Unusual Suspect seeks desert gold

By Sam Hall
Updated November 6 2012 - 3:10am, first published January 16 2012 - 10:35am
Unusual Suspect with handler Alan Keenan in Melbourne. He heads to Dubai tomorrow. Picture: GARY SISSONS
Unusual Suspect with handler Alan Keenan in Melbourne. He heads to Dubai tomorrow. Picture: GARY SISSONS

Having turned heads in last year’s Melbourne Cup, Unusual Suspect will look to mimic the same fate when heading to the Middle East for the prestigious Dubai World Cup carnival.The eight-year-old stallion, part-owned by Thirroul’s Peter Lord, will compete in the $1 million Dubai Gold Cup (3200m) on March 31.Unusual Suspect, trained by Mick Kent in Victoria, is scheduled to fly to Dubai tomorrow.Lord said all was going well with the American-bred stallion in the lead up to the high-profile race.‘‘He’ll have his first run at the end of the month, one in February, one in early March and then the World Cup race,’’ Lord said.‘‘From a racing perspective, I think he’ll figure quite well over there.’’Lord said an invitation to race in Dubai presented an opportunity of a lifetime for horse and owner.‘‘Aside from the experience, it’s one of those countries that any owner would like to look at,’’ he said.‘‘Not only from a prestige perspective, but also in money, this is one of the richest races in the world with $30 million in prize money on that particular night.‘‘To be able to think you’ve got a horse that’s good enough to go there is a thrill.‘‘And from the horse’s perspective, if he is to be successful his value as a stallion will certainly increase.‘‘For us to be able to send him up there and for him to be in an environment that he’s still comfortable racing in - that was also a consideration.’’Unusual Suspect will join Australian stars from Sheikh Mohammed’s global racing operation, Helmet and Sepoy, before his first test on January 26.‘‘Heat-wise, there will be a little bit of acclimatisation for him but from a travel perspective, he handled coming over from America to Australia really well,’’ Lord said.The stallion has been in light work since November, including two trials.‘‘We’re sending him over reasonably fit, he’ll work into his campaign and hopefully he’ll be ready to peak on that World Cup night,’’ Lord said.‘‘He’ll have to go into quarantine after that so he’ll have a couple of weeks over there. ‘‘He’ll then go back to Cranbourne and hopefully follow the same path as what he did this year.’’Unusual Suspect is an automatic qualifier for the 2012 Melbourne Cup. He finished a gallant ninth in last year’s Cup.

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