Kiwi Champ has her first work out at Nad el Sheba

Champion New Zealand mare Seachange has had her first taste of the Nad Al Sheba track on this morning (Wednesday), having safely completed her 24-hour journey to the UAE.
The six-year-old is a seven-time Group 1-winning champion in her homeland, where she has a huge following, and has travelled further than any other Australasian-based horse coming to the UAE, having left Auckland, and arrived in Sharjah via Singapore.
The daughter of Cape Cross is set to be the first Kiwi horse to run at the Dubai International Racing Carnival, when she lines up for the Group 2 $US250,000 Jebel Hatta (1777m) on March 6, ahead of the Group 1 $US5 million Dubai Duty Free over the same course and distance on March 29.
And the first part of that route to Dubai World Cup night has been completed safely, according to her groom and regular trackwork rider, Jayne Ivil.
“She’s physically fine and has come through it well,” said Ivil. “It’s taken us more than 24 hours to get here, whereas before, the furthest she had travelled was three hours to Australia.
“So naturally she’s a little quiet and is taking it all in, in her own time. I think she’ll perk up once we start getting her into a routine again, and we’ll take her to the track tomorrow morning.
“We’ll probably give her a serious work-out on Saturday morning, and continue to work her pretty hard.”
Trained by Ralph Manning, who arrives in Dubai on Friday, the star mare will be hoping to fare even better than her compatriot Sunline, who finished third in the 2001 Dubai Duty Free.
“She is the best New Zealand horse since Sunline,” Ivil added. “She tries her heart out each time she races. The only doubt is the distance which may be a touch beyond her, but she will not let us down.”
Ted Durcan, the multiple UAE champion jockey, will be aboard Seachange for both starts.Champion New Zealand mare Seachange is set to have her first taste of the Nad Al Sheba track on Wednesday morning, having safely completed her 24-hour journey to the UAE.
The six-year-old is a seven-time Group 1-winning champion in her homeland, where she has a huge following, and has travelled further than any other Australasian-based horse coming to the UAE, having left Auckland, and arrived in Sharjah via Singapore.
The daughter of Cape Cross is set to be the first Kiwi horse to run at the Dubai International Racing Carnival, when she lines up for the Group 2 $US250,000 Jebel Hatta (1777m) on March 6, ahead of the Group 1 $US5 million Dubai Duty Free over the same course and distance on March 29.
And the first part of that route to Dubai World Cup night has been completed safely, according to her groom and regular trackwork rider, Jayne Ivil.
“She’s physically fine and has come through it well,” said Ivil. “It’s taken us more than 24 hours to get here, whereas before, the furthest she had travelled was three hours to Australia.
“So naturally she’s a little quiet and is taking it all in, in her own time. I think she’ll perk up once we start getting her into a routine again, and we’ll take her to the track tomorrow morning.
“We’ll probably give her a serious work-out on Saturday morning, and continue to work her pretty hard.”
Trained by Ralph Manning, who arrives in Dubai on Friday, the star mare will be hoping to fare even better than her compatriot Sunline, who finished third in the 2001 Dubai Duty Free.
“She is the best New Zealand horse since Sunline,” Ivil added. “She tries her heart out each time she races. The only doubt is the distance which may be a touch beyond her, but she will not let us down.”
Ted Durcan, the multiple UAE champion jockey, will be aboard Seachange for both starts.
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