Quality rather than quantity is the order of the day at Herman Brown's Blue Stables for this year's Dubai showpiece. The South African handler, who won the US$5million (Dh18.3m) Dubai Duty Free with Jay Peg in 2008, has five confirmed runners for the Dubai International Racing Carnival, which gets underway this Thursday. "In previous years we have come here with 15 or 18 horses, but you find that as the season progresses you end up putting your hopes on four or five anyway," said Brown, who arrived in Dubai over the weekend.
"The other horses do make money for you if they are placed, but we are focusing on keeping the ones we have sound. They are quality horses this year and we have some exciting prospects." Brown's horses have travelled to the UAE from as far away as Australia, Italy, Argentina and the UK with the goal of doing well enough to earn a spot in one of the races on Dubai World Cup night. The early indications are that the three-year-old Argentine export Storm Chizpaso, winner of the Argentine Derby, is progressing well and the colt is being aimed at the Group Two $2m UAE Derby at the season finale at the Meydan racecourse.
"He's a nice horse," said Brown of the runner who came home first in two of his first three starts in his homeland. "He's big and rangy and still a little immature-looking physically. "But I would say there was more to come of him when he fills out. Mentally he seems to have the way about him of a more mature horse. "There are a few routes we can take with him, but we are looking at the Derby and he's versatile enough to run on grass and all-weather."
Bown's other big prospects, Mourilyan and Bankable, have been in the UAE since returning from Australia in November where Mourilyan scored a third in the Melbourne Cup. "He is looking well and the Sheema Classic will be the goal with him," said Brown. "We know he has no problem staying and we will just be looking to sharpen him up. "There are a few races for him before the big one, but we would be looking for two or three prep outings maximum."
Bankable may be more of a tricky prospect. "He's a bit more difficult because he is a horse with foot problems," explained Brown. "He is very capable and if everything goes well he is looking at the Dubai Duty Free. "We will take care with his training, focusing on swimming and treadmill mainly." Bronze Cannon, who won the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last June when trained by John Gosden, had a busy finish to 2009, contesting races in Moscow and Cologne before heading to the UK and on to Dubai.
"He's done quite a bit of running around," said Brown. "It was a shock when I saw him, he looks like a pony. He's five but he looks like a two-year-old. "But he's got some very good form so that tells me he has quite a lot of ability and time will make him a better horse. "He has been racing over a mile-and-a-half, but I think we'll bring him back to a mile, sharpen him up and see where we are." Lui Rei, placed in three races varying from six furlongs to a mile in Italy, arrives in Dubai as an unknown quantity.
"He looks like a miler to me," said Brown. "There's a nice shape to him but I won't know too much about him until we get him on the track." @Email:stregoning@thenational.ae