If Sheikh Mohammed conceived Nad Al Sheba and it shining successor, Meydan, as a home for global racing then no-one has embraced the vision with more enthusiasm than Mike de Kock.
The South African has saddled 56 winners in the last four years at the Dubai International Racing Carnival and hit the ground or, at least, the Tapeta running with a double on the first night of this year’s season. The turf track was not ready for the grand opening but is now in use for the Group Three Dubal International.
De Kock has won this race three times in the last six renewals and is doubly represented by and Front House, ridden by Kevin Shea, and Frozen Fire, who will be ridden by Christophe Soumillon.
Front House has plenty of experience of racing in Dubai – she won the Group Two City Of Gold at Nad Al Sheba last March – however her final race there was a disappointment when she finished well down the field in the Sheema Classic later that month. That was on World Cup night which was a rare setback for De Kock and few of his runners performed up to the best form, but it may need a career-best for Front House if the rest of this field is ready.
Frozen Fire would appear to have talent and temperament in almost equal measure. Even in his best run, when he won the 2008 Irish Derby at the Currragh, Frozen Fire showed some wayward tendencies. Those continued in his next four runs for former trainer Aidan O’Brien.
The drop in trip has to be something of a concern and the application of a tongue tie is a new idea from a trainer who has previously shown the rare ability to improve a horse form the O’Brien yard. “Front House is a tough mare and did well at the Carnival last season,” De Kock said. “She’s doing well, while Frozen Fire is having his first start for us but has really pleased us at home.”
Meydan represents a home fixture for the Goldophin team who run Alexandros, a horse who has threatened to win a big race for a while. He was beaten just a nose by Virtual in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last May and, after a few training problems mid-year, was far from disgraced in the group One Hong Kong Mile in December.
The Duty Free on World Cup night is the main objective and Alexandros may just need the run here as many of the Godolphin runners did last week.
This was probably not the plan a year ago for Crowded House. Then Brian Meehan was gearing his racing programme at a crack at the Derby. Despite finishing a disappointing eighth in the Group Two Dante Stakes, at York in May, Crowded House did run at Epsom, but his sixth place behind Sea The Stars did not look as though the colt was performing with the same zest as he had when he won the Racing Post Trophy as a two-year-old.
After attempts to get Crowded House back on track for the Eclipse and Champion Stakes, Meehan decided to call a halt and regroup for four-year-old campaign. “He’s settled in nicely and been working well but I do feel he might just need it after an interrupted UK campaign,” Meehan said.
The main support race is the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial and has proved a regular source of Classic winners in recent years. Godolphin broke De Kock’s domination in the three-year-old colt division last year and Saeed bin Suroor is well represented with Frozen Power, the choice of Frankie Dettori, Black Snowflake (Ahemd Ajtebi), Coueur Loyal (Ted Durcan) and Percusionist (Mickael Barzalona). However, De Kock is not exactly short of ammunition sending out Musir (Christophe Soumillon), Solid Choice (Kevin Shea) and Mr Crazy Boy (Ryan Moore) as opposition.
Musir has only run on turf but is a Group One winner and looks as though he can defy his penalty here.
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