Back to work on the Dubai gallops

After a long, hot gruelling summer, things in the Emirates will step up a gear as work riders and other racing staff return from their holidays ready for a new season.

Most employees are expected to saddle up on August 1 to begin the process of getting their four-legged friends fit for the 2008-09 season. Some however, including Erwan Charpy, tend to leave their charges a little longer and most are not sat upon until the middle of next month.

A typical preparation regime consists of two to three weeks walking and trotting, before gradually stepping up to steady hacks and canters for a further three weeks. Finally horses get the chance to stretch their legs, and, depending on the individual, often stride along over approximately 800 metres for the last leg of the process. The whole term usually lasts around 12 to 14 weeks – injuries excluded.

Some horses carry plenty of condition (fat in human terms) during the off-season hence their incline to peak fitness is a much longer and slower process.

If you weighed 300 kilos and were suddenly asked to run 1600m, you would probably be unable to do so, or it would certainly put physical strain on you. The same applies to horses.

With the introduction of the Dubai International Racing Carnival, local handlers have their own work cut out trying to prepare their charges ready for racecourse duty in November, while also figuring out which horses could improve on their handicap rating and may be up to competing at the Carnival in January, therefore many like to leave a little petrol in the tank and not over-race them.

There were plenty of animals who looked potential superstars in the months leading up to the Carnival, but once the shot at the big money came around, had simply run out of fuel and struggled against their international rivals.

Some trainers have an influx of horses arrive in their stables closer to the Carnival and the pressure is on to get them ready to run during the 12-week racing extravaganza.

It is a task which I’m sure many handlers were unfortunately unable to complete last season due to time whizzing by so quickly. It all goes to show, there’s plenty to occupy a trainer’s mind: it’s not all about enjoying the morning sunrise as members of their string canter past. What with keeping staff under control as well, training the horses is probably a doddle!

Crowd-pleasing Arabs

A record 18,000-strong crowd attended the hugely popular Dubai Day at Newbury on Sunday. Rained off last year, conditions were much more pleasant this time around and a marvellous day was enjoyed by all, me included.

It was good to see Gill Duffield continue her domination of the Purebred Arabian racing scene and she saddled two winners. Royal Class certainly lived up to his name in the G2 Jumeirah Group International Stakes.