By Mike Dillon
As the curtain came down on New Zealand's premier yearling sales, one of the greatest promotional boosts it could have was waiting in the wings.
Trainer Laurie Laxon and owner Bob Emery are waiting for the news they expect to be positive, an invitation to run class mare Champagne in the $US5 million Dubai World Cup on March 28.
Champagne's Melbourne spring form justifies her place in the world's richest horse race and Laxon is even more hopeful of receiving an expenses-paid invitation after attending the Asian Racing Conference in Macau.
There Laxon met Englishman Michael Orborne, chairman of the Dubai World Cup Committee, put in place by the Emirates Racing Association.
"He told me Champagne was well inside the grouping of Timeform-type rating worldwide that is considered necessary to start in the Dubai Cup," said Laxon at the yearling sales. "We're pretty hopeful."
The Dubai World Cup Committee met on Thursday and although no date is given for the issuing of invitations for the 2000m race, they are expected to be announced in the next few days.
Owner Bob Emery is keen, particularly after seeing the style of racing of the last three Dubai Cups, which is run on dirt.
The videotape allayed his fears that the Cup is similar to the extremely tough American dirt racing.
"I'm dead keen to go," Emery said. "If I can enhance her pedigree, I will.
"If she gets an invite and her form in the Australian Cup justifies it, we'll be there."
Tonight's $100,000 Select Fillies sale at Te Rapa will get a boost regardless of the result of the New Zealand Bloodstock Classique on the same track this afternoon.
The race is restricted to graduates of last year's sale.
Wide barrier draws are the plague in juvenile events, but Catamarca (No6, R6) can still get the money from No 14 after her dashing debut effort at Ellerslie.
She looked extra smart, has trained on beautifully, according to trainer Stephen Autridge and has real class on her side.
Autridge expects the Gold Brose filly to jump quickly and clear the field and make the inside rail before the first bend.
If she can do that, she should win. The dangers look to be Annalee (No4), Imperatrice (No2) and Desert Ace (No1).
Horse Racing: Dubai invitation on cards
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