Next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be have plenty of rooting interests from the Middle East region, with pre-entries due out Wednesday. Saudi Arabia will have the usual suspect of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms colours in action, as Irish champ Siskin (trained by Ger Lyons) makes his swan song in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The famous pink and green silks could also be aboard Bonny South (Brad Cox) in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), while Amr F. Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stables will start possible $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) favourite Princess Noor (Bob Baffert).
United Arab Emirates interests will be piqued by the immensely talented 2-year-old Essential Quality (Cox), who appears to be Godolphin’s best chance all weekend in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), while the ‘Boys in Blue’ will possibly be represented by two girls in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1), Half Light (Henri-Alex Pantall) and Terebellum (John Gosden). Emirates Park Pty Ltd’s Mehdaayih is also under serious consideration for the same race. Meanwhile, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has one of the top choices in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), Mutasaabeq (Todd Pletcher) and HH Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Racing’s Lord North (Gosden) looms large in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).
Three Dubai World Cup Carnival winners also look to enter, if all goes well, including WC Racing’s Wildman Jack (Doug O’Neill), who set the 1200m turf standard at Meydan when winning Super Saturday’s Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint (G3) and is a hopeful for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). Cool Silk Partnership’s Carnival handicap winner Midnight Sands (Brendan Walsh) remains possible for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), while Mrs. Fitri Hay’s Dubai Dash (Listed) winner Equilateral (Charlie Hills) may join Wildman Jack.
A clearer picture will commence with the pre-entries announcement Wednesday and subsequently confirmed shipping plans. The declaration equivalent, the post-position draw, takes place Nov. 2.
Images
-Siskin winning the G2 Railway Stakes in 2019 (Racenews)
-Wildman Jack breaks the Meydan track record (Meydan Racing)
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