It's Carnival time again in Dubai

14 April 2012

It's winter racing but not as we know it. The Dubai International Carnival begins tomorrow with a seven-race card live on Racing UK and At The Races, providing a tempting option for punters who have grown weary of seeing old-plodders racing in front of three men and a dog at Britain's allweather tracks.

The numbers involved in a programme which peaks with the 10th running of the Dubai World Cup on 26 March make it easy to understand why trainers from all over the world have have decamped to the booming Arab emirate.

At the start of a year when British racing is facing up to £10m in budget cuts, the Maktoum family have bankrolled an 11-meeting festival offering over £13m in prize money and generous travel allowances.

Mick Channon, Mark Johnston, Jeremy Noseda and Clive Brittain have all seized the chance to swap the chill of Southwell for the sunshine of Nad Al Sheba, while Gerard Butler is

hoping to get off to a flyer in tomorrow's feature when Jack Sullivan tackles round one of the Maktoum Challenge.

The four-year-old reached the frame in two valuable races in Dubai last spring and, according to Butler, has been trained with a return in mind.

"He's definitely a dirt horse and put up a very good performance to win at Lingfield in November," he said. "He was very unlucky to get stuck in a pocket there last time out, but I'm sure he'll do well this year."

Whether he will do well enough to beat Tropical Star in tomorrow's Group 3 contest is another matter.

The locally-trained Machiavellian gelding thrived in 2004 and ran a blinder to chase home Firebreak in the Godolphin Mile on Dubai World Cup night.

A bloodless win over six furlongs two weeks ago indicates that he has returned better than ever, and the fact that Frankie Dettori will ride him for the first time in public is another major plus.

Meanwhile, Nigel Twiston-Davies has suffered "one hell of a blow" after his SunAlliance Hurdle winner Fundamentalist was ruled out for the season.

The Supreme Leader gelding had been pencilled in for the Victor Chandler Chase and the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham until a scan revealed a tendon problem which will keep him out for around 12 months.

News of the setback forced bookmakers to cut the exciting Kauto Star to as short as 9-4 for the Arkle, while Geoff Wragg's Autumn Glory will have to defy 10st to win the first major handicap of the British Flat season after the weights for the Stanleybet Lincoln at Doncaster were published today.

FORMER useful Flat performer Romany Prince could make his jumping debut at Doncaster next week.

Trainer Steve Gollings has pencilled in a trip to the South Yorkshire track for the six-year-old, who has been entered for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Romany Prince only won once in 18 starts for David Elsworth, although he was first past the post in a Listed race at Sandown last July, only to be placed second behind Silver Gilt at a subsequent Jockey Club hearing.

INGLIS DREVER is set to run in the Commhoist Logistics Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on Saturday.

Trainer Howard Johnson has also entered the six-year-old in the twoanda-half mile totesport Hurdle on the same card but with the ground riding on the heavy side, would prefer to tackle the shorter race.

LAST YEAR'S Spring Mile winner Autumn Glory heads the weights for the Stanleybet Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday, 2 April.

The five-year-old, who is on 10st, also landed Group Three events at Deauville and Newmarket in 2004 and is quoted as a 20-1 chance for victory by the sponsors.

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It's Carnival time again in Dubai

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