Big Orange will be aimed at the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March after his heroics at Goodwood on Thursday.
Big Orange became the first back-to-back winner of the Goodwood Cup since Double Trigger in 1998.
The strapping six-year-old gelding finished second to Vazirabad on Dubai World Cup night and owner Bill Gredley has no qualms about taking on again Alain de Royer-Dupre’s quirky but talented stayer, who is owned by the Aga Khan.
“Most owners would like to win big races and take on the big battalions,” said Gredley, who has 25 horses. “We are working backwards as we want to go to Dubai. If we didn’t have another race, we would still run in Dubai.
“We gave Vazirabad 4lbs there, which was a lot to give that sort of horse and we’d like to take him on again.”
Gredley is leaning away from dispatching Big Orange to Australia for the Melbourne Cup, in which Big Orange was fifth last year, with the Irish St Leger in September looking a likely option. Trainer Michael Bell is in favour of a return to Flemington Racecourse in November.
Godolphin’s Emotionless might also make the trip from Europe to Dubai following his head-scratching run at Goodwood on Friday. The former 2000 Guineas hope showed up well for 1,200 metres under James Doyle before fading markedly on good to firm going.
Immediately after the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes trainer Charlie Appleby felt Emotionless might have recoiled on the ground due his old knee injury that kept him out of the latter stages of last season and that a drop back to 1,400 metres might prove beneficial.
“He might be the sort of horse that enjoys a trip to Dubai for the winter, especially with his pedigree,” he added of the son of Shamardal on Sunday.
In America star mare Beholder was outbattled by Stellar Wind in defence of her Clement L Hirsch crown at Del Mar overnight on Saturday.
Gary Stevens and Beholder were joined 600 metres from the finish by Victor Espinoza and Stellar Wind and the two mares went head-to-head in a thrilling stretch battle before half a length separated them at the wire.
It was Beholder’s first defeat since June 2014 but it is not expected to derail the ambition to take on California Chrome and Dortmund later this month in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic that she won last season.
“She ran her race,” Stevens said. “You’ve got to give them credit. Beholder was comfortable up front. The fractions weren’t hard for her. At the three-furlong pole, I saw that shadow and I knew we might have a race. My mare hit another gear at the three-sixteenth pole, but Stellar Wind stayed right with us. I was surprised that she was staying with us. All credit to them. They were ready and they ran great.”
California Chrome trainer Art Sherman was present at the race to scout out the competition, while his son, Alan, worked the Dubai World Cup winner over two miles at Los Alamitos. California Chrome is expected to undergo a serious work on Thursday.
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