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Dubai: As Robert Sise sees it, Grade 1 winner Idiot Proof has been training so well that he is ready for a big performance in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (Gr 1), sponsored by Gulf News.
But how big?
"Hopefully, it will be a winning effort," said Sise, an assistant to his father, Clifford, who conditions Martin and Pam Wygod's homebred son of Benchmark.
Idiot Proof handled the trip from California to Dubai "great," said Robert Sise, who has been working with his father for nine years.
In his first appearance at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, the four-year-old colt "got a little hot walking over" from the barn, but then "galloped well" under jockey Iggy Puglisi, Sise reported.
Second and third in two starts this year, Idiot Proof established track records for six furlongs the same distance as the Dubai Golden Shaheen at Santa Anita Park and Monmouth Park last year of 1:07.57 and 1:07.47, respectively.
After flashing such blazing speed on both coasts of America, it is clear that Idiot Proof has the talent to win the Dubai Golden Shaheen. But, as with all American starters, "it depends on how he handles the straightaway," Sise said.
In 11 career starts, Idiot Proof has won five times and placed five times while earning $863,204.
Meanwhile, the advanced age may actually help multiple American Grade 1 winner Better Talk Now in some areas, and handling stress could be one of them.
Tom Finn, an assistant to trainer Graham Motion, said that the nine-year-old Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr 1) entrant endured the long trip from Florida to Dubai in fine form.
In his first exercise since the journey, Better Talk Now jogged six furlongs and galloped a mile with alacrity at the Nad Al Sheba training track.
"We're very pleased with how he is at the moment - he's grand," Finn said. "It looked like he travelled well, and I was with him myself. He's drinking plenty of water, and that's the most important thing."
Better Talk Now is one of the most accomplished horses on the Dubai World Cup (Gr 1) programme with five Grade 1 victories to his credit, including the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr 1).
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