Axelrod, Capezzano, Gronkowski—All three Salem bin Ghadayer trainees are preparing off site and will all likely breeze on Tuesday morning.

Gunnevera—Trainer Antonio Sano is currently in Miami overseeing his home team, so Gunnevera’s preparation for Saturday’s $12 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline is being monitored by his two sons, Alex and Maurizio. The chestnut had a gentle morning on the dirt track.

“He arrived on Thursday last week with all the American horses, he travelled well and hopefully it stays that way,” Alex Sano said. “Today he went half a lap jogging the opposite way and then he did a lap and a half of slow gallop. He did all his strong work in the U.S. He did his last breeze last Monday (and) it was very good. My father will be here on Wednesday to see him, but the horse is just taking it easy this week.”

K T Brave—K T Brave was out early this morning, where he cantered one lap around the Meydan dirt track under an exercise rider from Ujitawara Yushun Stable, Hiroya Uwatoko.

“He shipped well and arrived in good shape,” said Keita Tanaka, the agent for owner Kazuyoshi Takimoto.

The 6-year-old son of Admire Max will be making his first international start this Saturday. Joao Moreira will be in the irons.

New Trails—Ahmad bin Harmash is approaching the biggest assignment of his training career with a ‘business as usual’ attitude, as he prepares the lightly raced 5-year-old New Trails to become his first runner in the Dubai World Cup.

“There is no change to the routine, just the regular canters,” said Bin Harmash, who is enjoying his most successful campaign, after compiling 20 winners in his sixth season with a trainer’s license among the peace and quiet of his desert facility at Al Aasfa stables.

New Trails, who was bred by Darley in the USA and started his career with one win from three races in Godolphin colours under master French trainer Andre Fabre, was switched to Bin Harmash as a gelded 4-year-old last October and promptly defied a break of 18 months by winning a Meydan handicap. He continued to climb up the ranks on the dirt surface, winning another handicap by 10½ lengths and running a good second to North America in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2, before running below his best when fourth to pace-setting Capezzano in the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3.

Bin Harmash, who believes that last outing was not New Trails at his best, completed the son of Medaglio d’Oro’s final piece of serious work on Sunday.

North America—Unbeaten in both his starts this season, the 7-year-old looks to be one of the leading contenders for Saturday’s big race.

Last out, North America won the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 by 2¼ lengths at Meydan on Feb. 7 and he had his last serious gallop this morning at Satish Seemar’s Zabeel Stables in the heart of downtown Dubai. Big-race pilot Richard Mullen was in the saddle.

“He had his final workout this morning. (He) went over 800m and did it nicely,” said Seemar. “Richard was happy with him and everything is good. We just have to get through the next five days. The horse will have an easy day tomorrow and then just do little hacks for the rest of the week.”

Pavel—The Doug O’Neill-trained Dubai World Cup contender Pavel arrived in Dubai on March 20. He came out onto the dirt track at Meydan Monday morning just before 7:00 a.m., where he worked 800m. His work was supervised by Leandro Mora, Doug O’Neill’s main assistant. The grey, who had finished fourth behind Thunder Snow in last year’s Dubai World Cup, looked in good form.

“He likes it here,” Mora said. “He likes travelling. It took about 18 hours to get here and everything went well. This morning, he worked 800m. On my watch it was 50 flat, but I didn’t take the pulse. I took a wild guess. I watched his performance and saw how he got it back. You could tell that he is in good form. I’m pretty pleased with him.”

Seeking the Soul—Charles Fipke’s Seeking the Soul was among the first horses on the track Monday morning, coming on just after 5:00 a.m. for an easy gallop. Trainer Dallas Stewart, who is making his second straight appearance in the Dubai World Cup, was en route to Dubai from New Orleans.

Thunder Snow—Godolphin’s contender is already in the local history books as the only horse to win both the Group 2 UAE Derby and Group 1 Dubai World Cup, and will seek to add further gloss to his resume by becoming the first dual winner of the latter.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor, the most successful handler in the history of the 2000m dirt feature with eight winners to his name, said: “He did his final serious piece of work on Saturday and went very well indeed. He needed his Super Saturday outing—his first run since November—badly and has come on a lot for it. We expect him to run a big race under conditions we know suit him, but obviously it is a good race.”

Yoshida—Multiple Grade 1 winner Yoshida, trained by Bill Mott for owners China Horse Club International Ltd, WinStar Farm, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners, arrived in Dubai on March 19 in preparation for the Dubai World Cup.

The handsome Japanese-bred son of Heart’s Cry arrives off a sixth-place finish in the inaugural Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

Mott’s son and top assistant Riley Mott will oversee the final preparations for Yoshida, who boasts Grade 1 wins on turf and dirt, having captured the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, as well as the prestigious Woodward at Saratoga last year.

“He’s settled in really well,” he said. “He travelled great and we’re very happy with him. The facilities here are top class. This is my seventh time over here and I find it very adaptable. We’re treated very well.”

Yoshida went out just after 7:00 a.m. to stretch his legs over the Meydan dirt track.

“He just had a routine gallop this morning and we let him stand in the gate. Nothing too serious,” Mott said.

Jose Ortiz, who has piloted Yoshida though his last two starts and was aboard for the Grade 1 score at Churchill Downs, will make his first appearance in Dubai to ride the versatile bay.

Yoshida is one of four Dubai World Cup runners who competed in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, captured by Accelerate, including the runner-up Gunnevera, third-place finisher and defending Dubai World Cup champion Thunder Snow and the well-travelled Pavel, who finished tenth.

Mott said he expects Ortiz, who guided Yoshida to a closing fourth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, will have plenty of options in the 2000m test.

“It sounds like there’s a lot of pace from the local horses, but we have a horse that’s pretty versatile in the way he runs,” Mott said. “He’s able to adapt to the pace scenario, so we don’t have to be too concerned. It’s just a matter of how the race develops in front of him.”

Image Pavel DRC/Hopwood