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The Almond Of Japan’s Eye- by DWC Notes Team Member Kate Hunter

Ever since she first flashed her brilliant speed in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), Almond Eye has quickly gained notoriety as the most exciting filly to make the rounds since Gentildonna. The comparisons don’t end there as Almond Eye later went on to capture all three legs of the Filly Triple Crown and the Japan Cup, the same grand slam as Gentildonna managed in 2012.

Earlier this year she was named the Japan Racing Authority’s 2018 Horse of the Year, just as Gentildonna had been in 2012 and she will continue on that same general path by making her first start as a 4-year-old in Dubai.

Almond Eye is likely be be compared to Gentildonna for the rest of her life, but this season will be her opportunity to continue to carve her own path, a task she started by setting a world record for 2400m in the Japan Cup (G1) last year. Instead of running in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic like Gentildonna did, she will head to the Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World instead. It has been a move that has been continually questioned by the media, but her connections had clear answers at the ready.

“I had considered the Dubai Turf first as it is a one-turn race and will be easier on her since it will be her first start back,” trainer Sakae Kunieda said.

Silk Racing Co. president Masashi Yonemoto added: “We took Mr. Kunieda’s suggestion for her and since horses like 2014 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Just a Way have won this race and it is so highly rated each year that it would be a good option for her. She has run so well from 1600m to 2400m that 1800m will be a good distance for her.”

When asked if the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was still the plan for her, Kunieda explained that the final decision will be made by her owners at Silk Racing Club. “We want to take it one step at a time,” he said. Yonemoto added: “For now, there is no set plan for her autumn campaign. We will see how she does in Dubai and how she comes out of it and from there make the decision on what is next. We only want to think about the race here before us. It is very exciting to get to go abroad with her and we hope it goes well.”

Almond Eye in her first start on the world’s stage will be taking on two other Japanese mares who have proven form abroad. Vivlos won the Dubai Turf in 2017 and was second last year before finishing second in the Hong Kong Mile in December.

The other is Deirdre who ran third in the Dubai Turf last year and second in the Hong Kong Cup in December. If the 4-year-old filly can win this year’s renewal she will manage to do what Gentildonna could not in triumphing in her first international start.

“Normally, I’d be a little on edge about starting here fresh off a break,” said regular jockey Christophe Lemaire. “But she has enough ability to overcome that, so I am not worried.” When asked about it, Kunieda said: “She runs well when fresh.”

As the daughter of Lord Kanaloa sets out to make her own legend she is accompanied by her regular rider in Lemaire. She has become wildly popular in her home country of Japan and the fan enthusiasm for her Dubai debut cannot be understated with fans making their own flags and stickers and the sale of Almond Eye stuffed animals, hats, and other various kinds of memorabilia.

Her trip to Dubai sparked a massive jump in the number of Japanese journalists covering the Dubai World Cup meeting. She is likely to be the one to beat on Saturday and will have a massive target on her back, but given her closing kick, she’ll be a fast-moving target. “Even I don’t know where her limit is yet,” Kunieda said. “She means a lot to me, giving us this opportunity to travel with her. She is a really special filly.”

If all goes to plan for this enormously talented racehorse, the next super filly might be continuously compared with Almond Eye.

Audible Ready To Make Himself Heard -by DWC Notes Writer Alicia Hughes

When it comes to pulling off some sensational illusions, racehorses could put Houdini to shame with their collective sleight.

They can act like the second coming during morning hours and then leave their conditioners fitful when the race day results fail to match. Conversely, they can give off airs of disinterest in their daily training only to hit the competitive switch when the starting gates open.

Throughout his nine-race career, Audible has mastered the art of leaving trainer Todd Pletcher suitably stumped. This time last year, the son of Into Mischief looked downright ordinary in his preparations, but went on to deliver his best efforts to date. While the last few months have seen Audible finally start touting himself in the morning, backing up that gusto in the results column has become the new challenge.

Which version of Audible will show up for his expected run in the US$12 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline is the $64,000 question for his connections. If it’s the one that captured the Holy Bull Stakes (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) last year prior to his third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, there stands a good chance the bay colt owned by China Horse Club, WinStar Farm, Head of Plains Partners and Starlight Racing could become the latest American-based runner to depart with the golden hardware.

In his last two starts, however, Audible has looked a notch below his best self, finishing second in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) last December and fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. He caught a sealed, sloppy Gulfstream Park main track on both occasions –conditions he didn’t appear to relish – but he had also given his camp reason to think he would be sitting on go regardless.

