Bhupat’s Remorse Out To Bring Home The Saudi Cup

RIYADH IS CALLING

With the Saudi campaign fast approaching Seemar prepares a pair of runners in Remorse and Freedom Fighter while the rest of the stable will be unleashed in Dubai for the World Cup Carnival.

The trainer discussed some of his stars and how they were training and where they would be targeted moving forward.

“We are only taking the two horses to Saudi this year. Remorse will race in the Saudi Cup itself. 

The 6YO Remorse is one of the stars of the stable with placings in three Group company races over the past two seasons and won a Listed race in December. He will now be readied for a tilt at the world’s richest horse race, The Saudi Cup.

“He is a horse who just kept on improving last year and he ended up running in the Dubai World Cup. If you watched the race I think it was drawn 10 which is a wide draw.

“He came around the whole field covering a lot of ground and he was still making ground on Country Grammer, not that we could have beaten him, but we were four and a half lengths behind a horse that was second in the Saudi Cup and then won the Dubai World Cup.

“So, Remorse deserves this chance in the Saudi Cup and I’m not saying we will win but we should go very close if he stays healthy.”

“Freedom Fighter will be in the sprint.

“Freedom Fighter only had one run this year and he was in a six-furlong race in a Group race, but he drew 14 out of 14.

“You know you need to use some gas out of that gate but he's got that early natural speed. So he put himself in a good position and he ended up running third for his first run, which was very encouraging.

“Actually, to be honest I think I've probably only ever seen one or two horses go from that gate draw and win.

“But we were lucky we had Tuz on the other side and he won that race and Freedom Fighter ended up running third.

“Freedom Fighter is in good nick and he will gallop on the 20th and leave for Saudi on the 21st with Remorse.”

THE UAE SEASON LEADING TO A WORLD CUP FINALE

The 4YO gelded son of Sharmadal, Western Writer, was being prepared for the HH Presidents Cup when we spoke and as Seemar said, he is a new addition to the stable that does excite him.

“Western Writer is a new horse to us and luckily he won the first time out. 

“He was quite an expensive horse in the Godolphin sale. 

“He's a quality animal and he will improve as most of these horses do because we bought them in September, they come on to a new training program which is different to what they've been used to in Europe. 

“He ran a very good race in a mile handicap and he beat a good horse. We are coming back in distance for this start because he likes that right-hand turn but we didn’t have any other Group quality races at a similar distance so we have come back to the seven furlongs.

“We have drawn wide in eleven but the horse is doing very well and we’ve got Richard Mullen on him because Tadhg O’Shea, his regular jockey, is banned for a couple of days.

“Hopefully Richie knows him well enough and will give him a good ride but he is well and he is good to go. He should go close.”

The 3YO Mendelssohn x Palomanegra filly, Priyanka, was being prepared for the Group Three UAE Derby while the 5YO mare by Carbon Unit, Wickywickywheels, was being readied for the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Trophy.  

“They are both well. Wickywickywheels won the Listed race in Abu Dhabi for us at 11 furlongs she was quite impressive. 

“It was her first run over here and then she ran really well in the carnival where she met some traffic and she got a bit shuffled back but she ran well so we now go back up to the distance she likes.

“It's a Group race and it's a good race but she's in good order and if we get some rub of the green we should run really well. 

“Priyanka is in Oaks and it's a quality field. 

“It's the first run on the dirt for her but the good thing about her is she is by Mendelssohn who performed very well on both dirt and turf. 

“She's won at a mile so one thing we know is she'll have the stamina whereas some of the other ones might not but if she can handle the surface she should run well.”

Al Nefud is a 5YO gelding by Dubawi and has been nominated for both top-class dirt and turf races, Seemar commented on where his plans would lie.

“Al Nefud is a quality animal and he was the favourite for the Godolphin Mile last year but unfortunately you know that race didn't pan out for him and he picked up a small injury.

“We've been very careful with him and we brought him back very slowly. He is a little bit behind so he won't make it to the Saudi Cup but we are hoping that he can make Super Saturday or we might just have to go straight to the World Cup.” 

The 4YO colt Bendoog is a giant of an animal as Seemar will tell you every time and the shadow of this Gun Runner x Nellie Cashman is one that cannot be missed. In his last start, he ran second in Group Two at Meydan and is now nominated for the Group One Dubai World Cup, an opportunity the trainer is confident he will take advantage of.

“Bendoog is a horse that has progressed really well. He is by Gun Runner who is just a sire sensation at the minute in America.

“When we bought him as a yearling it was this big horse who looked like he would be pulling carts but he has gone on to do really well.

“He is a massive animal! I think he would be about 17 hands he's just a ginormous horse. You can imagine when he does fill out his frame he is going to be an incredible horse.

 “He’s a 4YO but has only had five months of racing his entire life. He’s progressed from maiden all the way to the top of the ladder.

