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

He said: “My horses were all at Clairwood last year when I went to have a good look at Summerveld and I know they have done a lot of work on the place since.

King Of Pain (Liesl King)

“We are in barns there and that is a big plus because it cuts out all the drafts you get in stables. I know it gets very cold at night but I don’t see that as a problem – you can put blankets on. You just have to be careful with the horses.

“The one thing I do worry about, though, is the horse traffic in the mornings. Apparently there is a queue where the tractor goes and from what I hear it can be a nightmare.”

The champion trainer had the best figures of anybody at Greyville last season. While his July win assured him of being the course’s top trainer he had a strike rate of 26%, a figure bettered by none of the local trainers and only by Dean Kannemeyer (40%) among the visitors.

Joey Ramsden has still to finalise the make-up of his Durban contingent but said: “Kingvoldt’s owners are keen for the colt to have a crack at the KRA Guineas on May 2 which is four weeks before the Golden Horse Sprint at Scottsville.”

King Of Pain, winner of last season’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge, has more immediate objectives at Turffontein and Ramsden said: “He goes for the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut on Saturday week and I might keep him there for the President’s Champions Challenge four weeks later.”

Neill Bruss is to take 13 horses to Durban. The majority are two-year-olds but his string does include Klawervlei Majorca fourth Red Flame.

But seemingly they will need the weather on their side if they are to lower the colours of Mike de Kock’s new sprinting star.

Derek Brugman said: “I am a bit concerned because in Jo’burg they go like the clappers, but hopefully we will get a bit of rain there and the ground won’t be as hard as it normally is.

“We may also see Captain Of All coming from Durban for the race and hopefully one of the three will be able to tackle Alboran Sea and set the record straight after the way she grabbed us here in the Cape Flying Championship.”

Tevez (Liesl King)

Tevez appeared to score every bit as easily as both the weights and the betting suggested he should, surging to the front inside the final 200m and easing up before the line, but seemingly things looked rather different from the back of the 2-1 favourite. Grant van Niekerk reported: “I was off the bit for much of the way and then all of a sudden he took hold of it and I then had to find my way through gaps.”

It was a rough race. Silver Salver, Happy Forever and Olympian all suffered interference and the last-named came back with cuts on his right hock. Runner-up Promicing Polly ran way above her rating but the real stars were Normanz and Malan du Toit.

The Charles Laird four-year-old went into the pens like a lamb and came out them as if he was a reincarnation of Pegasus. Even Robert Redford could take a leaf out of the celebrated horse whisperer’s book.

Indeed, as Brugman pointed out, there should be more to come from the gelding when he is trained for the race rather than the stalls but the Mike Bass-trained winner is also expected to show improvement at Turffontein.

Candice Robinson explained: “He’d had a break and he was blowing pretty hard afterwards so he will probably run again in the Pinnacle on April 6. He and Fly By Night will be flown to Jo’burg on the day of the Computaform Sprint.”

Greg Ennion is eyeing the Perfect Promise Sprint (April 12) and the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery (May 9) with Just Felicity who became the first two-year-old this season to win twice in Cape Town. She won in good style too. Ennion said: “Everybody was talking about the other runners and I can’t think why. Mine won in a canter last time but at least my clients were able to get 4-1.”

Runner-up My Emblem was one of four beaten favourites for Anton Marcus. The last of them, Sir Henry (unplaced behind the Gerrit Schlechter-ridden Kurundu), returned choked up and making an abnormal respiratory noise.

The former champion’s one success came for nephew Adam in the 1 000m maiden when runner-up Breathless Bertie was hindered by a slipping saddle. To be fair, Balletome finished with such authority that he would have won anyway but the runner-up has now been the bridesmaid in four races off the reel.

Mike Bass, trainer of the 8-1 winner, said: “I am not surprised he won like that because he is a good horse and he is so well suited by the track up there with its long run-in.

Paterfamilias (Liesl King)

“He had no chance in his recent races in the Cape Town season because he kept drawing in the bush. He will go to Durban later and he may run in the July although I am not sure that the 400m run-in would suit him.”

In the meantime Bass is eyeing Saturday week’s HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes with Ashton Park and said: “He should have won by half the racecourse in the Hawaii last time  but he got stuck in and finished third. Anthony Delpech will ride him in the Horse Chestnut and says he would also like to ride Paterfamilas in his big races. We will have to see about that. Ashton Park is going to raid for the Drill Hall (May 2) after Jo’burg.”

Bass will despatch several of his Durban string either at the end of the month or the first week in April and said: “They will include Inara and Helderberg Blue while Fly By Night will go after running in the Computaform Sprint.

“Hammie’s Hooker is raiding Jo’burg for the L. Jaffee Empress Club Stakes on April 11 and that might be her swansong. Alternatively she could go on to Durban for the Garden Province. However Lanner Falcon stays in Cape Town and she will attack Port Elizabeth.”

Sean Tarry has persisted with the son of Jallad after it all went wrong before the Cape Guineas two season’s back but it has all paid off with a couple of wins on the bounce and Champions Season ahead. Arriving in Durban on Friday, The Hangman, showed no signs of travel fatigue as he gave the opposition the drop.

The Hangman (Nkosi Hlophe)

Confidently handled by Ant Mgudlwa, The Hangman set sail at the top of the straight and kept finding strongly to deny Royal Zulu Guard and Duncan Howells who was looking for his third winner of the afternoon.

Anton Marcus got his meeting off to a swift start with a double and rounded off with a treble with Enforce in the last – some relief after a host of fancied runners proved just not good enough over the weekend.

William Of Wembley was all the rage in the first but Dennis Drier’s runner never settled before or in the race and was a spent form approaching the final furlong. If ever there was a copybook race, it was Marcus aboard the winner Millrace. Settled in just off the pace, Marcus made his run when it mattered and Millrace motored home to win as he liked.

In contrast, Marcus gave those that had plunged on Mamasita a few anxious moments. The 6-10 favourite was in all sorts of trouble from the start and trailed the field for much of the race. On the final bend Marcus looked to go out for a passage but was eventually forced to track up the inside rail. From there on it was not race as Weiho Marwing’s runner quickened up smartly to win as he liked.

Mamasita (Nkosi Hlophe)

Marwing was looking for a quick double with Gullivers Travel but Rocky Bay, a gelding plagued with many problems in his career, was the talking horse on course and Frank Robinson had his charge in superb condition. Once Gulliver Travel tossed in the towel – later found to have pulled up lame – Rocky Bay went to the front and kept on relentlessly to hold off the attention of outsiders Pearly King and Kings Approval.

Goldie Coast was a strong fancy for the first leg of the jackpot but Surefire finally had a change of fortune and showed her worth. Turning for home last, Donovan Dillon was forced to switch outside of the scrum in front of him and Surefire bolted home with the minimum of fuss. Goldie Coast was game in defeat but the 5kg to the winner proved too much.

Braam van Huyssteen, the principal behind popular retail outlet Tekkie Town, has over 100 horses in training, and had a tremendous run of winners this week, rounded off by Jay Power in the fifth. The son of Jay Peg rolled relentlessly from the jump at the 2400m mark under Kegan de Melo and never looked like stopping.

Howells looks to have a decent filly in his yard in Anton Procter’s home-bred Patchit Up Baby owned in partnership with Larry Nestadt.

In the box seat for much of the sixth over 2000m, the daughter of Ideal World accelerated through the middle of the field in the stretch for home and cruised in with a wet sail.