KEY POINTS:
A decision was made yesterday to campaign champion New Zealand mare Seachange in England direct from Dubai.
Ownership manager Rick Williams said the camp had decided sending Seachange to race in the UK immediately was a better option than returning to New Zealand.
Seachange finished a gallant close
sixth in Sunday morning's US$5 million Dubai Duty Free after finding the 1777m a shade too far.
Williams said he and owner Dick Karreman had two options - return to New Zealand to spell then prepare Seachange for a Northern Hemisphere campaign, or head straight to England.
"Even though things have been loosened up a little, it's still a hassle to return to New Zealand immediately, but because of the shots [injections] she's already had she can go straight into England."
Seachange was ridden at the weekend by Dubai-based Irish jockey Ted Durcan, who believes Seachange will be a major winner in England. "Take her to England and run her at 1400m and they won't beat her," Durcan said.
Durcan headed to England himself immediately after the Dubai meeting last weekend to ride for Henry Cecil, for whom he last year won the English Oaks. He has already been in touch with Williams with possible races for Seachange.
"Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be many suitable 1400m races," said Williams yesterday. "But we'll find races that she will be competitive in. It'll be about five weeks before she runs again."
Seachange is booked to fly out of the quarantine station at Nad Al Sheba racetrack early next week.
"The sooner the better, because it's starting to get very hot in Dubai and the temperatures in England will suit her a lot more."
Seachange, understandably tired following Sunday's race, had picked up brilliantly. Her New Zealand strapper, former apprentice Jayne Ivil, told Williams yesterday morning the mare was in wonderful shape.
Seachange will be stabled in England with veteran trainer Geoff Wragg, who won the English Derby in 1983 with Teenoso.
Also stabled there will be South African trainer Mike de Kok. "Mike doesn't mind working his horses with others," said Williams. "That's a big plus because even though Seachange almost certainly went a career best race, she never had a horse to work with the whole time she was in Dubai.
"It's nice to be guaranteed to have something to work with because most of them don't do a lot of solid work. They can't believe how much we do. They think Ralph [trainer Manning] is mad because of what he does with Seachange - but we all know what happens if he doesn't."