’s a jockey’s dream.

"Walk Of Stars likes his own surroundings. He’s a very, very quirky horse. It took him three years to start winning races again. He could probably finish second to Tuz in a six-furlong (1200m) race if he wanted - he’s got so much talent, but he’s very quirky.

"He didn’t take Saudi very well. He lost quite a lot of weight and he was very nervous. He’s got a lot of stamina." 

$6,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic (Sponsored by Longines)

Adrie de Vries is looking forward to Calif's first attempt at a mile and a half as the six-year-old bids for a second Group 1 win in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Formerly trained by Peter Schiergen and Carlos and Yann Lerner, Calif made his top-level breakthrough in the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis last July.

He ran admirably over the same 2000m trip in France, Bahrain and Hong Kong afterwards and resumed this season with a highly respectable runner-up effort to Shin Emperor in the G2 Neom Turf Cup (2100m) at Riyadh in February.

Connections believe now is the time for their six-year-old to stretch out to 2400m, and report he has settled in well on his latest trip to Meydan. His sole visit to the track last year resulted in a seventh-placed effort to Facteur Cheval in the Dubai Turf. 

"Calif is in great form," de Vries said. "He ran a cracking race in Saudi. He travelled really good over here and we're really happy with him.

"It's going to be his toughest test ever, going a mile and a half for the first time, but we're confident he's going to stay the trip. 

"We think he's a much more relaxed horse now and we're really hopeful he's going to run a big race. He's training well, he looks a picture."

$5,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Turf (Sponsored by DP World)

It has been quite a week for the William Haggas stable, which won the first big race of the British turf season with Godwinson in a tight finish of the Lincoln at Doncaster and then captured a Group 1 on the other side of the world in the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill with old favourite Dubai Honour.

Along with more in action in Australia, the team's pair of runners in Dubai this weekend are headed by triple Group winner Term Of Endearment, who joined the stable after a big transfer at Tattersalls in December and is now owned by Zhang Yuesheng.

She has been joined on the trip by Maljoom, who enters a very strong Dubai Turf but is a former German Guineas winner who has Group 1 placings to his name.

"We’ve been mainly going up to the training track early in the morning and we’re happy with the horses," Maureen Haggas, wife and assistant trainer, said.

"Both travelled and settled in well. Obviously the weather has been very hot and we’ve got the filly running in the two-mile [3200m] race earlier in the day, which is going to be quite tough but it’s the same for all of them. But we’re happy with the two of them and fingers crossed."

Meisho Tabaru is an anomaly among the Japanese brigade in the Dubai Turf, having only pointed to the race after it became clear that he wouldn't get a start in the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) at home on Sunday.

A brilliant Group 3 winner in March last year over 1800m, Meisho Tabaru's relentless front-running style means that he often wins or finishes a long last.

"Yesterday, we gave him a good hit out over five furlongs and he was allowed to run right through the line," said assistant trainer Mitsuo Kamigoshi. "He relaxed nicely during the gallop and his response in the straight seemed strong."

$2,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (Sponsored by Nakheel)

Tuz has swept all before him of late and his trainer Seemar is optimistic his star sprinter can top off a busy season in Saturday's Dubai Golden Shaheen. 

The eight-year-old has racked up a sequence this season and is reported to have taken his G3 Mahab Al Shimaal (1200m) exertions in his stride, with Seemar looking forward to a rematch with Japan's American Stage.

"Tuz is great," he said. "He’s had a great season, but this is his biggest challenge. He’s had a long season but he still seems like he’s in rude health.

"I call him an improving eight-year-old. He’s got the stamina for a mile and a quarter race."

$1,500,000 Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint (Sponsored by Azizi Developments)

Ed Bethell’s only major concern over his stable star Regional is the lack of a recent outing. A Group 1 winner in the Haydock Sprint Cup of 2023, the gelding has not appeared since mid-July last year.

The Yorkshire-based trainer watched Regional cantering at the training track on Friday before offering his view.

"He cantered well today and he’s bright and happy so hopefully he’ll go well, long time off the track though, so we’ll see," Bethell said. "He’s been working nicely at home and it’s just nice to be part of it.

"It’s wide open, I think any one of them could win, in fairness. Across the board ratings-wise, they’re all pretty similar bar Audience, but obviously he’s got his rating from a different distance."

In 2021, Bethell’s team purchased Regional from the sales for less than $5,000 and he has taken the upwardly mobile young trainer on the trip of a lifetime around the world.

"We’re a Group 1 winner, we were arguably unlucky in the King’s Stand [second at Royal Ascot]. If things had worked out a bit differently could we have run Asfoora a bit closer? Possibly, but we weren’t far," Bethell said.

