Mystical hopes for a call-up at the World Cup night

Dubai: The connections of Indian champion Mystical, a two-race winner at the Carnival, feel that the horse deserves a run in the $5million Dubai Duty Free on Dubai World Cup night.

Philip Woods, who has overseen the horse's training in his dual role as work-rider/ assistant trainer, said yesterday: "He's one of the best horses that Indian racing has ever seen and he's proved that he can compete at the international level.

"It will be a great honour if he is given an invitation to run in the Dubai Duty Free, which we know is one of the most prestigious races at the Dubai World Cup meeting."

While acknowledging that the Dubai Duty Free will represent an altogether different test for the horse, Woods demonstrated supreme confidence in the horse's ability.

"It will be a big, big step up in class for him should he get into the Dubai Duty Free,"said Woods. "Even though he's going to run against horses that are higher rated, he's got plenty of ability and the fighting spirit.

"These are the attributes that have made him a special horse and when it comes to a race, he gives one hundred percent. He's absolutely genuine." Woods also revealed that he had been under tremendous pressure to keep Mystical fit and happy, even as the horse's trainer Subbaiah Ganapathy was recovering from heart surgery.

"There was no contact with Mr Ganapathy the last couple of weeks," said the handler. "I felt a lot of pressure, because anything can go wrong. When you have a good horse to care for there is a lot more pressure and demands. But he's such a lovely horse and that was a great help.

"For the moment we're keeping our fingers crossed hoping that he receives an invitation to the Dubai Duty Free."