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| Staff Writer |
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Ushba Tesoro and Wilson Tesoro caught the eye as the Noburu Takagi-trained pair went through their pre-Dubai World Cup paces on Wednesday.
While Forever Young dominated the media briefings, it was the Japanese runners who drew admiring glances on the track. Yuga Kawada, who triumphed aboard Ushba Tesoro two years ago, has since switched allegiance to 6YO Wilson Tesoro.
"He is in better form than he was in the Saudi Cup and moved well," said Kawada after reuniting with Wilson Tesoro during five-furlong breeze on the main track. "I suppose he recovered well from his last appearance. I am confident to go to the race on Saturday."
Jockey Akira Sugawara was equally impressed with Ushba Tesoro, adding: "He moved well and retains his condition from Saudi."
Ahead of what could be his final start, Takagi observed of Ushba Tesoro: "He is powerful and in good form."
Turning to Wilson Tesoro, he added: "We breezed him strongly last week so this was just making sure everything was okay. He has improved since he was in Saudi Arabia."
Danon Decile rates as one of the more likely winners of Saturday night's rich middle-distance prize, having added a comeback success in the Gr.2 American Jockey Club Cup (2200m) to Japan's version of the Derby last May, the Tokyo Yushun.
If trainer Shogo Yasuda is feeling pressure to produce another statement win from the son of Epiphaneia, he certainly wasn't showing it at the media conference.
While admitting this year's Sheema Classic is a deep renewal, Yasuda said: "We can't do anything about the other horses in the race so we have to just consider our horse first. It is important how Danon Decile performs and whether he shows his true ability is the crucial thing. That's what we can control and what we will concentrate on."
Yasuda gave an ominous indication that his stable star might be ready to emerge on the international scene on Saturday.
"We really want to try him going back anticlockwise and to see how he handles this Dubai Sheema Classic," said Yasuda. "We think anticlockwise suits him and that he can improve later in his career."
While Danon Decile enjoyed his hit-out on Tuesday, two serious rivals produced powerful breezes around the turf track on Wednesday.
After Cervinia breezed over 1000m, trainer Tetsuya Kimura said: "She is in good form and her work was a relief to me. We have prepared her for the race on Saturday."
A few moments later Durezza powered up the straight at the end of a 1200m spin.
"He travelled over and settled in well," said trainer Tomohito Ozeki. "We breezed him with good intensity this morning. He reacted well and is in good form."
Another of Japan's workers to take the grass was Brede Weg, watched from the stands by Christophe Lemaire, who takes the ride on Saturday for trainer Keisuke Miyata.
"It was her first time breezing on turf at Meydan, and she concentrated well," stable representative Ryoji Sato said after her 1000m piece of work.
Karl Burke ventured to the training track to see chestnut Holloway Boy finish his serious preparation on the turf course just after 8am, where he cantered for 600m before quickening up the home straight.
"It was just to open his lungs up, he's fit as a flea and has travelled over well but he's two or three kilos lighter than when he left here after running well the last time," Burke said.
Holloway Boy has run three times at Meydan already in 2025, finishing runner-up in the Zabeel Mile and Singspiel Stakes as well as taking third behind Romantic Warrior in the Gr.1 Jebel Hatta.
Doug Watson is hoping Rafid can uphold family honour when he goes in search of the UAE Derby on Saturday night.
Watson trained the 3YO colt's dam Rayya to win the UAE Oaks and finish second to Mendelssohn in 2018 and is receiving the right signs her son can be competitive after a ready success in the Al Wasl Classic at Jebel Ali last month.
"Rafid came over late and we kind of pushed to get to the UAE 2,000 Guineas," Watson said of his fifth-place effort in the Group Three. "He was a little flat after that, but he's really come around in himself.
"He has a good draw in eight so we're really looking forward to seeing how he does.If he puts it in, which he might, he could be there with a little bit of a chance."
Japan's Kurojishi Joe breezed over 1000m of the main track alongside Peptide Nile."I asked his strongly and it was a nice breeze," Atsushi Obayashi - a stable representative for Inao Okada - said of Kurojishi Joe.
A busy schedule seems to work for Believing, who began the first of nine runs last year with an outing in Hong Kong and wound up with a close third in the Gr.1 Prix de l'Abbaye (1000m).
George Boughey's sprinter has achieved multiple Group One placings and now represents the exclusive ownership partnership of Coolmore and Resolute Racing following her sale for 3,000,000gns (approx US$4,000,000) at Tattersalls last December.
"Believing shipped over to Dubai as well as we could have possibly imagined," Boughey said by phone. "She's a filly who has obviously been quite busy and had her passport out the last couple of years so travelling has come as second nature to her."
Trainer John Size expects Howdeepisyourlove to be finishing hard when he contests the Al Quoz Sprint on Saturday.
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame trainer is making his fourth attempt at the Al Quoz Sprint. His charge is coming off a third to the world's premier sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the Gr.1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m).
"He seems very well, he's been in pretty good order since he's been in Dubai," Size said after he completed an easy gallop on dirt. "He's got plenty of experience and he enjoys being in training, so he looks confident, he looks like he's in pretty good shape."
Local hopes will be shouldered by just one horse in the Al Quoz Sprint this year but Marbaan is no back number. The son of Oasis Dream was a cosy winner of both the Gr.2 Al Fahidi Fort and Gr.3 Ras Al Khor for trainer Michael Costa.
"He's in very good order," said Costa's assistant trainer Johanne Taylor. "We're really pleased with where he's at coming into this task."
There looks a "Raging Torrent" of pace in the Godolphin Mile and trainer Frankie Lor confirmed that Sword Point will add to the early battle on Saturday.
From gate two, Lor expects jockey James McDonald to jump out and lead early. With potential leaders Raging Torrent, Mufasa, No Lunch and Little Vic all drawn wide and Japanese Group One winner Peptide Nile drawn between them, it looks like being run at a strong clip.
"James has said that it is a track where being on speed and on the rail is important," said Lor after Sword Point completed his final major workout under McDonald. "From gate two I think he will lead early and we are happy to take up the running on our own."
Michael Costa's Sadaaty deserves respect when making the short journey to Meydan for Saturday's Godolphin Mile. The lightly raced miler showed his potential when second in the Jebel Ali Mile in February, beaten only in the closing stages by Qareeb.
The last two runnings of the Dubai Gold Cup have been won by Aidan O'Brien and Continuous is favourite to give the legendary Irish trainer a hat-trick in the race on Saturday.
The 5YO is already a seasoned traveller having finished ninth in the Hong Kong Vase in December and a promising third to Byzantine Dream in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia in February.
"We're very happy with him and he's settled in well," said O'Brien's travelling head lad Pat Keating. "All is good. He's just been ticking over as all of his work has been done before he came out. He's been very good since Saudi."
Doug Watson believes First Classs is back to something like his best as the Arabian bids to regain his Kahayla Classic crown from 2021.
The 8YO has received another wide draw in stall 14 and while he failed to make an impact from a similar position last year, his trainer believes him to be in a different vein of form this time.
"He was wide last year too but he wasn't the same horse then," Watson said. "He's breaking a lot better now, he's happy and training well. If he can get himself a nice spot, I'd imagine he can get in the money.
"However, from his draw it will be tough. With Tilal Al Khalediah in there I think we're all running for a second anyway. They should put a race on for him and then we can have a horse race."