Dubai World Cup

[NoChanceToDance]

It's an interesting article, but seemingly written by someone who has a particular grievance over the Dubai Racing Club. In regards to the horse connections, yes - in some cases they were not respected well enough, not being granted access to the parade ring until the horses were almost leaving, rather ironically, this is more or less becasue of the media. What gives them the right to be in the parade ring all night? Have they paid for access? Have they a percentage in every horse? I understand the need for media representation, and the photos circulating gobally, but they are ruining the experience for those who actually make the Dubai carnival work!

At any given time, there would have been 50+ camera men/women as well as god knows how many journalists. I'm sorry, but they can get just as many images from an ares outside of the parade ring before each race, and the journalists can take notes and interviews anywhere on the track.

We were in race three, tried to access the ring after the trophy presentation of race two, but access was denied - at the same time, a guy with a camer and a red vest strolled straight through. By this time our jockey was there, looking lost, our horse was in there, but we, the owners were not allowed. This was simply because there were too many people already in the parade ring - many people who had no right to be there.

In regards to the tapeta, I simply do not agree. You only have to look at the run of Flotilla in the mile to show that (despite) slow sectionals, it is possible to make plenty of ground on this surface. Giovanni Boldini should have won the UAE Derby if making his run earlier - Jockey error, not the track. We have to remember that, the track got hit with heavy rain on Wednesday, which would have certainly tightened the track up - this is the outcome for every surface bar turf.

In the same week where the figures of horse deaths on different surfaces were released:
2.08 deaths per 1000 starters on dirt
1.66 for turf
1.22 for synthetics

Going back to a dirt surface would be criminal, immoral and down right stupid.