"It’s worth a lot of money, he seemed to be thriving in the sunshine so all things are positive. He’s not a horse that has ever really come to hand for me in the spring, and he’s just come organically this year. 

"It might be a case that he needs the run but he’s got a good record fresh. He’s been for a racecourse gallop, and doesn’t owe us anything. I imagine he’ll head to Ascot after this anyway, win lose or draw and we’ll go from there."

George Scott’s youngster West Acre has proved one of the highlights of the UAE season, graduating from his first start at Newcastle in the United Kingdom last September to being a major contender this weekend following wins in the G2 Blue Point Sprint and G2 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint.

"It’s been a special journey up until this point," Scott said. "I always thought a huge amount of him,  he trained like a very good horse and it’s well documented he had a bit of a setback so we were slightly cautious as to where he’d end up.

"The idea was that he’d miss most of his two-year-old season and therefore have a campaign here, so it wasn’t an afterthought and he’s just thrived out here. 

"In the Blue Point he was exceptional, you just don’t often see a performance like that out of the blue, he broke the track record, then a different type of performance in the Nad Al Sheba, where he showed a gritty attitude. Hopefully we’re able to race on a nice fast racing surface and that should see the best of him."

The main concern is stepping up from 1000m to 1200m, a trip over which West Acre met with his only two career defeats.

"Both times he ran over six furlongs [1200m] he had legitimate excuses and Callum Shepherd [jockey] has been very pleased with him," Scott said.

"His breeding, his stride pattern and cadence wouldn’t suggest he’s an out-and-out five-furlong horse either. Although I think it’s not going to be a problem for him, I’d like to see him do it, and it would open up some more doors as well."

Looking ahead at the race itself, Scott continued: "It’s almost like a cup final, a one-off match, they’re coming in from all different parts of the world. 

"I’m not going to sit here for one second and say he’s going to be able to improve from what he’s done in his last two starts but if he matches that, he should be in the mix. 

"What he’s got in his favour is this is his home turf. He has it all to prove at this level, he hasn’t proved himself to be a Group 1 performer and a lot of these horses have. It’s going to be a fascinating race."

$1,000,000 Group 2 UAE Derby (Sponsored by Jumeirah)

Seemar has gone so close to winning the UAE Derby in his short training career, finishing second in 2022 with Summer Is Tomorrow and twice fourth with Bendoog and Mendelssohn Bay.

This year, he saddles up Listed Al Bastakiya (1900m) winner Galactic Star.

"Galactic Star is a very, very talented horse," he said. "He’s not very experienced but he’s got speed." 

$1,000,000 Group 2 Godolphin Mile (Sponsored by EMAAR)

In a Dubai World Cup Carnival full of memorable highlights, few can match the French-trained King Gold defeating World Cup winner Laurel River for drama and shock value. 

For a horse who won his Group 1, the Prix Maurice de Gheest, on turf and over 1300m, to triumph over 1600m on the dirt against the horse crowned best in the world just three days before the G3 Firebreak Stakes is still a memory which brings a smile to the face of trainer Nicolas Caullery.

And the fact that both King Gold and G3 Burj Nahaar (1600m) winner Fort Payne have played their way onto the World Cup night card is a source of immense pride. 

“The day King Gold beat Laurel River was so special,” said Caullery. "It was my horse’s comeback run and he’s the stable star, so even having him back for another year at the age of eight was already a victory. 

“I really believed in his abilities on dirt and we went into the race with no expectations that we could beat Laurel River. 

"It was very emotional and the way he ran them down in the closing stages was a really very intense few moments to live through, for myself and for the owner.”

Fort Payne's first Dubai campaign in 2024 taught Caullery and his wife Marine Henry plenty and they have changed their approach this term with Alain Jathiere's entire son of Rio De La Plata.

"In France Fort Payne is a real Polytrack specialist and last year we prepped him on that and then came here via a Listed race in Abu Dhabi," said Caullery.

"This year we’ve changed things around and he started out on turf before working on dirt, and his last gallop went really well."

Caullery adds: “In one way it’s a shame to have two in the same race but it’s absolutely the right spot and although King Gold could have run in the Dubai World Cup, that stretches his stamina a little. 

"They are both in very good shape so we’ll look forward to it and may the best horse win.” 

Last year's G1 February Stakes (1600m) hero Peptide Nile contests the Godolphin Mile, becoming just the second winner of that race to run in the night's 1600m feature.

Peptide Nile finished fourth to Costa Nova in that race this year and jockey Yusuke Fujioka, who has ridden him at every start over the past 15 months, is confident that he will run well.

"He looks in good shape," Fujioka said. "The Godolphin Mile will be the first race for Japanese horses on the day and so we would like to get into a good rhythm for Team Japan. We are expecting a good result from him."

Seemar has reported his American import Mufasa in fine form as he prepares to make his Dubai debut in the Godolphin Mile. 

