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| Staff Writer |
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The atmosphere was buzzing, but none of the noise affected Atletico El Culano. The 8YO was on a comfortable surface during The Entisar race at Meydan Racecourse. Trainer Julio Olascoaga was thrilled with the performance that followed.
Atletico El Culano would outlast Military Law to win the 1900m dirt race with a time of 1 minute and 6.36 seconds.
“It’s owned by Haras Bagé Do Sul and Dr. Ulisses Carneiro,” Olascoaga said. “The sensation after the finish line was a relief. This horse, and especially the owner/breeder, deserved a win in UAE like any other. They’ve been supporting this project from day one, and I am very proud that we managed to get them a winner at this level.”
Olascoaga, a Uruguayan trainer, has a lot of exciting horses he is working on training within his stable. He hopes Atletico El Culano’s win starts a big winter season.
Winning the Entisar capped a strong year of racing at Meydan for Atletico El Culano. The horse also placed third at the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile in March and was second in the 1 1/5m (2000m) 2023 Conditions race.
“Atletico is a horse that has always been running well here in UAE,” Olascoaga said. “His best so far was a respectable third in the Godolphin Mile. We were confident that he was going to run well, but races are hard here, and the field was strong as well.”
Atletico trains on the Meydan surface every day. That puts him in a comfortable position when it comes to running races. Jockey José da Silva rode Atletico El Culano during The Entisar.
“Atletico seems to like it,” Olascoaga said. “He has shown some of his best over here. He doesn’t like the kickback, as with many horses, and that’s why, because of his running style, José had to keep him far and away and wait for the time for the run home.”
Olascoaga is planning on running Atletico El Culano during the Al Maktoum Challenge. Depending on the outcome of that race, that could change the plan for him moving forward.
“He is a horse that needed a previous run to be in top fitness,” Olascoaga said. “We just had to manage his training regime to fit into that. He’s a mature horse and a good worker, but still coming from a layoff, it’s not the ideal for him.”
Olascoaga has put together a strong lineup of horses from Argentina and Uruguay. Quartier, Oasis Boy, Autobahn and Atif.
Quartier has impressed in Uruguay, winning the last four starts in 5f-7f dirt races, and that form could translate well to Meydan.
“We’ve had some nice 2YOs,” Olascoaga said. “All of them are winners, and we’re looking forward to aiming them, most likely to the Triple Crown races in UAE. They’re now settling in in Dubai and training well so far.”
Olascoaga also had a recent winner with Shababy. Shababy picked up first place in the Bin Dasmal Group Cup to win the US$12,432.72 prize.
Continuing to build up a strong roster has been Olascoaga’s focus over time. It has been a gradual process that has started to pay dividends.
“We are still developing a stable,” Olascoaga said. “It’s just a few years now since we started this satellite yard; so far, we are happy with the progress and thankful for the local & international owners who are supporting us.”
With the weather and not being able to have races during the summer, Olascoaga and his team have to make adjustments to prepare horses for the season. But it’s something they’ve become strong at over the years.
“It’s a very tricky situation having to stop the horses by the end of the season, but that’s how it is here,” Olascoaga said. “We believe it’s key to start early with the preparation but not to rush too fast to work until the weather permits. We normally like to give our horses some prep runs before getting them into race fitness.”
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Olascoaga doesn’t pretend to have a magic formula for getting the best results out of horses. He tends to go with a steady approach, but they always try to develop similar goals.
“I believe the goal is always the same, for most of the trainers, just to get the best performance of every horse,” Olascoaga said. “By giving them the best chances & placing them in the suitable races.”
Olascoaga has been happy to invest in new technology. Analytics have been helpful for the race results.
“But in training, we’re actually not rocking with any of the most command devices,” Olascoaga said.
“But I do believe in the near future when the devices get more reliable and improved, we’re definitely using them. That’s where the world is aiming, and technology is used in all professional sports.”
Having social media available has also made promotion a lot easier. It helps connect Olascoaga with fans around the world.
“We do use a lot of social media, which looks like it’s the preferred way to connect to the fans,” Olascoaga said. “There’s a big crowd in Uruguay and South America following the campaign of our horses.”
By Dean McHugh