Mick Appleby dreaming of World Cup night riches with Danzeno

Mick Appleby hopes Danzeno will flourish at the Dubai World Cup Carnival and is dreaming of running his stable star on World Cup night on March 31.

Mick Appleby is eyeing the five-furlong turf sprint at Meydan on Thursday with Danzeno (PA)

Danzeno is set to make his Meydan debut on the opening night of the carnival on Thursday and, all being well, will run again on the following Thursday.

Things have not been plain sailing for the seven-year-old so far, however, as his flight was delayed due to the snow in the UK but has seemingly not been fazed by the experience.

“He’s travelled over really well and seems relaxed,” Appleby told Racing UK’s Luck On Sunday programme in Dubai.

“We were travelling for 24 hours on the way here because the plane was delayed so he was stood for ages, but he has settled in quickly.

“He can be a bit highly strung. He normally goes out on his own so training him out here is no different to home really.”

Danzeno has run six times at Group One level with his best effort a third placed finish behind Muhaarar in the 2015 British Champions Sprint Stakes. Muharaar was owned by Shiekh Hamdan bin Rashid and both of his sprinters head the market for the six-furlong Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup night.

Charlie Hills’s Battaash is 6-4 with Betfair and Paddy Power, while Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s Ertijaal is 9-2 ahead of Godolphin’s 13-2 chance Blue Point. Despite the quality of the probable opposition Appleby is optimistic that he will be able to run Danzeno in the turf sprint on the most valuable night in racing.

“That would be the aim, but we’ll see how we go. If he wins a race on the way, then we probably will go to the World Cup,” Appleby said.

Danzeno, who has a rating of 107, gained his first success for almost two years when he won the Heritage Handicap at Ascot under Silvestre de Sousa in July, but has failed to get his head in front in four starts since.

“I think there is a race nearly every week for him, so we’ll run him on the 11th and again probably on the 18th,” the trainer added.

“He’s not quite a Group One horse, he’s probably a Group Two horse. Hopefully he should be able to do well in the handicaps here.

“He’s done well. He was our first Group winner and has been placed in Group Ones and Twos. He’s a good horse and hopefully it will suit him out here on the turf.”

Danzeno, who has never won over further than six furlongs in 27 career starts, will be ridden by Silvestre de Sousa should he be available.

“He’ll run over five or six furlongs and is probably best on top of the ground so the going and everything should suit him,” Appleby said.

“Silvestre will ride him when he’s available and is going to ride him on the 11th. He won on him at Ascot and has rode him quite a bit so knows him well. Silvestre is first choice or we could use Oisin Murphy.”

This year will be Appleby’s first trip to Meydan since 2015 due to moving yards last year and is happy with how things are going.

“We moved to our new yard just over a year ago so that’s why we didn’t come last year,” he said. Things are going well and we’re up to 90 horses now. We’re always trying to get better quality horses.”

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