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| Staff Writer |
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Spirit Dancer, owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, will aim to build on his victory in the Bahrain International Trophy by competing in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan. This race presents an opportunity for him to achieve more international success.
Spirit Dancer, co-owned by Ferguson, Fred Done, and Ged Mason, provided the former Manchester United manager with one of the most memorable moments of his racing career. Their US$6,36,045.00 earnings from winning in the Persian Gulf eclipsed any single winner’s cheque that Ferguson had ever received, even with his legendary horse Rock of Gibraltar.
Trained by Richard Fahey, Spirit Dancer, bred by Ferguson and Niall McLoughlin, is the son of Frankel. Although he took his time to reach his potential, he is now rapidly climbing through the ranks and preparing to make his debut in Group One company.
Spirit Dancer has won four of his last five races, including a victory in Bahrain. Although his owners are unable to travel to the UAE to cheer him on, they are hopeful that he will taste more overseas success in his first outing of 2024.
Fahey said, “It’s his first Group One and a tough race, a proper Group One and we’re looking forward to seeing him run. Everything is going well and he’s in great order.
“I’m afraid his owners can’t make it this time which is a big shame because I know they were keen to come, but it’s just fallen on the wrong day sadly.
“Sir Alex is used to winning, but he gets a good kick out of it, so let’s hope he runs well again.
“It was a great day in Bahrain, a very enjoyable day and it’s always great to be a part of these big international meetings and Dubai is exceptional as well, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Spirit Dancer, the talented gelding, has a busy few months ahead in the Middle East. The Jebel Hatta, where he triumphed and where 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj also featured, marks the beginning of his upcoming engagements. He is set to participate in the Saudi Cup meeting next month and will return to Meydan on Dubai World Cup night later this year.
With his recent victory in Bahrain, Spirit Dancer has earned an automatic spot in the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh scheduled for 24th February. He also has the option of participating in the fixture's main event, the US$20,000,000 Saudi Cup, by switching to dirt.
“We’re certainly using this as a prep for Saudi and he will maybe just need the run,” continued Fahey.
“He will stay in the Middle East now for a few months and hopefully also get an invite for Dubai World Cup night.
“We haven’t decided yet (which race in Saudi Arabia) and we’re just keeping our options open. It’s very difficult to get away from a $20,000,000 race but the Neom Cup does look the easier race, so we will speak to the team and see what they think.”
For Amy Murphy, it was an easy decision to escape the chilly British weather and enjoy a sunny weekend in the UAE. However, her real desire was to achieve success on the Classic trail. To accomplish this, she sent two of her Listed winners, Geologist and Myconian, from her yard in Newmarket to Dubai. Geologist, a filly by Territories, had won the Koln-Winterkonigin Trial at Cologne in September, while Myconian, a gelded son of Magna Grecia, had won the Prix Yacowlef at Deauville in July.
Although both horses finished in fifth place on their debuts in Dubai, with Geologist competing in the 1400m Jumeirah Guineas Trial and Myconian competing in the Al Wasl Stakes, a 1200m turf sprint a week later, Murphy remains optimistic about their first showing.
Speaking in Dubai, Murphy said, “She (Geologist) has come out of her race in good shape.
She was the only filly in the race and had to take on the colts, but she shaped up well to finish a staying on fifth and if all goes well, she’ll head for the Jumeirah Fillies Classic on February 2nd and then further with the Guineas campaign in mind if all goes well.” Of Myconian, Murphy added: “He was on the go for a bit last year. He won the first two-year-old race in Europe at Saint-Cloud and then had some great starts through the summer, including when winning that Listed event at Deauville.
“Then, with Dubai in mind, we had him gelded because it makes him more manageable here and gave him a holiday and freshened him up and here he is and seems to be in great form. “We are looking forward to a great time with him.
He’s the sprinter type and being away for six months we’ve had to do a bit of schooling with him, but he’s as good as we could get him at home.” With limited artillery at her disposal, Murphy was forced to ship small. “Having the 3YO races on turf has been a big help for us and to be honest the older horses were very hard to get hold of,” Murphy said. “The horses in training this year are 105 and above so we sort of targeted what we have already which was two horses turning three that fit the programme. “Back home it’s minus temperatures right now so it’s good to get a bit of sunshine and so I thought I’d enjoy it when I could.”