Connections of Dabirsim have decided against travelling to Newmarket in May to take part in the Qipco 2000 Guineas and will instead run in the French equivalent which is just a week later.
The Christophe Ferland-trained three year old is unbeaten in five starts and showed his class on the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe meeting at Longchamp in October when he picked up the Group One Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for colts and fillies under jockey Frankie Dettori. A second Group One was added in 2011 in the Prix Morny at Deauville. those following the best Newmarket betting will have been impressed.
Dabirsim was rated at the top of the World Thoroughbred Rankings alongside Camelot at the end of last season. Although Camelot did head the list at the top of the market for the opening classic of 2012, Dabirsim was prominent in the betting.
Ferland expects his colt to run in the Prix Fontainebleau on April 15 as his seasonal reappearance before heading to Longchamp.
Camelot, on the other hand, will have a run in Ireland in April before any decision is made about his path this season. A shot at the Epsom Derby is very likely but he could do that via a run at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas if he proves he can handle the sharp trip of 1m.
Another contender at Newamrket is Born To Sea, he is a half brother to Sea The Stars. who won the 2000 Guineas in 2009 and also went onto complete the Classic double in the Derby the same year. John Oxx’s mount has only appeared twice on a racecourse and was surprisingly beaten on his latest run at the end of his last campaign.