Straight From The Horse’s Mouth: The Dubai World Cup

How much do the connections of your Dubai World Cup fancy rate their mount? In our feature ‘Straight From The Horse’s Mouth’ we aim to collate, in one article, the best of the quotes from each of the leading entrants’ trainers ahead of Saturday’s spectacular.

California Chrome

Both the favourite’s trainer and assistant trainer Art and Alan Sherman have being doing the rounds prior to his Meydan outing. After their fancy clocked half-a-mile in 50 seconds on the course’s dirt track, Sherman Jr. told American website Reuters,

‘I was really happy with the way he shipped, with the way he trained here. I could not ask for him to do any better.’

His father went on to tell the media that the 2014 American Horse of the Year ‘seems to be handling the surface well and this is his opportunity to run his race and put on a big show.’ [Quote retrieved from Sky Sports News]

Speaking of the Kentucky Derby winner’s outside draw in stall nine, Art told the Racing Post,

‘I love it. Nine is a perfect position for our horse. I’ve got all the speed horses to the inside of me and he loves to run from the outside.

‘The surface is not a concern – good horses can run on anything even tarmac. Victor [Espinoza] knows him really well.’

Lea

Lea is the entrant of Bill Mott, the American trainer who saddled the first winner of the $10 million horse race. That charge was future Hall of Fame inductee Cigar in 1996. The 61-year-old trainer has been much less media minded ahead of Lea’s Meydan ride, leaving the press duty to his son, Riley. He told Kentucky.com,

‘He went through his normal routine but he also stood in the gate, and that went very well. He’s had three gallops here and is moving very well over the track but you can’t fully get a gauge on how much he likes it until you run over it.’

The Racing Post documented Mott Jr. as saying, ‘He ran a bang-up race in the Donn [when finishing second to Constitution] and came out of it in great shape. We feel like we have a great chance.’

[promo id=”2066″]

Epiphaneia

Katsuhiko Sumii’s Epiphaneia is one of two Japanese entrants in the race, the five-year-old dirt track debutant looking to seal a World Cup victory following his success in last year’s Japan Cup. Sumii’s assistant trainer Norihiko Kishimoto told Sport360,

‘He has been training very well and will do a last serious gallop of the dirt track on Wednesday morning. It is great to be here representing Japan.’

Epiphaneia will be looking to follow in the hoofprints of the pair’s 2011 winner Victoire Pisa.

African Story and Prince Bishop

Saeed bin Suroor saddles both reigning World Cup champion African Story and Prince Bishop who is a course and distance victor himself after taking home the Group One Al Maktoum Challenge last year. The 48-year-old six-time World Cup winning trainer told the Khaleej Times,

‘Both African Story and Prince Bishop worked on Saturday and are happy and in good condition.

‘It will be very tough racing against California Chrome from America though our horses have been doing very well. They have been getting used to the dirt this year but they don’t like the kickback and need to be prominent in the race.’

These five line up against Japan’s second entrant Hokko Tarumae, Long River and Candy Boy from North and South America respectively, and Andrew Balding’s Side Glance.