Connections of South African champion Variety Club have sought special permission to bypass quarantine requirements to allow the horse to race at the Dubai World Cup carnival in March.
The import of South African horses into Dubai is currently banned unless they go via Europe and the European authorities will not allow them in there before the present two-year African Horse Sickness ban expires in May.
Variety Club won the Group One L’Ormarins Queens Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday fuelling ambitions to take him to run in the Dubai Duty Free or the Mile on the World Cup program.
Derek Brugman, racing manager for owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste, said they had asked Dubai officials to consider their application.
“We have sent a request to the Dubai Racing Carnival asking for special permission to go into quarantine so that he can run in either the Dubai Duty Free or the Mile,” Brugman said.
The win has guaranteed Variety Club a start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita in November with the South African race the first of the year in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
