Aidan O'Brien might fear his Ballydoyle string aren't particularly forward but that isn't preventing the champion trainer sending a powerful team to Meydan's $27 million World Cup card this Saturday with the Epsom Derby hero Ruler Of The World favourite to land the world's richest race.
Ruler Of The World is currently a 7/2 market leader to land the 18th Dubai World Cup, worth $10 million and the highlight of a multi-million dollar Group One card that also sees O’Brien’s Santa Anita Breeders’ Cup winner, Magician, disputing favouritism with the Japanese superstar, Gentildonna, for the $5 million Sheema Classic.
O'Brien's son Joseph will ride both Irish stars while Ryan Moore is set to be on board Giovanni Boldini who will attempt to give Ireland's champion trainer a third win in a row in the UAE Derby after victories for Daddy Long Legs (2012) and Lines Of Battle last year. Colm O'Donoghue will team up with Sir John Hawkins in this year's race.
Another O'Brien contender on the Saturday card will be Ernest Hemingway in the Gold Cup but much of the focus will centre on Ruler Of The World's tilt at the big-money pot, the brainchild of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, and rival to Coolmore at the top of the world bloodstock market.
Managed fourth
So You Think managed fourth to Monterosso in the 2012 World Cup and the card has become more of a priority for Coolmore in recent years with the ill-fated St Nicholas Abbey securing a famous Sheema Classic victory last year.
Up to 16 Irish-trained horses overall remain in contention to run on Saturday, including the Eddie Lynam-trained pair Sole Power and Balmont Mast, who are being aimed at the Al Quoz Sprint and the Golden Shaheen respectively. Michael Halford’s Russian Soul is also down to take his chance in the Shaheen.
Willie Mullins’s focus will switch from the National Hunt sphere to Meydan as Simenon will join both Ernest Hemingway and John Oxx’s Saddler’s Rock in the Gold Cup.
Simenon is continuing his international travels having gone to Australia to finish fourth in the Melbourne Cup before finishing out of the money in both the Japan Cup and the Hong Kong Vase. He has since finished fifth to Cavlaryman at Meydan at the start of this month.
Un De Sceaux will run in a Grade Three hurdle over two miles three furlongs in France this weekend "all being well" according to Willie Mullins.
