Tadhg O’Shea seeks Dubai World Cup glory on Laurel River

As the UAE's all-time leading rider with 777 winners and an unprecedented 11 championship titles, Tadhg O’Shea will be aiming to cap a stellar career by clinching victory at the Dubai World Cup.

The Irishman has landed a plum ride in the $12 million Group 1 race atop the Bhupat Seemar-trained Laurel River.

His four other rides on the night are Tuz in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, Killer Collect in the Group 2 UAE Derby, Walk Of Stars in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, all for Seemar, and Ernst Oertel’s Purebred Arabian AF Alwajel in the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic.

However, the Dubai World Cup, which takes place on Saturday, is where the focus will be.

O’Shea rode Remorse in the last two Dubai World Cups, finishing sixth and ninth behind the American raider Country Grammar and Japan’s Ushba Tesoro respectively. With Laurel River, he may have found a willing partner to get closer to his dream.

Laurel River was impressive when winning the Group 3 Burj Nahar on Super Saturday, the Dubai World Cup dress rehearsal, on March 2. His Saudi Arabian owners Juddmonte Farms were impressed by that victory and opted to go for the main prize after that success guaranteed a spot in the Godolphin Mile.

The home bred six-year-old son of Into Mischief hasn’t run beyond the 1,600-metre trip but O’Shea is confident he can handle the step up in distance.

“He's done very well in the Burj Nahar and I'm really looking forward to carrying on our association together in the Dubai World Cup,” O’Shea told The National.

“His pedigree suggests that he’ll stretch out the distance (2,000m). He’s a high-class horse and it’s just a pleasure to be associated with him and the new and famous owners to the Zabeel Stables.”

Laurel River returned to the