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| Staff Writer |
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The promising 3YO filly owned by Daniel MacAuliffe & Anoj Don is being aimed at the UAE 1000 Guineas in January and the UAE Oaks in February. The young British trainer has worked with some of the best, on both sides of the world, including Luca Cumani, and Gai Waterhouse.
Murphy discusses her stable star, Abalone Pearl, and her plans for the 3YO
Q: What are your plans for Abalone Pearl over the next couple of months?
A: The horse will arrive in Dubai at the beginning of January to get acclimatized and she will be aimed at the UAE 1,000 Guineas and the UAE Oaks.
Q: Does she then come back to the stable after the Oaks?
A: We feel that she is good enough to compete in Dubai and, if she runs well in either of those races, we would love to be able to race her in other suitable races over the rest of the UAE season. If not, she will return to the UK.
Q: Please tell us more about the owners and whether you expect them to come down to Dubai to watch their horse race?
A: Daniel and Anoj have supported Southgate Stables for just over three years now and they are fantastic people to train for. They will definitely travel to Dubai to watch Abalone Pearl and also for a bit of a holiday.
Q: And what about you? Will you come down for the races as well?
A: Absolutely. As a trainer, to have a runner at the Dubai World Cup Carnival so early in my career is something that I don’t want to miss.
Q: Have you been to Meydan before?
A: Yes, I have been Meydan. I attended a Dubai World Cup night which was an amazing experience.
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Q: Please tell us more about your other stable stars?
A: On the flat, we have a lot of very nice three-year-olds. I've got probably two or three like Abalone Pearl, for example, Golden Mayflower, won very impressively first time out. She's currently on her winter holidays and will come back into training to be prepared for the start of the turf season. We are at that stage where the two year olds from last year will hopefully transition into nice three years old which we are very excited about. With any luck, we will have many reasons to celebrate.
Q: And going back to Abalone Pearl, do you have any fixed plans as to where she races once she goes back from Dubai?
A: As she is just a 3YO and it all depends on what the trip takes out of her. Some of them come back and bounce off the plane and you can run them three weeks later. She's effectively a 2YO away from the cold UK winter, so it may be that when she gets home, she needs a good break. If that’s the case, then she will have a holiday when she gets back.