Successful last year, Jutland – trained by Doug Watson – is the mount of Pat Dobbs and a great servant to the yard over the last five seasons. As well as landing this last season, he has four other course wins to his credit and has also won twice on the Abu Dhabi turf, including the 2013 Group 3 Abu Dhabi Championship.
That effort was sufficient to gain him an invitation to World Cup night when he was fourth in the Dubai Gold Cup. Watson said: “He is nine now but retains all his enthusiasm and plenty of ability. This has been his main target and hopefully he is going to run a big race.”
Musabah Al Muhairi saddles 2014 winner, Interpret, a winner on his final start last season but badly out of sorts in his two starts this season and stable jockey, Fernando Jara, rides Tanfeeth.
Jara’s mount is one of three in the race owned by Sheikh Hamdan and, significantly, his retained jockeys, Paul Hanagan and Dane O’Neill, neglect him in favour of Sefri and Haatheq respectively.
Trained by Erwan Charpy, Sefri carries a penalty having won the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile on his most recent start, while Ali Rashid Al Raihe saddles Haatheq, winner of the course and distance prep two weeks ago.
He was chased home on that occasion by Bluff, trained on the track by Dhruba Selvaratnam and the mount of Chris Hayes who said: “Hopefully we can at least finish closer this time.”
