Racing: Trainer weighs up options with top filly

LONDON - Dual Oaks heroine Snow Fairy is not certain to head to Dubai for the World Cup meeting.

The star British filly is challenging Cape Blanco and Twice Over for favouritism for the world's richest race and while she also has other options open to her on March 26, the Racing Post reports that trainer Ed Dunlop will not be rushing her to get her ready in time.

Snow Fairy only finished off her highly-successful season with a win in the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on December 12.

"The plan is the World Cup but she will tell us whether she will be ready in time and we will see how things progress," said Dunlop.

"She looks to have enjoyed her winter holiday and has just started exercise again, doing two canters every other day of the week and we will build up her work-schedule slowly during February."

The Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Duty Free are other options for the daughter of Intikhab at Meydan and Dunlop added: "I would have no worries about her handling the Tapeta surface as she won on the Polytrack at Lingfield as a 2-year-old, but if we do travel we will obviously give her a spin around Meydan to find out how she reacts before committing to the race."

As well as her two Oaks victories at Epsom and the Curragh and her Hong Kong win, Snow Fairy also bagged a group one win in Japan in November in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in what proved to be a lucrative year for her connections.

- AP