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| Staff Writer |
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Freshman trainer Bhupat Seemar, who has catapulted to the top in the standings after being handed the license for Zabeel Stables in November hopes to saddle eight on Dubai World Cup night. Currently, he leads seven-time champion Doug Watson 43-36.
The Indian intern from Taylor-made Farms, USA, has had an amazing journey with interesting stopovers worth mentioning which includes 18 months long program in Kentucky, a 6-month stint in Chris Speckert’s yard in Kentucky and 5-year skill development with Bob Baffert in California.
Riding horses since the age of nine, Seemar has been firing on all cylinders and striving hard for both personal and professional development within the sport he is so passionate about.
Bhupat has been with Zabeel stables for the last 20 years and in an exclusive interview with TF, he talks about his journey as a trainer over the last few months including his plans for World Cup runners & much more in our Q&A.
Q: What horses are you planning to run in the Dubai World Cup?
A: We have 8 runners in 4 different races. Remorse will be in the Dubai World Cup. We have Secret Ambition, Al Nefud and Tuz in the Godolphin Mile. Switzerland will be running in the Golden Shaheen and we have Bendoog, Arabian Gazelles and Summer Is Tomorrow in the UAE Derby.
Q: Who are your top runners?
A: It is difficult to name one as they all have very good chances. From now until the World Cup our aim is to keep them healthy and happy.
Q: Who are the most exciting horses you've got in the stable currently, irrespective of their participation in the World Cup this year?
A: We've got horses like Al Nefud. He just broke his maiden about two months ago and he is already competing against the likes of horses like Hot Rod Charlie. With the progression he's done in two months’ time, if we can keep him healthy next year, he could be a star in the making.
Q: What are your preps and learnings from this season that you're going to employ to set them up for the World Cup win?
A: Well, you know, the best thing about horse racing is that you learn every day and every horse teaches you something. You have to constantly keep track of them to enable you to get the best out of each individual horse.
Q: With regional racing picking up are you seeing an increased number of owners and horses?
A: Dubai is the pioneer of racing in the Middle East. It has carved out a path for the rest of the region to follow. When you have good local and regional racing, you build healthy competition. Recently we have been seeing both new owners and better quality horses. Dubai Racing is going full steam ahead. Dubai has always been one of the top destinations in the world of racing.
Q: The success of Zabeel can be attributed to a bit of luck as well as tremendous and continual hard work. Would you agree?
A: We are very lucky at Zabeel Stables to have such a dedicated, tremendously hard working team which makes it easy to keep our standards high. At Zabeel our aim is to treat each horse individually to get the best out of them. With all of the incredible facilities we have at the stables, it gives us a great opportunity to train horse horses to the best of their ability
Q: What are your plans after the Dubai World Cup? Are any of the horses going internationally or will they continue training here?
A: Our plan after the World Cup will be similar to other years. We will be travelling to most horse sales in the world to buy horses for our clients. After a busy racing season most of the horses will stay here to rest, recuperate and enjoy a bit of a holiday. It’s very important for the horses to get good mental and physical recovery to get them in shape for the next racing season.
Q: Where do you see the Zabeel stables in 10 years?
A: We've constantly strived to improve the quality of horses in the stable. And if we can keep going that way, I think we can probably be one of the premier stables in the world.
Q: What brought you to Dubai?
A: I did my school and college in India and we have always had horses on our farm. I've ridden horses from a young age. After finishing college I went to America to Taylor Made Farms as an intern. I spent about two years in Kentucky and then moved to California for 5 years to work for Bob Baffert. In the meantime, Satish had offered me a position here in Dubai so I decided to come to Zabeel Stables and have been working here for 20 years. It’s been quite the journey.