 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Nicolas Caullery, a French trainer, will always remember the year 2023. He proudly states that it was the year when he entered the "big league." On 6th August 2023, he celebrated the first Gr.1 success of his career when King Gold delivered an impressive victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.
The 1300m sprint up the straight is one of the most exciting events in Deauville, and Caullery mentioned, "It was an incredible day. While we had won Group races previously, winning a Group One race is like entering a very exclusive club."
“To win a Group One race means that we too are capable of training good horses. It’s never easy to win these races, especially this one, which is usually won by the British raiders. “In fact, we were only two French trainers with runners in the race. I ran King Gold, who held on to victory, and Fort Payne, who ran appallingly to finish last and I think Andre Fabre’s horse ran second last. What was brilliant too was that we had all our family at Deauville who were able to celebrate with us, so it was a special day, an unforgettable day.” Following that first success at the highest level, it is no wonder that the trainer is targeting further Group One races over similar trips with the son of Anodin.
The Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night could hence feature on his agenda. King Gold has been to Meydan before and in fact, his trainer credits his forays on to the dirt track with his improvement last year. “He started his career very early as a 2YO,” explains Caullery. “He then had some health issues, but he was always a horse with a lot of potential. When I brought him to Dubai last year, he ran three times on the dirt and that made a huge difference to him. It gave him a proper speed injection.”
Caullery, the French trainer, has brought a few horses to Dubai this year for participation in various races. Among them is King Gold, who might race in the Al Quoz Sprint after a possible trip to Riyadh. Fort Payne, who had a bad run in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, is also on the plane along with Kahraman, who recently joined the yard in Chantilly with the intention of participating in the Carnival. Additionally, Dubai Carnival favourite Batwan and King Gold's half-sister Nadelia are also in the yard.
While King Gold is undoubtedly the star of the yard, Nadelia, a daughter of Spanish Moon and Miss Gandelia, won her debut not even a month ago and could be targeting the UAE 1000 Guineas. Caullery, who is also passionate about music and leads a band called Elektrik Monday, has high hopes for his sister Nadelia. Each of the horses has different targets, and Caullery could not imagine a winter without the Dubai Carnival.