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Helmet is my best chance: McEvy

“Helmet is my best chance,” McEvy told Khaleej Times after Tuesday’s morning track work at Meydan Racecourse.

The three-year-old son of Exceed And Excel is a Southern Hemisphere home-bred colt by Darley, the Australian arm of the His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s operation.

“He’s honest and keen performer and will not be adversely affected by the extra weight which he will be carrying on his back,” the Shaikh Mohammed-retained jockey said.

The Godolphin’s Derby hope came to the UAE with six wins under his belt including, the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes Group-1 (Southern Hemisphere-bred only) and AGE Caulfield Guineas Group-1 at the Randwick and Caulfield Tacecourses over seven furlongs and a mile respectively, as a two-year-old. Thereafter, he went to win two Grop-3 and Group-2 races. But Helmet failed to make his mark in last three starts. He finished poor eighth to Pinker Pinker in Tats Cox Group-1(Group-3) at Moonee Valley over ten furlongs. Then he was well beaten by That’s The One and Moshen at Flemington Racecourse.

“Helmet is working nicely and he’s back to his best form and deserves all respect in his first mission in the Northern Hemisphere and should strike for connections,” he added.

Regarding his second mount of the night, McEvoy said would run a big race in the 1200m Dubai Golden Shaheen Group-1, Sepoy equally deserves credibility.

“He did few things wrong, but he?s well back to form and should go close,” he said.

“The tapeta is not a worry for him at all. He travelled well and settled nicely in Dubai. He worked well on the tapeta and liked things around him.” he said.

“He raced against the elder horses and set a new track record for this distance at Flemington last September and I think he knows how to make things good,” he added. “It’s a tough race with some lovely Group-1 winners and should be thereabout,” he added.

However, It will be also a new experience for Australian trainer Peter Snowden at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan on Saturday, seeing his horses Sepoy and Helmet race in the Godolphin blue colours for the first time.

In his time as head trainer for Shaikh Mohammed’s Darley Stud Australia operation, Snowden has been highly successful racing under the Darley colours of Burgundy and White.

Not that the matter-of-fact Snowden is superstitious about such things. In his previous life as foreman for John Hawkes, trainer for Jack and Bob Ingham when they were Australia’s most successful owners, their horses either raced in all pink or the second set of black with a pink cap.

When Darley bought the stud and racing interests of the Ingham family, Snowden took over the reins and was instantly successful with the Burgundy and White and he certainly believes racing in the Godolphin Blue in Dubai will hardly be a disadvantage.

Sepoy, who takes on the older sprinters in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1,200m), caught Snowden’s eye with a brilliant finish to his work on Tuesday morning under Kerrin McEvoy, and worked from the 1,000m and picking up the pace from the 800m.

“He really finished off well, breaking 22 seconds for the final 400m which suggests to me he has really made significant improvement, he worked as well as at any time he has at home,” Snowden said.

Sepoy and Helmet will join the Godolphin team after Saturday’s races and are likely to compete at Royal Ascot in June although it is not yet known which of Shaikh Mohammed’s trainers will take them over.

sports@khaleejtimes.com