A little after 7 a.m. local time April 2, a tour bus pulled into Harrow Yard at Meydan. A tour group? At that hour of the morning? Well, not exactly.
One by one, members of the MyRacehorse microshare syndicate poured out of the bus and made their way trackside, lining the rail, phones and iPads in hand as they watched American champion male sprinter Straight No Chaser turn in an energetic gallop a little more than three days out from his appearance in the April 5 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1).
The 6-year-old will look to become the first to complete the unofficial Sprint Triple Crown when attempting to add the Golden Shaheen to the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2).
For More on Dubai World Cup Day Horses, Check Out TrackWork Report, Thursday
For More on Dubai World Cup Day Horses, Check Out TrackWork Report, Wednesday
For More on Dubai World Cup Day Horses, Check Out TrackWork Report, Tuesday
"Straight No Chaser is the one that brought us here and as everyone knows, he's just an awesome horse," said enthusiastic shareholder Will Diaz. "I am loving it here. It's been great and I can't wait for Saturday to come. Boy, he's amazing, such a tough horse."
About 30 minutes later, trainer Dan Blacker reappeared to exchange pleasantries with the group, easily numbering 50 and each looking like there is no place they'd rather be.
"I couldn't possibly be more excited," said Diaz. "I've been very lucky, I was also involved with (MyRacehorse's grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner) Seize the Grey , but this experience is just so great."
Blacker says, "At the end of the day, this is what I am trying to do—to take horses and race them internationally in places like Saudi and Dubai.
"It's been very satisfying to be able to do this for MyRacehorse, to be able to give them these sorts of experiences, and, hopefully, Straight No Chaser will run another big race this weekend."