Dubai: On Wednesday morning the Dubai World Cup organisers treated everyone to a lavish breakfast in the Sky Bubble at Meydan Racecourse. The exquisite food was a great starter before the main course, the starting gate draw.
While the draws for the first four races on Saturday had taken place in the office in the usual fashion, the remaining five, which are all Group 1 events are traditionally drawn at a public gathering. Hence, late breakfast indulged in we all headed downstairs to gaze in awe at the assembled display of World Cup night trophies.
WATCH: Saeed Al Tayer, The chairman of the board of directors of the Meydan City Corporation, speaks at the opening of the post position draw at the Dubai World Cup.
The World Cup itself towering over the beautiful glittering array of gold and silver set out around it. If the thought of winning one of these doesn’t speed blood around our veins and quicken the heartbeat then all would indeed be lost.
My attention is particularly drawn to the Dubai Turf trophy — formerly the Dubai Duty Free — for it was back in 2012 that my son James Doyle mounted the winner’s rostrum to receive this after winning his first ever Group One ride aboard the Juddmonte-Prince Khalid Abdullah-owned, Roger Charlton-trained Cityscape. I am flooded with glorious memories of the best day of my life. Alas no James Doyle here this year as he is in Australia helping the Godolphin team to more successes.
Four of the Group 1 races are drawn by a member of each runners team, be it owner, trainer or assistant pulling a lever connected to some device that automatically loads up numbers against the designated field in a random manner.
Where will each horse be at the Dubai World Cup? Watch live the post position draw for the 22nd running of the Dubai World Cup from the iconic Meydan Racecourse.
Generally the horses connections would prefer not to have an outside-high or inside-low number. One reason for this is that from more central gates the jockey can have options to help decide how to ride the race once the gates have opened and they are under way.
Being on the outside, especially in dirt races means having to decide whether to go forward and try to slot in, often being unable to do so or drop back and get to the inside and hope for some luck in running and a gap appearing at the right time.
An inside draw bring its own problems because a horse missing the break or jumping out slow will be shuffled back as the rest of the field pushes over nearer the rail resulting in Ethelred being covered in kickback-sand and getting stuck behind the “traffic”.
WATCH: The World Cup Draw is over. What does it mean and what can you expect from this Saturday's Dubai World Cup. Our Features Writer Leslie Wilson Jr. and ex-trainer Jacqueline Doyle analyse it for us.
In the Dubai World Cup the favourite Arrogate, a beautiful elegant long-striding grey trained in the US by the enigmatic Bob Baffert drew gate 9. Baffert jokingly held the ball the other way up saying “it’s a 6” amid hoots of laughter from us all! His other runner the much loved Hoppertunity drew 12, which may cause a problem for the reasons I mention earlier, though this tough as teak galloper has all the experience needed to overcome any such issues.
Gunrunner, imensley popular among all the “experts” in the mornings is ideally placed in 5, he has good speed away from the gates and likes to go forward in his races, a trait that will benefit him here on the dirt surface. American Todd Pletchers pair are in 10 and 11, Keen Ice and Neolithic in that order. The great man will not be best pleased but such is the luck required on this night.
The half brothers Lani is in 4 and Awardee in 7. Local trainer Frenchman Erwan Charpy has his very first World Cup runner, the gorgeous filly Furio Cruzada drawn 8 which he is comfortable with disappointment of the morning had to go to newly licensed trainer Maria Ritchie, who drew 13 with Special Fighter still one better than Mike De Kocks Mubtaahij in 14. But when all is said and done it’s a horse race and anything can happen.
— The author is a former trainer from the UK and the mother of leading international jockeys James and Sophie Doyle.
