KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The stage is set for a heavyweight tactical battle under the Meydan lights after Japan's dirt titan Forever Young drew stall six for Saturday's $12 million Dubai World Cup, a flagship race on the world map.
A compact but elite field of nine was finalised during Wednesday morning's post-position ceremony, where the geometry of the starting gate provided a major boost to the leading international contenders.
Yoshito Yahagi, the mastermind behind the top-rated favourite, expressed quiet confidence after securing a middle-to-outer berth.
Forever Young, who finished a valiant third in this race last year despite starting as favourite, arrives in Dubai with a top rating of 125 again and a sparkling record of 11 wins from 14 runs.
His track work on Wednesday morning was shorter than planned, but Yahagi said everything was going as per plan. "I wanted middle to outer, so I'm pleased. Ryusei Sakai [jockey] breezed him over five furlongs this morning," Yahagi said.
"We decided to give him lighter work than originally planned due to the fast track conditions here at Meydan. We successfully completed exactly what we intended to do this morning, Sakai executed as planned, he looked to have a spring in his step and all is well."
The Japanese star will break just one stall away from the defending champion, Hit Show, who will begin his quest for a historic double from gate five. Owned by Wathnan Racing, Hit Show became a Meydan hero last season by navigating a crowded field with clinical precision.
Despite the presence of the Japanese favourite, the American raider appears ready for the challenge. Jockey Florent Geroux dismissed any concerns about the draw. "It doesn't matter for him really."
Case Clay, manager for Wathnan Racing, the Qatari owners of Hit Show, acknowledged that rival Forever Young as arguably "the best horse in the world" but added: "Forever Young travelled all over the world and won the big races. And Magnitude is a bit of a freak in himself. But Hit Show goes in there and doesn't have anything to fear. He was able to navigate this race last year and he obviously likes the track. All you can ask is to be in with a chance."
Magnitude, another formidable American challenger, has drawn stall one. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi welcomed the draw, noting that the natural pace gives them a wealth of options to control the race from the outset.
The local UAE contingent is led by the Bhupat Seemar–trained pair of Imperial Emperor and Walk of Stars from stall three and seven respectively. Imperior Emperor is rated higher of the two. "It's perfect in seven," Seemar said of his draw position.
"Forever Young is on the inside of him and he is going to be the favourite. He's the right horse to follow. [Jockey] Tadhg O'Shea can just jump and follow him, hopefully all the way to the line, and hopefully we can be a head or a length in front."
Adding to the UAE representation, Simon Crisford's Meydaan will break from stall two. While Crisford said he would have preferred a wider draw to avoid being shuffled back, he retained confidence in the son of Frankel to handle the intensity of the early pace.
Rounding out the field, Tap Leader and Tumbarumba both secured wide draws in gates eight and nine respectively. For Doug Watson, the penultimate stall is just what the doctor ordered for Tap Leader. "We wanted to be on the outside. A couple of times he got in the middle of it and we had to check him a couple of times in his last race. From stall eight, he should be able to keep his momentum up for the entire race."
Similarly, Hamad Al Jehani said he was "very happy" for Tumbarumba. "It is not a big field with only nine horses. It gives us options from where we can choose the best position during the race. Hopefully it will be useful."