All set for Dubai World Cup night

The final touches have been laid and it will be all systems go for the 23rd renewal of the Dubai World Cup.

As has been the case, it is that eerie calm before the impending storm.
The final touches have been laid and it will be all systems go for the 23rd renewal of the Dubai World Cup, the greatest horse racing spectacle on the planet.
We are ever so near to hearing the sound of those thundering hoofs beating down on the home stretch of the Meydan Racecourse on Saturday. And what could unfold is anyone's guess.
The support cast, the other eight contests on the nine-race card, is quite impressive and will set it up, or like they say in horse racing, be handy for the piece de resistance.
There have been clear favourites for the Dubai World Cup in previous years but the $10 million magnum opus this year is perhaps the widest open field.
It is a field of 10 that will be heading to the bottle-green starting gates for the 10-furlong contest on dirt and any one of the 10 could hit pay dirt on the night.
In recent years, there have been favourites of the stature of California Chrome and that freak of nature Arrogate. They came with much fanfare and conquered.
This time, there are strong contenders, who have come with even strong reputations but none can be called a clear favourite. It only goes to show how level-playing this field is.
Any one of these 10, which includes two mares, is in with a shot to win on the night. There are five American horses in the field and the best of them is Bob Baffert' West Coast. The four-year-old colt from Flatter, is the American handler's best chance of landing a fourth victory at the Dubai World Cup after Silver Charm in 1998, Captain Steve in 2001 and Arrogate last year.
Baffert also has Mubtaahij, making his third appearance here after finishing runner-up to California Chrome in 2016 and fourth last year. West Coast, the mount of Javier Castellano, has a wide stall in Gate 9 and Mubtaahij, the ride of Victor Espinoza, will start from Gate 5. But Baffert is not unduly worried and believed that the gate is not important but the horse is.
Godolphin is in there with a shot with Thunder Snow carrying UAE's hopes. And Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor hopes Christophe Soumillon's mount can end his two-year drought on home soil.
Suroor is the most successful trainer at the Dubai World Cup with seven wins but his last win came in 2015 when William Buick partnered Prince Bishop to victory. Thunder Snow will break from Gate 10, not the ideal post, but Suroor is confident that the four-year-old colt from Helmet can be handy before going for broke.
Godolphin's other runner on the night is Talismanic, handled by Andre Fabre, and the ride of Mickael Barzalona. But North America could be the dark horse, so to speak, for Dubai-based Indian trainer Satish Seemar.
There are two mares in Forever Unbridled and Furia Cruzada.
james@khaleejtimes.com