Queally pleased with Twice Over
Henry Cecil is anxious to win the world’s richest horse race for his longstanding owner Prince Khalid Abdullah and he has changed his approach in training the six-year-old this time, bringing him over for a round of the Maktoum Challenge on the course.
Last year Twice Over only had the benefit of a racecourse gallop at Lingfield before finishing 10th in the World Cup, where he was undone by a combination of an unfavourable draw and bad luck in running.
He went on to win the Coral-Eclipse and the Champion Stakes as well as placing in other key Group Ones and is only 7-4 with Ladbrokes for Saturday’s race.
Queally, who described Twice Over’s appearance on the track at Meydan on Tuesday as “a routine piece of work”, went on: “He’s grand. I’m happy enough with him and it’s so far, so good.
“He looks to have tightened up a little since the run and let’s just hope we get some luck this year.
“He’ll have a blow on Friday and hopefully we’ll get him there in one piece.”
Aidan O’Brien’s World Cup hope Cape Blanco has arrived in Dubai, but the earliest he will be seen in action on the course is tomorrow.
Gitano Hernando has met Twice Over on a handful of occasions and the other British-trained World Cup contender is another to have been given plenty of time to get accustomed to the heat.
He was sent off favourite for last year’s race and finished sixth under Kieren Fallon but will have Johnny Murtagh in the saddle on Saturday.
The strapping chestnut was behind Twice Over in the Champion Stakes and then third to him in the Al Maktoum Challenge.
This will be his final start for Marco Botti and Team Valor, as he will switch to Herman Brown and run under the ownership of the controversial Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov.
A number of other participants did take to the Meydan track this morning however, including Japanese runner Buena Vista, who cantered easily for two laps under work rider Tsuyoshi Matsuda.
