Al Nayyir finding his feet ahead of Dubai Gold Cup challenge
Last year's runner-up in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup was bred by Godolphin and had one modest start for the operation in the UK before being bought for just Dhs.40,000 ($11,00/£8,500) by owner Elbashir Elhrari at the Emirates Racing Authority's Racing In Dubai September Sale.
Adam Driver, Elhrari's racing manager and associate, explains: 'He'd had problems with his feet. We went to see him in Newmarket, you could see he'd had lots of issues and I think they were struggling with him.
'I really like the Godolphin sales because you get so much information, all the veterinary records, it's so helpful for a buyer to make a judgement. He must have been about the cheapest Dubawi ever sold at that kind of sale.
'In Dubai they love the Dubawis and for me he's the number one global stallion because he gets turf horses and he has horses that run extremely well on the dirt in Dubai. It's why we look at them so closely and why they usually have a premium when they go through.'
Driver, a qualified vet who spent many years working at the Dubai Equine Hospital, arranged for Al Nayyir to move to Doug Watson's local stable.
'Doug's a very good trainer and I knew his farrier,' he adds. 'That was going to be the key, to get his feet right. We had a plan of what to do, and to just give him time, then we had a racehorse.
'Fortunately Bashir is a very smart guy as well as being a real sportsman who just understands racing. I said to him that physically Al Nayyir was such a lovely horse but obviously no hoof, no horse. It was one of those where at this value, if we can get him right, who knows what we may have.'
Through the 2022/23 season Al Nayyir would pick up three handicaps at Meydan and finish a good third in the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy before continuing his progress during a stint in France.
Twelve months ago, he was given a fine ride to finish second to Tower Of London in the Dubai Gold Cup and, following another move to trainer Tom Clover, finished a short head behind Vauban in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York. Driver says the experience has been the thrill of a lifetime for Elhrari, a Libyan who has horses trained around the world.
'There was one race with Doug where he just came from nowhere,' the founder of Global Equine Group says. 'That's when we realised we had a special horse.
'He's a very interesting horse as a stayer because he's got a sprinter's turn of foot, which I don't see normally, they're usually just gallopers. It makes him quite adaptable.'
The team had contemplated bringing Al Nayyir back for the Dubai Racing Carnival but opted instead for a trip to Saudi Arabia where he was fifth, under top weight, in the Red Sea Turf Handicap.
Driver expects the outing to have brought the seven-year-old to his peak for Saturday.
'I think he's a horse that likes winter sun,' he says. 'In December and January he was a bit sulky and not impressed with the weather in the UK. It showed as he was like a woolly beast in Saudi but he absolutely ran OK.
'The track didn't really suit him and unfortunately it was very messy around him, a stronger pace than probably we anticipated. The piece of work he did last week with Luke Morris was great, Luke said he felt like he was before York. We've had some bright days in the UK and he's been under the heat lamps. He's really picked up and come on from Saudi.'
Meanwhile, Being universally liked is a rare thing, but no-one has a bad word to say about Julio Olascoaga.
The young Uruguayan has enjoyed some impressive results during his three years with a licence in the UAE but has the chance of a big upset when Drew's Gold takes on Tuz and Straight No Chaser in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (sponsored by (Nakheel).
Second in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes when trained in the US by James Chapman, RRR Racing's five-year-old had a good first run for Olascoaga, finishing third to Tuz in the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint in January, before missing the break when only ninth in the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal last time.
'Gelson [Ribeiro], one of our work riders, has been working with him in the gate so I'm confident he won't do that this time,' says the trainer.
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