Dubai World Cup Carnival: UAE Derby for Guineas hope Red Duke

World Racing / Timeform / 09 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Red Duke (noseband) winning at Newmarket.

"...he'll then come back to Britain and probably have a crack at the English Guineas at Newmarket."

The UAE Derby at Meydan and the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket have emerged as the two major targets for Red Duke.

Last season's Superlative Stakes winner, who has a Timeform master rating of 112, ended the campaign with a disappointing effort in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, after which plans were abandoned to run him in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

John Quinn's exciting colt is, however, now back in training in North Yorkshire and will soon be heading to sunnier climes.

"He's been back in since the first week in December and he's cantering away now," said Quinn.

"I'm very happy with him at the moment and if all goes according to plan he'll be going out to Dubai to run in the UAE Derby on World Cup night.

"The race is on March 31 this year, so he'll probably go out a couple of weeks before that and have a racecourse gallop or two.

"We'll see how that goes, but all going well there, he'll then come back to Britain and probably have a crack at the English Guineas at Newmarket."

Although Red Duke is yet to run on any other surface than turf, he is by young sire American Hard Spun, a Grade 1 winner on dirt who lists the John Gosden-trained Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' fifth Questing amongst his progeny.

The strong, close-coupled Red Duke can currently be backed at [110.0] for the 2000 Guineas on May 5.