Racing: Dubai's pride heads to York

WE LAST saw him on a still Arabian night in front of a courteous white-robed crowd and Almutawakel might get a shock on Tuesday when he emerges into the relative bear pit of a York Ebor meeting.

They do not allow alcohol on the course at Nad Al Sheba, but that is not a problem with which a holiday crowd at the Knavesmire will have to wrestle.

A few drinks, competitive racing and top-class horses will be the intoxicating fuels at York next week as Godolphin's Dubai World Cup winner continues a season which may culminate in his crowning as, unofficially, the best horse on the planet.

One World Series event is already in the bag and Almutawakel will go on from here to contest other legs in the form of Ireland's Champion Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic at America's Gulfstream Park in November.

There is much to come, which is perhaps why we should not expect too much from him in Tuesday's International Stakes.

"He's the first European horse who has been trained specifically for the Breeders' Cup Classic, hence he hasn't run until now," Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, said yesterday.

"The whole year is now centred on that race for this horse which means that instead of starting off two months ago he's beginning right now.

"We're expecting a good run on Tuesday, but we're also expecting a gradual improvement over the autumn period. We haven't squeezed him up. He's not going to be turning up short or in poor condition, and we know it's a Group One, a championship type of race, but the reality is that his primary objective is the Breeders' Cup Classic.''

Almutawakel worked well on Tuesday on Newmarket's Racecourse Side yet there remains a doubt about whether he will be as effective an athlete now that he returns to turf competition. His most recent run on grass was when eighth of 10 in the Prix Dollar at Longchamp last October.

"The horse is stronger now," Crisford said. "He's more mature and he's improved. But he's obviously better on dirt than he is on turf. His form in the Dubai World Cup was superior to what he showed [last year] in the Prix Jean Prat and the Grand Prix de Paris, in which he was beaten by Limpid.

"He's by Machiavellian, and there is a lot of Mr Prospector in there, and it's a pedigree which suggests he should handle dirt. He's shown us enough on the sand for us to think we have a legitimate contender for the Classic.''

If form is not a problem then Almutawakel's team are rather more worried by the atmospheric conditions of a Florida Breeders' Cup. We can say right now that Britain's horses will be travelling from their autumnal homeland into a baking foreign venue. It has done for us before. "The heat will be a big concern and we'll be looking closely at our shipping," Crisford says.

"Last year we went to Churchill Downs quite early and I can see us going in very late this year because acclimatisation will be very difficult for these horses.''

A decision on whether Godolphin will also be represented in the International Stakes by Dubai Millennium was being taken last night. He also has an entry, along with three others from his stable, in Sunday's Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

His participation would add greatly to a race which so thrilled last year when One So Wonderful, Faithful Son and Chester House were separated by two short-heads. Their jockeys - Pat Eddery, Frankie Dettori and Kieren Fallon - were all suspended for their infringement of the whip rules.

Whoever is chosen to ride a possible third Godolphin runner, Central Park, on Tuesday can hit his mount all he likes - he still won't win. "If he does run he's not going to be a major factor," Crisford said. "We may put him in as a pacemaker, but I wouldn't waste your ink on him.''

A total of 18 horses stood their ground for the Group One contest over 10 furlongs and 85 yards. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien relies upon Irish 2000 Guineas winner Saffron Walden, while the Henry Cecil-trained Royal Anthem, the ante-post favourite, will be ridden by Gary Stevens.

INTERNATIONAL STAKES (York, Tuesday): Ladbrokes: 7-2 Royal Anthem, 9-2 Almutawakel & Dubai Millennium, 7-1 Greek Dance, 8-1 Compton Admiral, 9-1 Kissogram, 12-1 Chester House, Fantastic Light & Fruits Of Love, 16-1 Golden Snake, Saffron Walden, 20-1 others