Youmzain tops Dubai International Racing Carnival acceptors

2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival:  For immediate release from Tuesday, November 20, 2007 

Youmzain, runner-up in Europe’s premier two races in 2007, heads a stellar list of some of the world’s finest thoroughbreds accepted for the 2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival. 

The Carnival, which starts on January 17, has attracted an astonishing 21 horses who won Group 1 races in 2007.

Big names, including Eagle Mountain, Asiatic Boy, Quijano, Oracle West, Linngari, Spirito Del Vento, Yellowstone, Majestic Roi, Halicarnassus and Sushisan – who between them represent South Africa, Germany, France and the UK – are all set to run at Nad Al Sheba.

With an international rating of 125, the top-class Youmzain, owned by Dubai-based businessman Jaber Abdullah, is set to be the highest-rated horse ever to run at the Dubai International Racing Carnival, following his seconds in the 2007 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe.

The four-year-old also showed his class when third in the US$5 million Dubai Sheema Classic, the joint-richest turf race in the world, at Nad Al Sheba in March, and could return to the track at the Carnival’s Super Thursday meeting on March 6.

Trainer Mick Channon said: “Youmzain came straight to the Dubai Sheema Classic last year without a run, but we might aim him first at the (Group 3) Dubai City Of Gold over the same distance.

“We’ve got a great team for Dubai, with another Group 1 winner in Majestic Roi and also Halicarnassus, who I have a lot of faith in.

“The Carnival and Dubai World Cup meeting have both gone from strength to strength over the years, and I can tell you that any trainer who doesn’t consider these races is not doing his job properly.

“It gives you the chance and incentive to keep good horses in training, and it’s fantastic to see all these horses from all over the place coming to Dubai. It makes the world of racing that much smaller.” 

Dubai International Racing Carnival regulars Jack Sullivan and Kandidate have also been accepted, while, following on from Mystical’s groundbreaking success last year, India have four being aimed at the Carnival, including the highly-regarded Southern Empire.

The Queen also looks set to have her first runner in the UAE with the Andrew Balding-trained Banknote, while leading US owner-breeders William S Farish and William S Farish jnr are also likely to tread new ground in the UAE with the John Gosden-trained Royal Oath.

In total, the Dubai Racing Club received applications from 91 different trainers representing 19 visiting countries, also including Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Macau and Singapore.

Dubai Racing Club International Manager ersonName w:st="on">Martin TaltyersonName> said: “The 2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival promises to be the classiest yet.

“We have 21 individual horses who won Group 1 contests in 2007, compared to 16 the previous Carnival, and we received 16 per cent more applicants than last time around.

“Clearly, Nad Al Sheba from January through to April is in the forefront of most of the leading horsemen’s minds, evidenced by the fact we have 12 horses rated 116 or more.”