Lost In The Moment, here with Mickael Barzalona aboard, will contend for the Melbourne Cup along with stablemate Modun.
Lost In The Moment, here with Mickael Barzalona aboard, will contend for the Melbourne Cup along with stablemate Modun.

Godolphin sends two pair to do bidding at Breeders and Melbourne



The Godolphin duo Alpha and It's Tricky are among the entries for the Breeders' Cup next weekend.

The two Kiaran McLaughlin-trained horses are due to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday to prepare for their races in Louisville, Kentucky.

Alpha has been entered in Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile over a mile and half a furlong next Saturday and is set to face a up to 13 opponents in the two-year-old contest on dirt.

It's Tricky is due to race a day earlier in the nine furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on dirt. The maximum number of runners is 14.

The Dubai-based operation also have Lost In The Moment and Modun in the second declarations for the Melbourne Cup.

The Group 1 race has proved an unconquerable fortress for all but a handful of foreign raiders, but the paucity of homebred entrants for next Tuesday's race has seen administrators come in for criticism.

Final acceptances on Saturday for the A$6.2 million (Dh23,564m) race might see only two Australian-bred horses make the field of 24, prompting industry figures to blame greed and the emphasis on big-money sprints in the domestic racing calendar for the local crop's lack of staying power.

In the past two decades, overseas trainers have spent a fortune flying horses south in the hope of winning the gruelling 3,200-metre handicap but only four from outside Australia or New Zealand have succeeded. That three of them have won in the last decade, including France-trained Americain last year, has set alarm bells ringing among commentators not comfortable with Australia's racing riches being ridden off on foreign horses.

"There are no staying races [here]," celebrated trainer Gai Waterhouse said this week.

"All they do is keep pulling [the races] back in distance. They must be mad, the clubs and the authorities. People love staying races."

A number of Australian race tracks have downgraded their traditional two-mile races to 2,400m, including the Perth and Brisbane Cups in recent years.

* Agencies

The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

SPECS

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder petrol (V Class); electric motor with 60kW or 90kW powerpack (EQV)
Power: 233hp (V Class, best option); 204hp (EQV, best option)
Torque: 350Nm (V Class, best option); TBA (EQV)
On sale: Mid-2024
Price: TBA

Company Profile

Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices

'Spies in Disguise'

Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

ARGYLLE

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, John Cena

Rating: 3/5


Abtal

Keep up with all the Middle East and North Africa athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Abtal