Dubai: Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reports his stable star Invasor is in "fabulous form" for the $6 million Dubai World Cup on March 31.
Invasor, the Uruguayan Triple Crown winner that McLaughlin polished into the 2006 American Horse of the Year for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stable, is preparing in Florida for the world's richest race.
"He loves his work and he does it effortlessly," said McLaughlin, who plans to send the son of Candy Stripes out today for the first of his final two workouts prior to his departure for Dubai on March 20.
The last American workout is tentatively slated for March 16 or 17.
Invasor breezed easy half-miles on February 18 and 25 at Palm Meadows Training Centre, and McLaughlin added: "He's very fit and he puts a lot into his gallops, so we decided he didn't need to work every week."
Even though McLaughlin took Invasor to Dubai last year for the UAE Derby (Gr 2), which became the only race the colt lost in 2006 when finishing fourth behind Godolphin's Discreet Cat, the trainer cautioned that he will be bringing "a different horse" this year.
Big event
"He's filled out - he's put on quite a bit of weight - and he's matured mentally. He's in fabulous form," he said.
Invasor certainly proved he has great agility as well as poise when he recovered from being blocked on the stretch turn and clipping heels to win the Donn Handicap (Gr 1) with his ears pricked on February 3.
The drama was "so scary" to watch, McLaughlin turned to his daughter, Erin, and told her, "I don't think we can win.
"But then he came on and did it," he said.
"We feel so fortunate that he got there in one piece."
Not only was the Southern Hemisphere-bred four-year-old uninjured, he managed to avoid any nicks or bruises and has thrived in the time since the Donn, his only race of 2007.
While that kind of luck is a blessing, the Shadwell team is also trying to prepare in every possible way for the Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.
McLaughlin said that he, Shaikh Hamdan and Shadwell General Manager Rick Nichols decided to send jockey Fernando Jara to Dubai for today's card at Nad Al Sheba and have him ride in a race at the Dubai World Cup distance of 2,000 metres on dirt so that he will be fully prepared for the big event.
Equal weights
"We felt it would be a good experience for the kid to go over there and get a feel for the track," McLaughlin said, pointing out that the 19-year-old Jara has never previously been to Dubai.
So, both the jockey and the horse - not to mention former UAE champion trainer McLaughlin - will know their way around the track as they get ready for Invasor's rematch with Discreet Cat.
"Last time we met, we gave Discreet Cat nine pounds," McLaughlin noted, adding that the horses will run at equal weights in the Dubai World Cup.
Further, he knows that Invasor relishes the distance, which may be a question mark for Discreet Cat, who McLaughlin praised as an "outstanding horse" but who has never raced that far in his life.
"Going (2,000 metres) is going to be a great race," he predicted.
