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West Coast drawn nine in Dubai World Cup

Bob Baffert: Unconcerned by Dubai World Cup draw
Image: Bob Baffert: Unconcerned by Dubai World Cup draw

Bob Baffert was unperturbed after his Dubai World Cup favourite West Coast was handed stall nine in the 10-furlong feature at Meydan on Saturday.

The four-year-old will have only Thunder Snow on his outside in the 10-runner race as he tries to step up on his second place behind the now-retired Gun Runner in the Pegasus World Cup on his latest start.

Baffert also fields Mubtaahij, who finished fourth the race for Mike de Kock last year, and he is pleased that horse is drawn away from his stablemate in stall five.

The trainer said: "I'm fine with both. Everybody wants the (stall) one, but I do not. I don't like the one-hole and have never liked the one.

"I've heard you have to be on the rail here as it's a speed-biased rail, but I think in a race of this magnitude, when you get all of these good horses together, all that changes. We have a fast horse.

"From the outside, if they break a little slow you're not going to get in trouble. From the inside if you break slow, you're going to be in trouble.

"I just didn't want them to draw next to each other. If they'd bump into each other or something else had happened, I'd hate be together."

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The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Thunder Snow is one of two runners for Godolphin, with Andre Fabre's Breeders' Cup Turf hero Talismanic having a first try on a dirt track from stall seven.

Lisa-Jane Graffard, French racing manager for Godolphin, said:

"The horse trained well on the dirt at Del Mar. He's very adaptable with a great mind. Tactics are up to the trainer and jockey and we'll wait to hear on the night."

Satish Seemar's North America is also prominent in the betting for the Group One heat and the trainer was delighted to be handed stall two for his recent Meydan winner.

He said: "That's exactly what we wanted - one, two or three. I'm very positive. We've got everything right in his preparation so far, and now we have the perfect draw."

Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Forever Unbridled will break from stall six, with Japanese challenger Awardee drawn lowest of all in one.

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