The five-year-old began his career in Chile and won two Group 3 races for Ignacio Correas before arriving in Dubai.

"Mufasa beat White Abarrio last time, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic," Seemar said.

"He broke the track record in his last run. We haven’t had him long but he’s a gorgeous looking, beautiful moving horse."

Of his other runner Mendelssohn Bay, he added: "He's had a bit of an interrupted season but his last race was very good and I think he’s improved again. 

"The form is behind him and I think he’s going the right way."

$1,000,000 Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup (Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors)

The Dubai World Cup meeting’s most successful trainer has two chances on Saturday's card and they both come in the Dubai Gold Cup. 

Saeed Bin Suroor no longer has the firepower that saw him win nine editions of the card's feature event, but one of the world's most successful trainers is nevertheless looking ahead to an important evening for his employer Godolphin.

Bin Suroor is hopeful his surprise G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy (2810m) winner Dubai Future can reward patience that has seen him spend several stints away from the track and give him a second Dubai Gold Cup after Cavalryman's success in 2013.

He may be a nine-year-old but the son of Dubawi showed his quality with a dominant success over King Of Conquest last time and his trainer believes a first try at two miles could unlock further improvement. 

“Dubai Future won his last race a month ago and he worked well on Tuesday, when he did his final piece of work before the race," he said. "He seems in good form. He’s difficult to keep sound and most of the time we can’t race him. It’s nothing major, just tiny things, but it stops him running.

"Before his last start he was off for nearly two years. When you look after the nice horses and keep them in good condition, they always come back and do well. 

“He’s improving in the mornings. The way he won the Nad Al Sheba Trophy was easy and we thought we would give him a chance over two miles in the Dubai Gold Cup. It will open up options for us in Britain, staying races like the Gold Cup. I hope he can stay sound.

“He’s going well and you have to remember African Story was a seven-year-old when he won the Dubai World Cup and Prince Bishop was an eight-year-old.”

While Dubai Future will be reunited with his Nad Al Sheba Trophy rider Silvestre de Sousa, who boasts an unblemished record on the gelding, Oisin Murphy will partner Passion And Glory. 

Bin Suroor’s other runner has yet to win at Meydan but came closest last time when chasing home Silver Knott in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold (2410m). Like Dubai Future, he is unexposed over staying distances.

“Passion And Glory likes a right-handed track like at Ascot and Bahrain, but last time he finished strong and good to finish second and it made us think this race would really suit him,” he said

Assessing the race, which contains Group 1 winners Continuous and Double Major, he added: “The staying race is always an open race. Dubai Future is the second or third favourite. There are nice horses in the race, but it’s open.

“I don’t feel pressure because we’re running nice older horses, who aren’t the best, not like we used to have. Everyone understands our horses aren’t superstars, but they are good enough to run well and win the staying races.”

Unlike Bin Suroor, whose pair will make it 313 starters at the meeting across the last three decades, trainer Tom Clover has his first runner on World Cup Night with Al Nayyir in the Gold Cup. 

"He's been training lovely," Clover said. "It's great to be here, we're just hoping for a smooth run into Saturday. We're really pleased with him so things are looking positive ahead of the race."

Seemar hopes that Trafalgar Square can bounce back from his first run in the Middle East, when he finished more than 100 lengths behind Byzantine Dream in the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap (3000m) in Riyadh.

"Everything went wrong for Trafalgar Square in Saudi," he said. "The ground was too quick and he’s a typical French horse as he wants to be covered and cut in the ground. Conditions will be quick on Saturday but Meydan is a very fair track."

$1,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic (Sponsored by Zabeel Feed)

Vica Grine has drawn plenty of attention during morning trackwork, thanks in part to the matching pink outfits sported by his human entourage. 

The seven-year-old arrives at Meydan fresh from a very solid fourth-placed effort behind the reopposing Tikal Al Khalediah in the G1 Obaiyah Arabian Classic (2000m).   

“The voyage and his preparation have gone really well,” trainer Elisabeth Bernard said. “In terms of my confidence, I think the task is a little harder than the other day in Saudi Arabia, because there is tougher opposition here and we are facing horses with proven form in the UAE, including some of those we beat in Riyadh. 

“But the horse is in perfect shape, he’s very alert and he looks great.”

A shirt celebrates four of the best Japanese moments at the Dubai World Cup meeting in recent years (picture Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)

Mufasa completes an easy lap ahead of Saturday's Godolphin Mile (picture Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)

Saffie and Jamie Osborne will combine with Heart Of Honor in the UAE Derby (picture Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)

Regional has proven a shrewd purchase for trainer Ed Bethell (picture Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)

Vica Grine's trainer Elisabeth Bernard and her work rider have caught the eye in their pink attire (picture Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)