Doyle set for lightning desert raid
The star English rider is teaming up with his English mentor, the globe-trotting Clive Brittain, as well as leading Dubai-based Sri Lankan handler, Dhruba Selvaratnam.
Doyle will ride the smart five-year-old Pegnitz for Brittain as well as the speedy three-year-old filly Crimplene.
Selvaratnam is likely to have two runners on the World Cup card and has promised Doyle at least one of them.
Doyle, attached to high-flying local trainer Andy Leung Ting-wah, was the runaway Dubai champion for their 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.
He said yesterday: 'Both the Jockey Club and Andy [Leung] have been great in clearing me to go.
'It should be a fantastic meeting. I don't have a ride in the big one but the supporting races are cracking affairs.
'I'm really looking forward to them.' Doyle has already struck gold on one away-day this season, scoring by a short-head on Carry The Flag in a lightning trip to Singapore.
Indigenous had a trot and a canter out on the Nad al Sheba complex and trainer Ivan Allan is happy with him in his build up to the Dubai showpiece.
Allan said yesterday: 'He's a professional traveller. He lost a bit of weight on the journey, but then that was to be expected so I left him a little bit big. He's eaten well since and was well behaved out at exercise this morning so the new surroundings haven't posed any great problems.' David Hayes also reported that he was pleased with the way Resfa had come out of his unplaced effort behind Ouzo in the Singapore Airlines International Cup.
Resfa runs in the 1,800-metre turf event, which is the main supporting race to the 2,000-metre World Cup, which will be run on the sand.
