Hunt Cup hero Settle For Bay heads Marnane's four-strong Dubai squad

Settle For Bay's victory in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot this summer serves as a reminder that David Marnane, although not a regular at the big meetings, can snare a major prize, and the trainer will head to the carnival at Meydan this winter looking to add to his big-race haul.

Marnane has been travelling to the gulf for over a decade, with stable stalwarts Elleval, Jamesie, Nocturnal Affair and Dandy Boy cashing some big cheques, but in Settle For Bay, Alfredo Arcano, Freescape and recent South American recruit Tato Key, the trainer makes the trip to the east with his best team.

Happy memories: Nocturnal Affair winning at Meydan under Ryan Moore for David MarnaneCredit: Andrew Watkins

"We’ve had plenty of horses who have been hovering between 95 and 105 and, while they might not make it in Europe, they can earn a lot of prize-money at Meydan," Marnane said.

Settle For Bay has not been seen since his Royal Ascot success as he picked up a stone bruise soon afterwards.

Marnane said: "We’re delighted with Settle For Bay and he's on top of his game. He picked up a stone bruise during the summer and rather than rushing him back for Irish Champions Weekend, we said we’d keep him for Dubai. This was always going to be a target as he’s owned by Denis McGettigan, who owns McGettigan’s pubs out there, and Maurice Casey, who’s always wanted to have a runner in Dubai.”

Settle For Bay: Royal Ascot winner will head to MeydanCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Marnane added: "He did a lovely piece of work at Dundalk two weeks ago and he’ll start off in a Group 3 over a mile and a furlong on the opening night of the carnival [January 3]. We don’t think the step up in trip will be a problem. We don’t know how good he is yet. The dream is he will line up in the Dubai Turf over nine furlongs on World Cup night."

Dundalk regular Alfredo Arcano has received a late call-up to the Meydan team after back-to-back victories at the County Louth track within the last month.

“Alfredo Arcano surprised me the first night at Dundalk as he was as fresh as a daisy and ours usually take a run and he followed up nicely last week which means he’s qualified to run on the turf and on the dirt at the carnival.

Away and gone: Alfredo Arcano (right) has qualified for MeydanCredit: Patrick McCann

“I will probably flip him back to the turf out there. He’s obviously very good at Dundalk but he has plenty of good form on the turf, so we’ll go over there thinking he can do well off a mark over 95. The only definite plan is he’ll run over six furlongs on the turf on January 10."

Unlike Settle For Bay and Alfredo Arcano, Tato Key is an unknown quantity for Marnane, having arrived from South America, where he won 12 of his 14 sprints.

Marnane said: “Tato Key has come over to us from South America and is owned by Zhang Yuesheng. He’s won a few Group 2 races. He’s never actually run in a Group 1 but he’s only just turned four. He worked at Dundalk a couple of weeks ago and was quite good.

He added: “There’s a race for him on January 31 and then he’ll come back on Super Saturday for another. Hopefully, one of those two runs will qualify him for the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup night.”

The Marnane contingent is completed by Freescape, who has Meydan form and will return to the track off a victory in a 6f handicap at Dundalk.

“It’ll be his second winter in Dubai and, although he was third in a Listed race out there last year, he was just a big child and wasn’t the finished article,” Marnane said,

“I think he’s unexposed over sprint distances. We’ll start him off over five furlongs and I think he’ll be coming home well. We couldn’t be happier with him.”

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