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| Staff Writer |
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Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien has already collected an impressive number of trophies at iconic race meetings in less than seven years with a trainers' license, including two Melbourne Cups and a Breeders' Cup, and he will look to expand that collection when sending Baron Samedi to Dubai for the Gold Cup on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
The 5YO son of Harbour Watch won seven races in a row during 2020 and 2021 over a variety of distances and surfaces, and O’Brien is hopeful the track at Meydan should play to the horse’s strengths. Baron Samedi finished fourth behind Stay Foolish in his last start in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia.
O’Brien is just one of many international trainers sending horses over to Dubai for The Dubai World Cup meeting and it’s an event the Irish handler will continue to target in the future.
In this exclusive interview, O’Brien chats to Ten Furlongs about his plans for Baron Samedi, shares more insight on his transition from being a jockey to a wildly successful trainer, his plans for the 2022 European and international racing season and much more
Q: The first question I had for you was based Baron Samadi’s performance in Riyadh have there been any changes to his preparations for Dubai?
A: No, there hasn't. Obviously, it is quite a big turnaround from the race in Riyadh coming back to Ireland, going into routine training for a few weeks and now he is to be shipped back out to Dubai.
Q: So, his run in Riyadh was his prep race in many ways?
A: Precisely. Yes.
Q: Do you have any concerns about the track or his competitors?
A: I think the track will actually suit him better than the track in Riyadh. He will enjoy the longer straight and it is obviously a bigger track.
Q: In terms of pedigree what makes him more suited for this distance and type of race?
A: He has a very relaxed attitude. He seems to travel very well. Last season, he was quite a good horse in Europe. So that was why we decided that in the spring we would target some races in the Middle East.
Q: What are your plans for him once he arrives in Dubai?
A: So he will be shipped to Dubai just the week before the race. Once he arrives, he will do some easy training in the mornings. And then he will race from there.
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Q: And once he returns will he attempt the same European races as last year?
A: To be honest, we haven't really decided yet exactly what races we will target when he gets back. But he is a horse, that generally speaking, enjoys racing. So we do intend to keep him busy hopefully through the summer, assuming we don't have any setbacks or injuries.
Q: Who are his owners and how did he come to you?
A: He is owned by Lawrence Eke and Chris Hurley that form the ownership group LECH Racing. They bought him as a yearling and sent him to me for training. I have had horses with them for a number of years now. Currently, they have four or five horses in training.
They just really enjoy racing, especially with their friends. They have had some success with some of their horses. Obviously, Baron Samadi has been their most successful horse. They will be there at Meydan to watch him race and they are very much looking forward to being there.
Q: What about some of your other stable stars? What are your plans for them this year? Do you see yourself making another tilt at the Melbourne Cup?
A: Baron Samadi will be our only runner on World Cup night. But we are just about to begin our season here in Ireland, at the end of March. So, from there, we will then decide what plans we have for our stable stars. We hope to be well represented in the major international race meetings throughout the season
Q: Will you be training to return back to the region for the Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi races next season?
A: Definitely, I hope going forward and in the years to come we will have more and more horses to take racing in the Middle East.
Q: Continuing on the same question, is there any race meeting in the region that you remember the most?
A: I remember World Cup night really well. When I was young, as a jockey it was always very high on our agenda every year to be able to compete there. And I was lucky enough to ride a winner in the World Cup. So that was a very special year for me.
Q: And my last question is how the transition from was being a successful jockey to a trainer. Is it tough giving instructions to other jockeys?
A: Training and being a rider are quite different lifestyles. I was lucky to be able to ride for a number of years, but I always knew that it was not something that I could do forever. So I was ready to move on once I finished with that part of my life. I'm very lucky that we have a great team of people with us. And, we have a great team of people riding the horses in the morning and working in the yard during the day. And they make my job and my life very easy.