“What’s been frustrating about his last two starts is he’s breezed better for those two races than he has really at any time in his 3-year-old year,” Pletcher said. “He’s somewhat of an inconsistent work horse and during his 3-year-old year, I was concerned going into the Florida Derby because his final work wasn’t quite as sharp as I was hoping for and he ran terrific. Since then, since coming back, he’s really turned into a very consistent training horse. All of his breezes have been really, really good and we’ve gotten exactly what we’ve asked him to do. It kind of leaves us scratching our heads a little bit about his last two starts.”

One thing that has often been steadfast for Audible is his ability to give an honest account of himself even when victory eludes him. His outing in the Pegasus World Cup marked the first time he had finished worse than third and his five career victories have been earned at distances from 1400m to 1800m.

“He came out of (the Pegasus) well and trained well and really it’s just such a lucrative opportunity that we feel like if he shows up and runs the kind of race that he did in the Florida Derby or Kentucky Derby, he’s capable of getting a piece of it,” said Pletcher, who will also be represented by Coal Front in the Godolphin Mile sponsored by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City—District One.

In a mantel already crowded with Breeders’ Cup triumphs, classic victories, and seven Eclipse Awards, success in Dubai is one of the few remaining carrots left dangling for Pletcher. His 0-for-16 record on the Dubai World Cup card features such close calls as Harlan’s Holiday’s runner-up finish in the 2003 edition of the signature race, and Pletcher readily admits that leaving no elite stone unturned fuels his motivation.

“I would love to add (a Dubai win) to our stable’s resume. We’ve knocked on the door several times,” Pletcher said. “We’ve had some really quality races over there and some good seconds, but that elusive win is what we’re searching for.”

The weeks since his Pegasus run have seen Audible make his case as a viable Dubai World Cup threat through a steady series of bullet workouts. Everything Pletcher has seen has told him the colt can handle the mental and physical challenge of taking on the world’s best.

He just hopes, this time, what he’s seeing is a sign of things to come and not a reminder of what once was.

Korean Racing’s Finest Hour Looms Via Dolkong In DWC -by DWC Notes Writer Jeremy Greene

When the attractive chestnut Dolkong placed third in Round 3 of the G1 Maktoum Challenge sponsored by Emirates Airline on Super Saturday, it represented a pinnacle of achievement for a South Korean-trained horse.

Just being part of the line-up for Saturday night’s Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline is a dream come true for promoters of the sport in the American-bred’s adopted homeland.

Not that it will filter through to a TV audience in his adopted country - where even local racing is not beamed live to homes - but to counteract this, the Korean Racing Authority will give his legion of fans an opportunity to watch him compete against the world’s best on the huge video screen at Let’s Run Park in Seoul at the admittedly challenging hour of 1:40 a.m. local time.

“He is the most popular horse in Korea and we have many people talking about him in the mainstream media. His performances in Dubai have captured the imagination and we are very proud of what he has done,” Dr Seungho Ryu, the KRA’s international racing manager, noted.

Overseeing the 5-year-old’s preparation is trainer Simon Foster. The Western Australian, who decamped to Seoul in 2017, is enjoying the ride and the associated attention.

“He has gone from being a novelty item earlier in the Carnival to being placed in a Group 1 and deserving respect and his place in the big one, the richest race in the world. It is obviously his biggest test yet, but he couldn’t be in better form and we are really looking forward it,” the handler said on Monday.

is four runs into his Dubai campaign. On this third start at Meydan in late February he routed a Listed line-up by almost 10 lengths to fuel connections’ hopes that he could feasibly seal a slot in the Dubai World Cup with a big run on Super Saturday.

“It was a quick back-up, just nine days, into his last start and things didn’t go his way. He was a bit slowly out of the barriers and then he was caught wide in the run. But to his great credit he still stayed on very well at the finish,” Foster recalled.

“That’s one thing about this horse: he is very genuine. No matter what he faces he still battles his very best to line. I have never seen him in a race where he doesn’t hit the line hard.”

Foster is of the belief that a freshen-up of three weeks since that last outing will stand Dolkong in good stead and maintains his horse has thrived at Meydan since arriving in the Emirates just before Christmas.

“He loves it here. I have never seen him better,” he enthused.

“Mentally, he is much stronger and mature. The same can be same about him physically and he is just a very happy and healthy horse in Dubai. We can do a lot more with him than we can at home Seoul and that variety has really switched him on.”

Overseas bookmakers rate Dolkong no bigger than 25-1 for the Saturday’s showpiece. Ryu of the KRA is a little more circumspect and claims he would be happy for connections to collect a slice of prize-money stretching down to sixth place.

Perhaps Dolkong’s never-say-die attitude makes this a realistic goal. Foster certainly thinks so.

“We think the best is yet to come,” he concluded.