Dubai Festival

Mike de Kock has decided that he can afford to wait no longer with some of his South African stars, including Horse of the Year Igugu, and they will begin a lengthy and circuitous journey to Dubai.

GRAND VENT has become the third victim of the ill-starred Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan.

CIRRUS DES AIGLES added another richly endowed Group 1 to his impressive haul with a gutsy victory over St Nicholas Abbey in the Sheema Classic at Meydan on Saturday.

THE Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan on Saturday, which was stopped after Fox Hunt suffered a fatal injury, will be re-run at the end of the card.

TOP Japanese jockey Yutaka Take played down fears that World Cup second favourite Smart Falcon lost condition on his trip to Meydan after riding him for the first time in Dubai on Thursday.

CHECHEN president Ramzan Kadyrov, whose Gitano Hernando was a late withdrawal from Saturday's Dubai World Cup because of injury, will have a runner in the world's richest race after all.

JOCKEY Ahmed Ajtebi believes he can land a memorable victory on Capponi in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on Saturday.

TRAINER Ken Kozaki has expressed some concern about the condition of his Dubai World Cup second-favourite Smart Falcon after the seven-year-old lost 20kg on his journey from Japan.

TOP US trainer Bob Baffert is continuing to recover from the heart attack he suffered in Dubai in the early hours of Monday and could be out of hospital as early as Thursday.

AIDAN O'BRIEN's team for Dubai World Cup night experienced the Tapeta track at Meydan for the first time on Wednesday with World Cup favourite So You Think leading the five-strong team in a light workout.