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Italian jockey Fresu keeps busy on quiet morning at Meydan

Life is Good settled into his rhythm on the second lap and I would think all connections were happy with him

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Monday morning dawned under a light mist that covered Meydan like a shroud, gently drifting in and back out again, providing the horses and riders with a welcome cool breeze.

This was the quietest morning on the track so far, even our Japanese horses mostly had a quiet one, having completed their toughest workouts on Sunday.

We did watch the track’s busiest jockey, Antonio Fresu, helping out yet another American runner, Dr. Schivel. The Mark Glatt-trained Golden Shaheen contender looked a satisfactory piece of work.

Doug O’Neill will have been very pleased to receive his invite to the Golden Shaheen for Strongconstitution who was on track for a decent-looking final gallop.

Life Is Good, the ante-post favourite for the World Cup, went twice around the full circuit under the very tidy looking rider, Amelia Green, whose skills in the saddle must attribute to his calm demeanour in the morning as I understand he can be quite a handful — even though one would never guess so from watching him here every day.

Life is Good settled into his rhythm on the second lap and I would think all connections were happy with him.

Colonel Liam, who runs in the Dubai Turf, responds in a similar fashion to Amelias’ methods and looks to improve his way of going as he warms into the work.

Another Dubai World Cup contender, Hot Rod Charlie, bounced onto the track full of his statutory verve and was accompanied by one of the out-riding ponies in a quiet jog.

Charlie appeared to think this pony was his sparring partner and spent half the lap trying to jump over him, his bottom and hind legs bopping up in the ponies’ direction until they swapped places and made Charlie take a ‘follow me’ role rather than a leading one.

Hot Rod Charlie looks the equine equivalent of a naughty schoolboy, who once put in his place, behaves himself with a naughty twinkle in his eye.

The author is a Derby-winning trainer and the mother of world-renowned riders, James and Sophie Doyle.

• Dubai World Cup