Big plans for horses from Hong Kong at Dubai World Cup

Military Attack and Akeed Mofeed are the first Dubai World Cup runners from Sha Tin since 2007 as six Hong Kong horses will be in action on Saturday, writes Geoffrey Riddle.

Hong Kong Derby winner Akeed Mofeed canters around the Meydan Racecourse on Thursday. Martin Dokoupil / Reuters

DUBAI // The gold leaf to Hong Kong's Dubai World Cup challenge was applied at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday morning when jockeys Joao Moreira and Douglas Whyte took to the Tapeta track aboard Military Attack and Akeed Mofeed.

Moreira flew in having partnered two winners at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Wednesday night and took Military Attack for a complete circuit of Meydan. He followed stablemate and Dubai Golden Shaheen hope Stirling City before increasing the pace for the final 1,200 metres.

Military Attack proved he can operate at the highest level when he won the International Cup at Kranji in May. There is a question mark as to whether he can handle artificial surfaces, but judging by how he ran at just after 7am yesterday he may well be in the hunt for a slice of US$10 million (Dh36.7m) when he breaks from Gate 8 on Saturday.

“He felt great,” said Moreira, who is known as “The Magician”. “Obviously he doesn’t like the kickback on his face and he shook his head a little, but apart from that he worked very well. It’s exciting because I think he has a very good barrier draw.”

Whyte was out on the track on Akeed Mofeed a little earlier and trainer Richard Gibson said after his charge had cantered for about 1,400m that the jockey had given him the “thumbs up”.

Hong Kong have not had a runner in the World Cup since 2007, when Bullish Luck ran third behind Invasor at Nad Al Sheba.

Indigenous, Hong Kong’s only other runner, was eighth in 2000.

Hong Kong trainers have a terrible record in Dubai in general, having sent over 32 runners with only Joy And Fun’s success in the Al Quoz Sprint in 2010 and Vengeance Of Rain’s victory in the 2007 Dubai Sheema Classic to show for their efforts.

Alongside Akeed Mofeed, Military Attack and Stirling City, Hong Kong will be represented by Dominant in the Dubai Sheema Classic, Blazing Speed in the Dubai Duty Free and Rich Tapestry in the Golden Shaheen.

Joy And Fun will also try to reclaim his crown in the Al Quoz Sprint, in which fellow raider Amber Sky is the widely regarded favourite.

John Moore, Military Attack’s trainer, feels that this year the Hong Kong team will not return home with their “tails between their legs”.

Moore said: “These are all very fit horses and the lead-up has been perfect. It is the best team that has come here and I wouldn’t be surprised if we win three races.”

Moore said that a lot of Hong Kong’s runners had been working anti-clockwise at home before arriving in Dubai to try to acclimatise better to Meydan’s left-handed track layout.

This is in contrast to how racecourses are configured in Hong Kong.

“This is the right time of year for a lot of our horses,” Richard Gibson, Akeed Mofeed’s trainer, said.

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