Spencer to ride for O'Brien in Dubai

RACING: NEWS ROUND-UP:JOCKEY JAMIE Spencer will reunite with his old boss Aidan O'Brien for the world's richest race this weekend as Ireland's champion trainer makes a hugely significant trip to Meydan for Saturday's €11.4 million Dubai World Cup.

Last year’s Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes winner Cape Blanco will be one of three hopefuls from the Ballydoyle yard appearing on World Cup night and they fly out to the Gulf today.

Cape Blanco, in which a “significant interest” was bought by Dubai-based owners Jim and Fitri Hay earlier in the year, will be joined by Alexander Pope and Master Of The Hounds who are both due to run in the €2.2 million UAE Derby on the same card.

O’Brien yesterday confirmed he will attend the meeting which continues a thawing in relations between John Magnier’s Coolmore Stud operation and the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed.

This weekend’s runners will be the first sent to Dubai by O’Brien since Powerscourt ran at the World Cup meeting in 2005. None of the principal Coolmore figures attended that fixture on the day and it is widely believed that was interpreted as a snub by Sheikh Mohammed.

Afterwards relations between the world’s two racing superpowers worsened to such an extent that the Sheikh wouldn’t buy the produce of Coolmore stallions at public auction.

However, the presence of O’Brien, and his team of three horses this weekend, is seen as an important step in improved links between Coolmore and the Maktoum family.

Spencer had a turbulent year as stable jockey to O’Brien in 2004, after which he left and was replaced by Kieren Fallon. He has links with Cape Blanco’s new part owners who could also lease Alexander Pope for his target on Saturday.

“Jamie Spencer will ride Cape Blanco and I think he could be on Alexander Pope too. Ryan Moore might ride Master Of The Hounds,” O’Brien said at the Curragh yesterday.

The champion trainer added that he is using a “best available” policy in terms of jockeys following Johnny Murtagh’s controversial resignation as Ballydoyle number one last winter.

The Ballydoyle trainer worked a number of horses after racing yesterday including the 2009 Irish Derby hero Fame And Glory, the 2009 champion juvenile St Nicholas Abbey and the star Australian import, So You Think.