Argentinean-bred Candy Ride, trained by Ron McAnally, was a multiple Grade One winner in his home country, before winning his three outings in America, including his latest, a three length win in the Pacific Classic {G1) at Del Mar. Bobby Frankel's Medaglia D'Oro finished runner up to Candy Ride in the Pacific Classic, before going on to finish a length and a half second to the Richard Mandella-trained Pleasantly Perfect in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic {G1) at Gulfstream Park.
Pleasantly Perfect's win in the Breeders' Cup Classic {G1) capped an awesome day of racing for Mandella, who made history when training the winners of four Breeders' Cup races at one meeting.
Funny Cide, trained by Barclay Tagg, could follow in the footsteps of the 1999 Dubai World Cup {G1) winner Silver Charm, who also won the Kentucky Derby {G1) and Preakness Stakes {G1) prior to competing in Dubai. Four-year-old Funny Cide made a winning start to his 2004 season with a five length win in a 1,400 metre conditions event at Gulfstream Park.
Dual Dubai World Cup {G1) winning trainer Bob Baffert could run Congaree, fourth in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic {G1), before winning the Cigar Mile Handicap {G1) in November by over five lengths.
Fleetstreet Dancer, trained by Doug O'Neill, was a nose winner of the 2003 Japan Cup Dirt {G1) at Tokyo Racecourse in November.
Admire Don, the best dirt horse in training in Japan, has been invited to run in the Dubai World Cup {G1). The Hiroyoshi Matsuda-trained son of Timber Country, who finished a nose behind Fleetstreet Dancer, won his previous three Group One outings, including a four length victory in the Mile Championship {G1).
Another invited from Japan is Star King Man, trained by Hideyuki Mori, who was fourth in the Japan Cup Dirt and more recently a three length winner of the Tokyo Daishoten {G1) over 2,000 metres.
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner up and multiple Group winner Mubtaker could represent English trainer Marcus Tregoning, following his invitation to run in the Dubai World Cup {G1).
Fields of Omagh has been invited to fly the flag for Australia in the Dubai World Cup {G1), the Tony McEvoy-trained seven-year-old was the winner of the W.S. Cox Plate {G1) at Moonee Valley in October.
Rakti, winner of the Dubai Champion Stakes, sponsored by Emirates Airline, has been invited to run in the US$2,000,000 Dubai Duty Free {G1), sponsored by Dubai Duty Free over 1,777 metres on the turf. The Michael Jarvis-trained multiple Group One winner ended his season as runner-up to the 2003 Champion Falbrav in the Hong Kong Cup {G1).
Refuse to Bend, winner of the English 2,000 Guineas when trained by Dermot Weld, has been transferred to Godolphin and could be a Dubai Duty Free {G1) runner, as could the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Vespone, winner of the Prix Jean Prat {G1) and the Grand Prix de Paris {G1).
Gerard Butler's Nayyir, a Group Two winner in England, is already in Dubai preparing for the Dubai International Racing Carnival and has been invited to run in the Dubai Duty Free {G1).
Paolini, the Andreas Wohler-trained globe trotter was second to Ipi Tompe in last year's Dubai Duty Free {G1) and may return for another shot, his most recent outing saw him finish second to Sulamani in the Arlington Million {G1).
Breeders' Cup Turf {G1) winner Johar, trained by Mandella, has been invited to run in the US$2,000,000 Dubai Sheema Classic {G1), sponsored by The Palm over 2,400 metres on the turf.
Cajun Beat, winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint {G1), headlines the invitees for the US$2,000,000 Dubai Golden Shaheen {G1), sponsored by Gulf News, over the straight 1,200 metres. Others invited include the South African sprint star National Currency, plus the two leading Australian sprinters Exceed and Excel, trained by Tim Martin and Our Egyptian Raine.
Adoration, the Breeders' Cup Distaff {G1) winner, trained by John Shirreffs, has been invited to run in the US$1,000,000 Godolphin Mile {G2), sponsored by the Jebel Ali International Hotels.
Trainer Jamie Osborne's Dewhurst Stakes {G1) winner Milk It Mick has been invited to challenge for the US$2,000,000 UAE Derby {G2) over 1,800 metres also on the invite list is the Nick Zito-trained Grade Two winner Eurosilver and Richard Hannon's Fantastic View, runner-up in the Racing Post Trophy {G1).
