REVIEW / DUBAI WORLD CUP 7 ADIYAT RACING PLUS ISSUE 840 Thursday 4th April 2024 adiyat racing plus.com SEEMAR AND O’SHEA WERE DETERMINED TO REMAIN POSITIVE, WITH THEIR GAME PLAN TO GO FORWARD UNDETERRED DESPITE LAUREL RIVER BEING ALLOTTED STALL 12 AT WEDNESDAY’S POST POSITION DRAW. River floated along the back stretch as the race took a familiar shape with old adversaries Ushba Tesoro and Senor Buscador held up in rear, craving a late pace collapse, the like of which they saw in the Saudi Cup. Defunded momentarily moved onto the heels of the Juddmonte pacesetter at halfway, but that pace pressure swiftly took its toll as oneby-one the leader’s rivals dropped by the wayside and came off the bridle. Pre-race favourite Kabirkhan had looked to be in the perfect position to stalk the early speed, but the unrelenting gallop set at the head of affairs by O’Shea on the former Bob Baffert trainee left the Kazakh-owned son of California Chrome wilting as the runners turned out of the back straight. Laurel River was then heading into unknown territory as he turned for home, but his rider’s determination to ride him as if he was a confirmed stayer was born out as he swiftly stretched further and further clear in the straight, allowing his jubilant rider to accept the cheers of the crowd as he strolled to an eight-and-a-half length success. Last year’s winner Ushba Tesoro was carried out on his shield in second, while his Riyadh conqueror Senor Buscador took third. A delighted Seemar, who joined Michael Costa at the top of the trainer’s championship on 36 winners going into the final week of the season, said: “I’m still coming to terms with what’s happened. I think it’ll probably sink in in another day or two. It’s absolutely amazing. Tadhg said this morning, ‘We’re drawn 12, I’m not going to be two-minded about it, I’m going to go forward.’ “He’s got so much natural pace. He comes out of the gate and this is why we ran him over six furlongs (in the Al Shindagha). “Tadhg was able to get some easy fractions and then I saw Defunded coming on his outside but he just kept on going further clear. I expected to see all the closers flying at him but he kept going. “I was a small kid when I was watching these colours winning some of the biggest races in the world. What the late Prince Khalid Abdullah has done for racing is amazing, I couldn’t believe I was going to be training the In a class of his own: Laurel River
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