Black Caviar is now rated 50-50 to run in Dubai after connections of the world's best sprinter have begun to seriously consider stopping off in the UAE in March en route to Royal Ascot this summer.
The top priority for the Australian superstar mare remains the trip to England in June, where the Golden Jubilee Stakes, renamed the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in honour of the Queen, and the July Cup are intended targets.
The idea to come to Dubai had been played down by Peter Moody, the trainer, after the unbeaten mare was entered into the Dubai Golden Shaheen and Al Quoz sprint but after a meeting this week with the owners in Melbourne Moody revealed a stopover at Meydan racecourse for March 31 was much more likely.
"Dubai wasn't really on the radar but it's on the table, as are a number of options," he said.
"The Dubai trip was probably a 10 per cent chance but now I'd say it's 50-50.
"If she went to Dubai, it would certainly break up her trip to England. I am familiar with the logistics of it all and it's an option we are thinking about.
"She'd already had all her vaccinations for the trip to England, so that wouldn't be a concern if she was to go to Dubai.''
The Golden Shaheen increasingly looks the most likely option, not only because the race is 200m further than the Al Quoz, but because of its rise to prominence in to the Global Sprint Challenge, a series which also includes the Diamond Jubilee.
Moody suggested the Group 1 Lightening Stakes, a race that Black Caviar has won previously, could once again feature in her programme and could potentially trigger a special bonus. The race, run on February 18, kicks off the GSC 2012 calendar, and with $US1 million in the offering for any horse that can win three GSC races on different continents it is clear connections are eyeing up a bumper payout.
