Clapton, Drew's Gold Gear Up for Dubai

Chad Summers trainees Clapton  and Drew's Gold , both private purchases on behalf of Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi's RRR Racing, continue preparations for overseas outings Jan. 3 at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla.  

Clapton, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Brethren  , breezed six furlongs out of the gate Wednesday morning in 1:12.90 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. The 5-year-old, unraced since finishing 11th in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 4, was outfitted with blinkers for the first time.

"We had been toying with putting a set of blinkers on him," Summers said. "If you watch his race in the Breeders' Cup he actually broke on top but then sucked himself so far back. We're not going to completely change his running style, if you've run 25 times you are what you are; but we just don't want him to be too much out of touch with the field in the race.

"Tyler said he felt like a different horse with the blinkers. He was a lot more on the bridle and traveled comfortably. He went 1:12 4/5 by himself. It's all signs that he's ready."

With the March 30 Dubai World Cup (G1) as the key target, Summers indicated that the $1 million Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) would be the next start for Clapton. If he were to prove victorious in the Jan. 26 contest, Clapton would be eligible for a $1.2 million bonus in the $12 million Dubai World Cup. The bonus scheme was introduced last August by the Dubai Racing Club as a way to encourage trainers and owners to prepare their horses at Meydan for the World Cup Carnival races.

Clapton enjoyed his best season of racing last year, landing the Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in April for his old connections before earning his ticket to the Breeders' Cup with a dramatic victory in the Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs while sporting the RRR Racing colors.

Newly turned 4-year-old Drew's Gold also worked from the gate Wednesday morning, clocking five furlongs in company in 1:01.95. The Violence   colt, a two-time stakes winner in New York, has yet to make his debut for the Summers barn.

"He's an interesting horse and we're still trying to learn more about him and figure him out," Summers said. "We were fortunate to buy him in September. We've had him for four months now. It's just kind of day-by-day with him.

"His best races we thought were brilliant. I know he's not a graded stakes winner but if you go back and watch his race in the Gold Fever I thought it was as impressive a race a 3-year-old ran all year long. And he backed it up by running a good second in the Woody Stephens (Stakes, G1) to Arabian Lion."

Drew's Gold hasn't started since a fifth-place finish in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course in August while under the care of trainer James Chapman. Like his stablemate, the colt will also prep for the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan, with an expected start in the Al Shinadgha Sprint (G3) Jan. 26. Although the race serves as a steppingstone for the March 30 $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), Summers mentioned that Drew's Gold could be a candidate for the Feb. 25 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) in Saudi Arabia "if everything went perfect."