Having drained an oil field to find the $2billion to build the magnificent stage that is Meydan racecourse no expense was going to be spared when it came to providing the cast for its big night, the Dubai World Cup meeting.
Quite when Sheikh Mohammed decided that Nad Al Sheba, which itself only opened in 1986, was past its sell-by date is open to question but those who watched as he was given a private tour of the Ascot’s grandstand prior to its opening in 2006 got the impression that something had caught the man’s imagination and this is a man who thinks big. Very big.
The Ascot project came in at a mere £185million but as the Meydan grandstand is 1.6km long this was not a venture that was going to be accomplished with a quick trip to the local DIY store on a Saturday morning.
The Dubai World Cup meeting has never exactly been short of a dirham or a million to ensure a turnout worthy of its name and the World Cup stands as the showpiece finale of a $26.5million seven-race card.
The first 14 runnings of the World Cup have been split mainly between Saeed bin Suroor, with five wins, and American-trained horses taking the trophy home on eight occasions. The only man to break this duopoly so far has been Sir Michael Stoute with Singspiel in 1997 - and that winner was owned by Sheikh Mohammed.
That victory and those for the Goldolphin stable will have pleased the man as an owner but, in his capacity as the inspiration of the rise of Dubai as a centre for top sports events, the sheikh also wants a race that draws a true global competition. The race has never lacked international appeal but now it may finally produce a winner from a different country with the French-trained runner Vision D´Etat.
The news from Meydan is that Vision D'Etat will have to pass an examination by the racecourse vet but, assuming he passes, he has strong claims.
This year’s renewal of the World Cup may lack the billboard name that has often graced the race in previous years but, with 11 of the 14 runners having won either a Group or Grade One race, it certainly does not lack quality. The diversity of the nations involved makes the form a little harder to evaluate and there is also the question of how many of the runners will act on the newly-laid Tapeta surface that has replaced the dirt track that was used at the World Cup’s previous venue at Nad Al Sheba but there are some common links.
Vision D´Etat is untried on a synthetic surface but the 10 furlongs of the World Cup appears to be the ideal distance for this classy five-year-old, who did not appear to stay the mile-and-a-half when he ran down the field behind Sea The Stars in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
However, he got the trip, in more senses than one, when he won the Group One Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin in December and had previously shown the ability to cut through a top-class field when he won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he beat Twice Over by a length.
That form ties in closely with Twice Over’s third place in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November, where he finished one-and-a-quarter lengths behind Gio Ponti, but Gio Ponti did not look up to that form when he was second in the Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup last month and has yet to race outside America.
There are no such concerns about Gitano Hernando, who made the giant leap from winning a conditions’ race at Wolverhampton to a victory in the Grade One Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita in October. Gitano Hernando is clearly still improving but the form of that race – where Richard’s Kid was a length back in third – is a little short of this company. Colonel John, who was beaten only a neck in the Goodwood, was then two-and-a-quarter lengths behind Twice Over in the Classic.
Red Desire, from Japan, looked good when beating Gloria De Campeao¸ Allybar and Lizard's Desire in a Group Two and Meydan three weeks ago but no filly or mare has won the World Cup so far and she still has something to find according to official ratings, while Crowded House has not won since his juvenile season.
It is easy to view this year’s renewal as being one of the closest finishes ever but it could be Vision D´Etat who strikes oil.
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