Racing history is strewn with great horses that could surface anywhere, regardless of their background, unannounced, at any time.
The latest pages of this unlikely story will be written if Kabirkhan wins the US$12 million Group 1 Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline on Saturday night at Meydan.
Unheard of outside either Kazakhstan where he began his career, or Russia where he continued it, he only burst onto the international scene in January of this year when he bolted up on his UAE debut, a well-contested handicap.
The horse that fetched just US$12,000 as a yearling then became a Group 1 winner on his next start at Meydan only two weeks later in the Al Maktoum Challenge presented by Longines.
Despite being champion trainer in the Emirates on eight occasions, the latter marked a first success at the highest level for trainer Doug Watson.
Soon after, social media was abuzz with drone footage of Kabirkhan’s maiden win at the rustic Almaty, Kazakhstan racecourse where the country’s other principal racing export, leading jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, also cut his teeth.
Kabirkhan is a four-year-old son of California Chrome. The sire, now based in Japan, similarly rose from humble origins to glory in the Kentucky Derby in 2014 and the Dubai World Cup two years later.
Now that he has grabbed the attention of the racing world – and with planeloads of fans arriving in Dubai from Central Asia for the occasion – something quite unprecedented is looming. Anticipation in Kazakhstan for the big race is feverish.
“He’s got to step it up, but we think he can. He has shown that he likes the track. He stays the trip, but he has the pace to keep him competitive in the race early and hopefully he can finish it off,” says Watson.
The American-born trainer reflects with pride on the chestnut colt’s meteoric rise from unknown to clear second favourite for the Dubai World Cup.
“When we started working him at home last year after we got him, we were all looking at each other thinking ‘wow, this is a pretty nice horse!’ he recalls.
“He had a troubled trip but won his first handicap here. Then it was only two weeks later to run back with a huge run in the Maktoum Challenge. After he won that we really got excited!”
Watson then opted to keep Kabirkhan under wraps and fresh for the big night, a strategy that could reap huge rewards.
“Pat [Dobbs, jockey] came back after his second-to-last piece of work saying this horse could compete in the sprint or the mile also,” the trainer adds. “He is a fun horse to have. He’s a horse that does everything you want at home and on the racetrack.
“I think he has some upward potential. I don’t think we would trade him for anybody. We are happy with him and happy with the way he has prepared and really looking forward to the night.”
As for all the attention coming from Kazakhstan?
“It’s fun and stressful,” Watson admits with a smile. “It adds a little more intrigue to the horse. He has a super nice owner that loves his horse. It’s exciting. Hopefully they will all be celebrating.”
