Dubai lure for champ
TRAINER Chris Waller and jockey Hugh Bowman have gone on a fact-finding mission to Dubai as connections of champion mare Winx consider another invitation to race overseas next year.
Waller and Bowman were in Dubai two weeks ago and fielded offers to race Winx at the World Cup meeting there in March.
“They made a pitch for Winx; most big racing countries have,’’ Waller said. “But the timing is not ideal as it is the middle of the autumn carnival in Sydney.
“Dubai is unlikely although it is something I will discuss with the owners at some stage soon.
“She has had all the inoculations for overseas but the plan is to be running in Australia in the autumn.
“It is a bit of a shame as the prizemoney in Dubai is massive but we are not ‘hunting’ prizemoney. If it was just about the prizemoney, she would be there for sure.’’
Five years ago, Australian sprinter Ortensia, trained by Paul Messara, used the Dubai World Cup meeting as a springboard into a successful northern hemisphere summer campaign.
Ortensia won the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai before travelling to England where she won the Group 2 King George Stakes at Goodwood and the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Waller said he was impressed with the facilities and standard of racing in Dubai and hinted he would like to campaign a team of horses there in the future.
“I always use the off season to have a bit of a look around,’’ Waller said.
“I got the surprise of my life when I went to Dubai.
“I was expecting a hot desert-type scenario but it was a very pleasant climate for the horses and the facilities are second-to-none.”
Winx, who has won 22 races in succession including three Cox Plates, is back in training at Waller’s Rosehill stables in preparation for a return to racing in February, most likely in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes at Randwick.