World’s top-rated Flat horse to race in Dubai despite conflict in the Gulf

Calandagan, the world’s top-rated Flat horse in 2025, will fly to Dubai from Paris on Saturday to run in the Sheema Classic at Meydan next weekend, despite the continuing conflict in the Gulf region.

The gelding’s owner, Aga Khan Studs, consulted staff already in Dubai before deciding to give the green light to Francis-Henri Graffard’s five-year-old, the winner of four Group One events last season including the Japan Cup in November.

“We’ve been very happy with Calandagan,” Nemone Routh, the owner’s racing manager, said on Friday. “If we didn’t run in Dubai then we’d have been looking at races in the summer. He’s in great form and we already have a filly out there with staff. We’ve been keeping in close contact with them.

“We’ve assessed the whole situation, worked the horse again this morning and he’s in great form so we’ve taken the decision to send him and run him next weekend.”

Calandagan will lead a reduced European team on next weekend’s $30m (£22.5m) World Cup night card, when Willie Mullins’s Ethical Diamond, the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, and Charlie Appleby’s Rebel’s Romance, who took the Turf in 2022 and 2024, are among his possible rivals in the Sheema Classic.

Dan Skelton has already set a British record for prize money won in a National Hunt season and is poised to become the first trainer to break the £4m barrier on Saturday, when he will send 16 runners to meetings at Newbury, Kelso and Bangor-on-Dee.

Skelton is around £65k short of £4m heading into the weekend and will make the lion’s share in one go if Diamond Street (3.35) or his second-string, The Mad Poet, can land the day’s most valuable event, the Goffs Hundred Grand Bumper at Newbury.

Diamond Street produced an abrupt turn of foot to surge 10 lengths clear on his racecourse debut at Doncaster. He is top rated on that form and has greater scope for improvement than many of his rivals with just one run to his name so far.

Kelso 1.00 Trip, ground and grade all look ideal for James Kenny’s lightly raced eight-year-old, World Of Fortunes.

Newbury 1.15 A drop in grade for Kocktail Bleu and a repeat of his Grade Two form at Kempton last time should be enough.

Kelso 1.30 Judicial Deference and Brookside La are closely matched on Haydock form in January but marginal preference is for the former, who continued his improvement at this track last time.

Newbury 1.50 Several promising types make their handicap debuts, and Thewoodcorner’s four-year-old allowance could tip the balance.

Kelso 2.10 Nicky Henderson’s Khrisma is an obvious favourite but has top weight for her handicap debut against some lightly raced opponents and Our Peggy, second in a strong time at Wincanton earlier this month, makes plenty of each-way appeal getting a stone and a half from the market leader.

Newbury 2.25 A four-from-six record over track and trip suggests Heltenham is the one to beat as he bids to register a third win in this race.

Kelso 2.40 Diamond Dealer’s jumping has improved by the race and he could be very hard to pass if he settles into a rhythm up front.

Newbury 3.00 After an eye-catching run in the qualifier at Market Rasen, the Skeltons’ Getawhisky will be a popular pick to bag another valuable prize for her stable.

Bangor 3.20 The return to decent ground will suit In The Age, a winner on similar going in January.