Dubai // He has done it once, and believes he might have to do it again.
Last year William Buick came sailing past Dubai World Cup favourite California Chrome aboard outsider Prince Bishop to land the world's richest race.
The Godolphin rider suggested at Thursday’s Breakfast With The Stars event at Meydan that he may have to overtake the joint highest-rated horse in the world again if he is to become the first rider since Jerry Bailey to win successive World Cups.
Buick and Godolphin’s Frosted will break out of gate nine in Saturday’s $10million dirt event, while California Chrome will bid to go one better than 12 months ago from two gates wider under Victor Espinoza.
“The draw is something you can’t control but we have options out of stall nine,” Buick said. “He is an uncomplicated horse and California Chrome is on our outside. I don’t know what Victor will want to do. I would assume he will try to break and get the lead in the early stages of the race. I see him maybe in front of us.”
More from the Dubai World Cup
• Predictions for the main event | Racecard
• Analysis, predictions for early races
Bailey struck in the first two runnings of the World Cup on Cigar and Singspiel in 1996 and 1997. He followed up aboard Captain Steve and Street Cry in 2001 and 2002.
Buick has ridden at some of the world’s biggest meetings and has had ten rides on the $US30million card over the last six seasons.
On Saturday night he rides Charlie Appleby’s Tryster in the Dubai Turf and Jungle Cat for the Marmoom handler in the Al Quoz Sprint. He also partners Confrontation in the Dubai Golden Shaheen,
Buick was on the mark at the first World Cup meeting held at Meydan in 2010 when Dar Re Mi was a devastating winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic.
He maintains those experiences stand him in good stead as the build-up hits fever pitch.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be here for a few years now for the World Cup and I am glad I have because it is quite overwhelming and is a lot to take in,” he said. “I have seen it all before though and I am very lucky to be here.”
Another horse who is going to have to overtake California Chrome en route to World Cup glory is rival Keen Ice, the hold-up performer who cantered on the main track at Meydan on Thursday morning.
The Travers Stakes winner runs best when he has pace to aim at, seen to best effect when he picked up the pieces to a brutal duel between Frosted and American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga last summer.
Keen Ice will break from the inside gate, and when asked how he thought the race would pan out Romans replied: “If it was up to me, we will let him break on his own, let him find his stride and let horses come over as they want.
“We’ve got the world champion jockey and he just has to figure out how to get clear sailing from the eight-pole home.”
Keen Ice will wear blinkers on the advice of jockey Ryan Moore, who rode the four-year-old to a disappointing seventh place in the Al Maktoum Challenge on Super Saturday.
“I hate blinkers on a racehorse, I hate all equipment,” Romans added. “I go with as little as possible but for $10million, if you’re going to get a boost from blinkers, you roll the dice and throw them on there. You’ve got nothing to lose. We are all in,” he added.
“From what we’ve seen in his recent training, he’ll be a major contender in this race.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
