The first leg of the ‘Global Sprint Challenge’ is likely to be an all Australian affair, with no international runners due to line up at Flemington on February 19.
Next year’s Global Sprint Challenge now consists of nine Group 1 races across five countries with prizemoney of over $US10 million, after the series expanded to include the ‘KrisFlyer sprint’ in Singapore.
But the huge money on offer in Dubai is likely to entice both ‘J J The Jet Plane’ and ‘Rocket Man’ for either the $2 million Golden Shaheen or the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint, both run on the Dubai World Cup program on March 26, providing a clash with the premiere Australian sprint.
Leigh Jordan, Racing Victoria’s international scout, said the big money on offer in Dubai and avoiding Australia’s superstar mare ‘Black Caviar’ on her home turf were reasons cited by connections of both horses to miss the first leg of ‘Global Sprint Challenge’.
Written by Isaac Chaplin
