Mshawish will pose challenge: Pletcher

dubai — Trainer Todd Pletcher is pretty optimistic that his charge Mshawish will be in the mix in the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Racecourse on Saturday night.

Mshawish, the six-year-old son of Medaglio d’Oro, made the cut for the richest race in the world, with a dominant win in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Mshawish makes the step up to the big race after finishing third to Solow in the Dubai Turf last year. And Pletcher said the versatile Mshawish, adept on both turf and dirt, will pose a challenge.

“We are certainly optimistic,” Pletcher said at the Meydan Racecourse on Friday morning.

“The horse is in great form and his last two races on the dirt in the US were quite strong and we loved the way he shipped over and the way he handled it. He is a seasoned pro at this point and this will be his third time at Meydan. So, he is a fully mature horse that takes these things in his stride and I think that’s a big component of being successful,” he added.

Pletcher said that Mshawish’s lead-up to the race has been “borderline spectacular.”

“His quirks are only that he is so willing and he likes his job and he sometimes can be an aggressive horse in his morning routine. And Nick Bush, his exercise rider gets along with him really well and he has travelled with him now both years over here. So, we kind of know what he likes and Nick has done a great job with him and his works leading into this has been really borderline spectacular,” said Pletcher. And Pletcher said that it will take a spectacular effort from Mshawish to land the big prize.

“Probably, you can erase the borderline part and hope for the spectacular. I’m sure that’s what is going to take to win a race of this stature. We have tremendous respect for the horses that we know well coming from the US. California Chrome is a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner and had a good run here last year and a good prep. Frosted looks to be in good form and Hoppertunity is another horse and you have to respect Bob Baffert and his chances in these big races. Hoppertunity is a grinder and he will stay a mile and a quarter. So, it is a strong American contingent and Mshawish is part of that as well,” he said.

Frankie Dettori will be onboard Mshawish and Pletcher also said they were pleased with the draw.

“We are quite pleased with it. Talking to Frankie before the draw and his preference order was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, so, when 2 was available, we took it,” Pletcher said.

Meanwhile, Harry Herbert, racing manager of Al Shaqab Racing said more than the money, it would be the prestige of winning the world’s richest race.

“It is one of the great races of the world and it is one Al Shaqab Racing want to win. Prize money is one thing, the prestige of the race is everything. And obviously this is right there up at the top of the tree with the likes of the Arc de Triomphe,” Herbert said.