He said: “Absolutely! He’ll be coming up for that race and then staying on with one of my assistants for the R2-million President’s Champions Challenge at the end of next month. We’re still finalising travel arrangements, but he’ll be there!”

King Of Pain beat some of the best “milers” in the land when landing a 40-1 win from a wide draw in last season’s 1600m Gold Challenge, his conquests including last year’s Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Yorker. He went on to run poorly in last year’s Vodacom Durban July before an excellent second to subsequent Queen’s Plate and J&B Met winner Futura in the Champions Cup at the end of last season. “That was a strong form line,” said Ramsden.

King Of Pain (Nkosi Hlophe)

A couple of months later there were worrying times for his connections when the good-looking Greys Inn gelding got colic and had to have an operation. According to Ramsden, he came through well and has “done alright”.

“He’s had one prep race and I was happy with the run,” said Ramsden. “He carried a massive weight, 62kg, and ran third behind Ze Kaiser and Power King in the Cape Mile at Kenilworth on 21 February. He put in a nice workout at Kenilworth last weekend and will have another grass gallop this weekend.”

King Of Pain, the joint-second top-rated runner on the list of entries behind Louis The King, is drawn at No 12 and that is not in his favour although he does run from the front which will limit the effect. And punters will ignore him at their peril because Ramsden has a good record on the occasions he has brought horses to the Highveld.

King Of Pain will be facing Futura again later in the season in Durban. Futura’s connections were considering sending him overseas but decided against it and trainer Brett Crawford told Gold Circle: “We are now getting him ready to go to Durban and his programme could possibly be the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes (2 May), the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (13 June) and the Vodacom Durban July (4 July).”

Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate is back in training, according to a Facebook post from Cape trainer Justin Snaith. Legislate was diagnosed with a severe lung infection after running last in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in January and had to be scratched from the J&B Met. The Vodacom Durban July winner will be among the 20 horses Snaith takes to Durban for the Champions Season.

– Nicci Garner for TabNews

Racing manager Derek Brugman explained: “The horses travelled to Dubai too poorly this time and there is no point in trying to get them ready to race. We will give them a month off and then decide what we want to do with them.”

Red Ray (Liesl King)

Yorker, winner of last season’s Summer Cup, Horse Chestnut Stakes and Champions Challenge, is expected to join Mike de Kock’s base at Newmarket in England but with others much will depend on whether the American authorities grant Brugman’s request for a more reasonable approach to the final part of their quarantine restrictions.

He said: “We have asked if they will excuse the C.E.M. (Contagious Equine Metritis) requirement in which they insist – after the 60-day quarantine lockdown – on a further month in C.E.M. quarantine during which the colts are required to test-breed to two mares.”

The problems that this would cause with an entire horse about to go back into training can be imagined and apparently many American vets are of the opinion that the stipulation makes little sense.

Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, top of the list of South African-based Jooste horses both in terms of ability and overseas potential, returned to Joey Ramsden’s yard last week after having a break following his shock Investec Cape Derby defeat on Met day.

Brugman said: “We are in no rush with him. If he doesn’t go to Durban we can keep him in Cape Town for his four-year-old campaign. We are not going to put him through the American requirement and nor are we going to do three months in Mauritius with horses just standing in camps.”

Trainer Tony Millard said he will consider retiring his champion miler after the eight-year-old pulled up lame following an incident-packed running of the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup.

A battered Ambitious Dragon finished a game fifth in a race where the eight-year-old was twice checked badly and suffered an injury to his right fore leg, showing obvious discomfort when assessed by Jockey Club vets post-race.

Millard was at first encouraged by the fact the injury wasn’t a reoccurrence of a strained tendon that kept the horse sidelined for more than 18 months leading into this season, but added: “If I’m not happy, I think that’s it for Ambitious Dragon.”

“Look, you can’t make those decisions now. We have to have a look at him in the morning,” Millard said of the seven-time Group One winner, who has won more than HK$58 million in prize money. “He had a really rough ride, it was diabolical how he got bashed around. He came back sore, so we have to look at him.

“Obviously he has been a great champion and means so much to us that we won’t be taking any risks with him – he doesn’t owe us anything.”

–          South China Morning Post

Picture: Ambitious Dragon (HKJC)

Alan Sherman, assistant trainer to his father Art, will travel to Dubai directly to meet America’s horse of the year on arrival, with California Chrome flying out alongside fellow World Cup challenger Lea, who is bidding to hand trainer Bill Mott a second win in the US$10 million event after Cigar in 1996.

California Chrome (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Main Sequence, America’s turf horse of the year who is set to contest the Dubai Sheema Classic, is understood to be accompanying them as the much-vaunted trio spearhead the powerful American challenge to the richest night in racing.

The finishing touches were scheduled to be applied to the Hong Kong team at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday morning, comprising Amber Sky, who will defend his title in the Al Quoz Sprint, and Rich Tapestry, who won the Mahab Al Shimaal last season before running second to fellow Hong Kong raider Sterling City in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Trainer John Moore, who won the Group 1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup with Able Friend at Sha Tin on Saturday, has his eyes trained on the Dubai Sheema Classic with Designs On Rome.

Other Hong Kong challengers understood to be making the trip include Lucky Nine, who will attempt to better his third-place finish behind Krypton Factor in the 2012 Golden Shaheen, and fellow sprinters Peniaphobia, from Tony Cruz’s stable, and Super Jockey, who last week became the final addition to the Hong Kong riding party.

The Japanese are also set to arrive later this week, with Epiphaneia, the world’s highest-rated horse in training, set to lead the strong Japanese attack on the World Cup, a race they won in 2011 with Victoire Pisa.

Epiphaneia won the Japan Cup in December and will be ridden by Christophe Soumillon, while Hokko Tarumae will try to improve on his last-placed finish 12 months ago on Tapeta in what will be the 20th running of the world’s most valuable race.

–          TheNational.ae

Ante-post betting: 2-1 California Chrome, 4-1 Lea, 6-1 Tamarkuz, 10-1 Hokko Tarumae, Ron The Greek, African Story, 12-1 Prince Bishop, 16-1 Tonalist, Untapable, 20-1 Candy Boy, 25-1 upwards