“He is going to Super Saturday but I will have to speak with the connections to decide if he will go to the ten furlongs because I think that distance will stretch him out. It’s the furthest he wants to go this year anyway so we might bring him back to a mile or we might go to the Group One ten furlong. We will just have to talk to connections.”

Discovery Island was a Jebel Ali Classic winner last season and will be kept in Dubai with some races in mind after a sixth-place finish last start, on which Seemar commented.

“He is a horse on the up. Last start it was a very sloppy track and he wasn’t a fan of it. I’ve never seen that much rain in Dubai in one day and I’ve been here for twenty years. Some horses like a track like that and some others don’t and you don’t know until you try it. 

“Hopefully he will be back on a fair track and we will set him up for a ten furlong race. He is a very sharp horse but I think he is slow out of the gates so sometimes the mile catches him up, although he has won at the mile.”

Franz Strauss has been impressive winning his past two starts in Meydan.

“He's a horse who has really progressed very quickly actually. If you look at him he looks like a dirt horse but when you look at his pedigree he's a complete turf horse being by Golden Horn out of a Dansili mare.

“But he trains really well on the dirt and that’s why we decided we were going to try him on it.

“He's another horse which will improve next year, you know we just bought him in September. But I think we're going to go to Super Saturday at 10 furlongs Group One with him.”

10YO old Secret Ambition has won two Group Threes and a Group Two along with a brace of placings that included a second placing in the Jebel Ali Mile in early February. 

“Yeah, he got a bit unlucky. He was drawn 12 In Jebel Ali and he was shuffled back and got a lot of kickback on his face. 

“He came wide around the whole field and he beat everybody on his own side. He's still a game horse at ten, he is a full stallion and he still has the want to win. 

“The winner on that day was on the opposite side but Secret Ambition is a real grinder and always gives us more in the run so our obvious choice for him is to go for Super Saturday for the mile race.”

No conversation can be had with Seemar without also mentioning the five times Group winner Switzerland, who at nine years old looks as fresh and as hungry to win as ever.

“Switzerland is just a legend in himself. 

“He's nine and he's still sparkling so touch wood we get a good run at some of these big races. 

“We try and manage him and we don't give him more than three races for the year. 

“He is like a horse we used to have Reynoldothewizard. We used to only give him three races so when they perform they do at their maximum.

“Switzerland won the Golden Shaheen on World Cup night. He has  also won his only start back this year on his first run out and was quite impressive actually.

“We will either go to Super Saturday or maybe straight to the World Cup.

“Switzerland will have to tell us where he wants to take us.”

With a stable that includes so many stars and recognizable names a common thread is the name Shamardal who as a sire, performed very impressively.

Seemar said this was through design rather than some fluke.

“We've had a lot of success with Shamardal horses. 

“We have a horse called Law of Peace who is by Sharmadal out of Certify who was a Group One winner. “We won four races with him last year, he won at seven-furlong on the dirt, won at a mile on the dirt, and then he went to an 11 Furlong turf Group Three which he won and won another 10 Furlong on the turf. 

“So they are very versatile horses and you can't leave a good Shamardal when they are for sale.”

LOOKING AHEAD YEARS AHEAD

With over two decades of experience with racing in Dubai, Seemar can see potential in the younger types and as he says it’s important to have a path for them when a such potential is discovered. He said from the current crop of younger types, there were a couple that did excite him.

“Now it's at the end of the season there are only a few horses left that we haven't run yet. 

“We have a horse called Webinar, he’s by Dubawi and is owned by a new owner from Saudi Arabia. He looks quite exciting and I think he loves the dirt. 

“You know those Dubawis they're just exceptional on the dirt, I mean they're exceptional everywhere.

“So he looks like he can be a very nice horse next year if he stays sound. 

“Then we have one or two other ones that we haven't run yet. We have a horse called Southern Artist who I think should be a nice horse. He is a big horse, a 3YO.

“Whatever he does this year is just going to really improve next year.”

With this stable Seemar sees the needs of the horse at the forefront of everything he does and believes any horse on its day can be the best.

“I always think you have to have patience. Sometimes it's hard to convey that to owners because they're paying the bills but you know you have to listen to the horse when they're telling you to back off then you have to back off them because they'll always give you more when they are right. 

“So, I always believe a horse needs to be happy in their mind because if they are enjoying it then they will give you everything they have to give you.

“The race I would like to win most is the Dubai World Cup itself because I've been here 20 years and I've watched some great horses win the Dubai World Cup including Dubai Millennium, Curlin and some other really top champions.

“I would love to have a horse in my home place over here to win our most prestigious race.

“After that, I would love to win the Kentucky Derby, which when I was in America and used to work for Bob Baffert I was lucky enough to see him win a few. 

“We're lucky enough to have some very good horses actually to be honest.

“When you have horses like Bendoog, Discovery Island, Remorse, Freedom Fighter and Switzerland, we are just spoiled for choices.

“On the day if the conditions are right, they can perform at the top level.