Salem bin Ghadayer Stable Tour

Trainer says

You never saw Axelrod’s true potential here. I believe he could have been a star. He has gone to Saudi Arabia and we wish him all the best.

Trainer says

Always a very talented horse and he showed he really liked the dirt at Meydan and then when he won the Jebel Ali Mile. Yes, of course, he can be tricky in the stalls but he was better at Jebel Ali and we can now look forward to the Carnival. He has already progressed massively in a short space of time so we have to be excited about him.

Trainer says

Certainly we have been disappointed with his two runs so far but he is getting older. Maybe he doesn’t have the sharpness as he used to, but I am confident he still has the ability and that as the season goes on, he will show it. Maybe it is because of his training, he is tricky horse so we have to do what he wants to do, which means working him on his own terms and on his own. That may mean he isn’t as ready yet as we would want him to be, but we will get there. I will speak with his owner but we could look at trying him over further again as he has won over 10f.

Trainer says

He probably won’t run here again as we have just had one or two issue with him. So we think the plan is to get a base of fitness into him before the European season where hopefully he can race a couple of times before retiring to stud.

Trainer says

She was supposed to start in the Cape Verdi (last Thursday) but we had a little problem five days before the race so we had to miss it. Maybe the Balanchine is still an option as that will at least keep her against her own sex as it isn’t easy for the four-year-old fillies here. We have plenty of faith in her ability, though, and when she won the UAE Oaks (by 18 and a half-lengths) she looked very good. She hasn’t grown much but we are confident she is a classy filly.

Trainer says

We will probably look for the Jebel Ali Stakes with Firnas. We like to be competitive in all the big races in the UAE and so we will take him there. He is very lightly raced for his age (just 13 starts) and has thrived this season in winning all three races, including a Listed race so now we have to try the higher grade but who knows where he will stop.

Trainer says

Another one who could go to Saudi if we get invited as we expect to. He was third there last year, but we haven’t seen his true worth yet here in Dubai. He was supposed to run in Bahrain (in November), but we had travel complications, so then had to stop with him as there wasn’t really much until the Carnival, and therefore he would have needed his run in the Singspiel on the opening night. He is better than that and hopefully we will see it soon.

Trainer says

Gronkowski nearly gave us a great day (second in the Dubai World Cup) and has gone to Saudi Arabia. We wish him all the best.

Trainer says

He has been in training but we are just keeping him happy. He would have gone back to Newmarket and a nice paddock during the summer but for Covid so that will hopefully still happen. He has given us many great memories so to race him again would only be for the people to see him one more time which isn’t fair on the horse.

Trainer says

He has had a very good summer. He is currently 25kg heavier than last year and I think he has done very well for his break. Maybe that means he isn’t as fit just yet, but we will hopefully start him off in the Firebreak Stakes (1m), as we did last season, and that can wake him up. He then won the Maktoum Challenge R3 and that had us dreaming of the Dubai World Cup and who knows what would have happened there. We hope to get there again and maybe even the Saudi Cup but we will have to see how we get on in the Firebreak first.

Trainer says

Mkfancy finished behind Firnas last time but Mickael (Barzalona) chose him for a reason that day and we are confident he will do well here. He just has to learn a new way, it is very different on the dirt here to racing in France and hopefully we will see that on his next start.

Trainer says

A really amazing horse, another that has won three times this season and his rating has gone from 58 to 91 since he has been here. He will probably run in the Jebel Ali Stakes as well. He loves the track and with the Carnival going on at the same time the good races at Jebel Ali can get ignored but we like to support them and win them!

Trainer says

He has done nothing wrong and although is two races have both been at Jebel Ali this doesn’t mean we don’t believe he has the ability to compete in the better races at Meydan. He really tries hard and is another exciting one for the future.

Trainer says

Meshakel is named after my champion camel! Mark Johnston always had plenty of faith in his ability, he was very impressive in winning his maiden for us here, and hopefully we can see him run well in the Guineas. His dam was a sprinter but I think he will stay (the 1m) and he is very much one for the future.