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| Staff Writer |
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Niels Petersen-trained Square de Luynes is set for an international debut at Meydan. The three-time Gr.3 Stockholm Cup International winner will be making his first international forays on the Super Saturday meeting at Meydan.
Having won eight of his 12 starts, it will be interesting to see how the 7YO fares in the Gr.2 Dubai City Of Gold worth US$ 250,000 where he faces his own stablemate Iron Butterfly, Heather Main-trained Island Brave, Godolphin’s Global Heat 110 rated Amhran Na Bhfiann trained by another Nordic trainer - Kahlil De Burca as well as 102 rated Alignak (GB) who was runner-up behind Global Storm on the same C&D in February earlier this year. Although The Saudi Cup night has been a long-term target for Square de Luynes, this was not the year for many travels for the horse.
Petersen, explaining the motive behind choosing the City of Gold “We have to see if he is in-form to race on World Cup night,” said Petersen for his 'Frankel of the Fjords'.
“After returning back home, we hope to race him in the Gr.3 Marit Sveaas on Norwegian Derby Day and then prepare him for the Stockholm Cup in Sweden.
“Later, I hope we can find a suitable race in for him in France.”
"He should be good enough and he's so well in himself. He's the best horse in Scandinavia—by the figures, by his performances, by everything. He's the star of the show here—he's such a popular horse."
Petersen, whose string of intended runners have been in the UAE for several weeks already with prep runs at Meydan planned, added: "Kick On, Could Be King and Iron Butterfly are planned to race on the same night.”
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“Kick On will run in the Gr.1 Jebel Hatta and Could Be King in Ras Al Khor. Both are very competitive races.”
Kick On faces the likes of Barney Roy and the in-form Lord Glitters while Could Be King heads off against Shadwell’s Kingman colt Moqtarreb and UAE’s own champion trainer Doug Watson’s Dubawi colt Prince Eiji.
Multiple Group One-winning rider Pat Cosgrave will pilot Petersen’s stable star.
Petersen has said of Cosgrave, who has been aboard the gelding for his last four starts, including two of those Stockholm Cup successes: "Pat knows him now and that's why we fly him out to ride him all the time. We don't want to be changing jockeys. You need to know him a little bit. When we're racing in Scandinavia we're in our backyard and we know what we're doing. It's different to go abroad with him.
Petersen had plans for setting up a satellite stable in Dubai earlier this year, which couldn’t come to fruition. He hopes to bring shape to his ideas, later this year.
“I still working on my plans for a satellite yard down here for next season, we have a long stopover winter and it is a perfect setup if we can get organized properly,” said Petersen “Looking forward to working with it.”