Seasoned Dubai World Cup watchers were pleasantly surprised to see Aidan O’Brien’s three-string squad arrive at the end of last week, meaning they cleared quarantine earlier and have been out on the main track since Monday.
Order Of Australia heads the team in terms of career successes, and the former Breeders’ Cup Mile hero comes here off the back of a confidence-boosting success in Doha.
Order Of Australia failed to run his race in a first attempt at 1m 2f in Hong Kong last December but O’Brien is hopeful the 1m 1f of the Group One Dubai Turf will suit the six-year-old.
O’Brien said: “He’s in good form. He is up to nine furlongs but he has come out of his win in Qatar very well. He has done plenty of work since and he should run a very good race.”
Excitement has been building around the chances of O'Brien's Cairo in the UAD Derby since his winning return to action on the all-weather at Dundalk at the start of the month, O’Brien eyeing the chance to add to three victories in this race, most recently with Mendelssohn in 2018
O’Brien said: “We are very happy with him since Dundalk, everything has gone well. We were delighted with his run then [in the Listed Patton Stakes on 3rd March] and we thought he would come forward plenty from it and we have been happy with his work since. He is running over a distance further than he has run before, but we think and hope that he should run a very big race.”
Broome will take his chance in the Dubai Gold Cup.
“He’s been in good form since his last run in Qatar," O'Brien said. "We think the step-up in trip will suit him, his work has been good, and he seems to have travelled out well. We are looking forward to seeing how he goes over the two miles, but we believe it should suit him.”