O'Shea hopes to utilise home advantage as he bids for Dubai World Cup fame

Nobody has ridden in more races or had such an abundance of winners at Meydan racecourse than Tadhg O’Shea and the eleven-time UAE champion jockey is hoping that this will give him a slight edge at Saturday’s highly-anticipated $30.5 million Dubai World Cup meeting.

The Irishman has a very promising book of rides on the glittering nine-event card including one in the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1), a race that he waited close to 20 years to ride in for the very first time. It did not go as expected as Remorse finished sixth to American galloper Country Grammer in 2022.

But O’Shea realised how difficult it was to get to ride in a race of that calibre, an invitation event which attracts only the very best dirt horses on the planet.

On Saturday the talented Irish rider, who has cemented his place in UAE flat-racing history, takes his third ride in the 2,000-metre contest when he partners ex-American galloper Laurel River, who is conditioned by former UAE champion trainer Bhupat Seemar at the prestigious Zabeel Stables.

Previously raced by Hall of Fame handler Bob Baffert Laurel River before his owners Juddmonte Farms sent him to Dubai where he will now run over an extended ten furlongs for the first time in his career.

“He’s a very exciting horse,” O’Shea told Khaleej Times on Tuesday. “He’ll give himself every chance to get the extra distance. He’s by a wonderful stallion, Into Mischief, and has proven ability to stay on his dam side.”

Calm Water is a full-sister to Emollient, a horse whose big-race victories include the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) over 1,800 metres on a synthetic track, the American Oaks (G1) and the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1) over 2,000 metres.

Having to oppose 12 rivals, among them two Japanese horses led by last year’s World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro and UAE Derby scorer Derma Sotogake in addition to Saudi Cup sensation Senor Buscador, O’Shea is prepared for a tactical battle once the gates fly open at Meydan at 8:35 pm on Saturday.

But then again he has been in many strategic contests before at Meydan and most often has come up trumps.

Did the home advantage and Meydan experience help?

O’Shea believes it does, even if only just a tiny bit

“Like a football team playing a major match at home, the players know every blade of grass and I would like to believe that I know every grain of sand at Meydan,” he said.

“It’s been a very lucky track for me and it seems to bring out the best in me.

“So yes, there is definitely a slight advantage because you can’t beat experience and practice and I have had a lot of practice around here. Which is a bonus.

“If you ask me, I would any day prefer a track that I know in a top race like the Dubai World Cup rather than go in not having any experience or knowledge about it,” O'Shea said.

“Like any dirt track at Meydan, it’s important to get into a good position and then let your horse tell you where he’s happy. So you have to try to put yourself in a position where both you and the horse are comfortable.”

Does he think he can win the Dubai World Cup at the third attempt? O’Shea, who unfailingly radiates positive energy and optimism, is hoping he can put the icing on the cake of another championship-winning season.

“It’s every jockey’s dream to win a race like the Dubai World Cup,” he said. “I was a little lad when I watched Cigar win the first Dubai World Cup and that did something to me.

“You can’t deny that it’s a very special race, it’s a race that stops the nation,” he says referencing the Melbourne Cup. “However, just to have a winner on the card would be magic.”

And besides Laurel River, O’Shea has four other chances of having an enchanting evening. Perhaps the one that excites him the most is Guns And Glory who competes in the $2 million UAE Derby (G2).

“I’m looking forward to it, but all my horses are exciting,” he said. “They are all special because you need a horse with the right CV to get into one of the races on the night.

“I have won eleven championships in Dubai but to ride horses with live chances makes it very special.”

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