Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe was upbeat despite Cirrus Des Aigles's defeat in France on Tuesday in his warm-up race for his trip to Dubai later this month.
The French gelding could finish only fourth to Now We Can in the Prix Meydan Hotel, a conditions race over nearly 10 furlongs on a Polytrack surface at Chantilly.
Cirrus Des Aigles has been invited to run in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse on March 29. Now We Can also holds an entry in the US$5 million (Dh18.3m) race.
At eight years of age Cirrus Des Aigles is becoming increasingly cute in training but, having never won his opening race of the season, his trainer was unfazed at the defeat.
“It was not such a bad run,” she told The National by telephone from Chantilly. “He had a good run. He needed a good breeze and he had it. He has been beaten in the race before.”
Christophe Soumillon set the pace on Cirrus Des Aigles from the start and was pressed by Pierre-Charles Boudot aboard Ocovango, who holds an entry in the Dubai World Cup. Cirrus Des Aigles still led with 200 metres to go but simply stayed on in the closing stages as he was swamped by Thierry Thulliez and Now We Can.
Zazou, who beat Cirrus Des Aigles in the race two years ago ahead of a run into fifth in the Dubai World Cup, was second under Maxime Guyon while Mortga, trained by 2010 Dubai World Cup-winning handler Pascal Bary, was third.
“The jockey said he found him much more forward in his work this year than two years ago when he ran in the same race,” Barande-Barbe said. “This distance was too short for him as well and he knows how to keep things to himself when conditions are not in his favour.
“After the race he was just great and the race is perfectly timed for Dubai.”
Cirrus Des Aigles will now have two days off before he gets back onto his training programme, which will include one more major piece of work before he leaves for Dubai on March 21.
Cirrus Des Aigles did not start last season’s campaign until June because of a long-standing injury but signed it off in style with a second behind Godolphin’s Farhh in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October and third in the Hong Kong Cup in December behind Akeed Mofeed, who is also slated to arrive in Dubai on March 22.
Cirrus Des Aigles is out to reclaim the crown he won in 2012 from the ill-fated St Nicholas Abbey and could clash with Gentildonna, the Japanese raider who came up short in the 12-furlong event against St Nicholas Abbey last season.
Other prominent runners entered in the race include Ruler Of The World, the English Derby winner and Flintshire, who, like Ocovango, is trained by Andre Fabre.
Soumillon will return to Dubai for a choice set of rides on the Super Saturday card at Meydan, after Tuesday’s declarations.
The Belgian rider will partner Shea Shea in the Meydan Sprint, while he will also ride Mike de Kock’s Sanshaawes in the Group 1 $400,000 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, and Vercingetorix in the Group 1 $300,000 Jebel Hatta.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE