Asiatic Boy ready for the Stephen Foster
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Kentucky.com:
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin says that whenever Asiatic Boy heads to the track, impressed onlookers often inquire, "Who is that?" as the handsome bay horse goes by.
This Saturday, McLaughlin hopes the earner of more than $3 million will be able to shed a bit of his anonymity in U.S. racing circles.
Asiatic Boy, one of the top performers in the United Arab Emirates the last three seasons, will make his North American debut this weekend in the Grade I, $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
McLaughlin himself is still learning about the Argentine-bred son of Not for Sale. Previously trained by Mike de Kock, Asiatic Boy only arrived in McLaughlin's barn on April 23 following a 12th-place finish in the $6 million Dubai World Cup.
"That's a real good question," McLaughlin said when asked why owner Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa al Maktoum was bringing his runner to the United States now. "Mike called after the World Cup to ask if I would be interested in training him in the U.S., and I had trained for the owner before. They thought Lasix would benefit him so he might have bled on World Cup night, but I couldn't say that for sure.
"He couldn't be doing any better. He's a very sound horse, he's trained great, and he's a beautiful mover."
Einstein might be the lone Grade I winner in the eight-horse Stephen Foster field, but Asiatic Boy heads into the 11⁄8-mile test with a polished r?sum? of his own.
In 2007, the now 6-year-old horse became the first UAE Triple Crown winner with his blowout 91/2-length triumph in the UAE Derby.
Last season, Asiatic Boy ran second to two-time horse of the year Curlin in the Dubai World Cup and was a 21/4-length winner in the Grade II Maktoum Challenge-Round 3 this March.
"It's not difficult to get them prepared when they come to you in the shape he's in," McLaughlin said. "He's made our job easy. I think, in the past, he's been in the middle of the pack and come with a nice long run but ... we'll leave that up to (jockey) Alan Garcia."
"The proof will be when we put him in the starting gate," McLaughlin continued. "I'm confident he's going to run a big race so we'll learn from this race"
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin says that whenever Asiatic Boy heads to the track, impressed onlookers often inquire, "Who is that?" as the handsome bay horse goes by.
This Saturday, McLaughlin hopes the earner of more than $3 million will be able to shed a bit of his anonymity in U.S. racing circles.
Asiatic Boy, one of the top performers in the United Arab Emirates the last three seasons, will make his North American debut this weekend in the Grade I, $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
McLaughlin himself is still learning about the Argentine-bred son of Not for Sale. Previously trained by Mike de Kock, Asiatic Boy only arrived in McLaughlin's barn on April 23 following a 12th-place finish in the $6 million Dubai World Cup.
"That's a real good question," McLaughlin said when asked why owner Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa al Maktoum was bringing his runner to the United States now. "Mike called after the World Cup to ask if I would be interested in training him in the U.S., and I had trained for the owner before. They thought Lasix would benefit him so he might have bled on World Cup night, but I couldn't say that for sure.
"He couldn't be doing any better. He's a very sound horse, he's trained great, and he's a beautiful mover."
Einstein might be the lone Grade I winner in the eight-horse Stephen Foster field, but Asiatic Boy heads into the 11⁄8-mile test with a polished r?sum? of his own.
In 2007, the now 6-year-old horse became the first UAE Triple Crown winner with his blowout 91/2-length triumph in the UAE Derby.
Last season, Asiatic Boy ran second to two-time horse of the year Curlin in the Dubai World Cup and was a 21/4-length winner in the Grade II Maktoum Challenge-Round 3 this March.
"It's not difficult to get them prepared when they come to you in the shape he's in," McLaughlin said. "He's made our job easy. I think, in the past, he's been in the middle of the pack and come with a nice long run but ... we'll leave that up to (jockey) Alan Garcia."
"The proof will be when we put him in the starting gate," McLaughlin continued. "I'm confident he's going to run a big race so we'll learn from this race"