By Alayna Cullen Birkett
The redoubtable stayer Sheikhzayedroad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a stalwart of David Simcock's Newmarket stable, winning 11 of his 49 races. For the last five years he has raced at Meydan on World Cup night but this year Dubai's biggest race day will go ahead without the horse named after the country's major thoroughfare as the 10-year-old settles into a life of 'retirement' as the stable hack at Trillium Place. The TDN's Alayna Cullen spoke with trainer David Simcock about the venerable gelding in the latest After the Finish Line.
TDN: David, remind us what Skeikhzayedroad achieved in his career.
David Simcock: Sheikhzayedroad was first of all a wonderfully consistent horse. He did very well from two to three in the winter. He started off in the maiden at Newmarket, ran promisingly, and then broke his maiden at Hamilton. He had started to show enough to suggest he was going to be quite decent. He had a very successful 4-year-old career. He won a decent handicap off the mark of 82 at Doncaster and he won a Premier H. on Derby day at Epsom, which was a lovely day to have a winner.
We then took him Dubai in the January of his 5-year-old career and that's when things really took off. He won first time out over there. He was placed in a decent stakes race and he suddenly went from being a top-end handicapper to a group horse. At five he won the Fred Archer, which is a listed race. He won the SkyBet at York, which was a Group 2, beating a very good field, over a mile and a quarter. And then he went and won the GI Northern Dancer in Woodbine where we had a group-win double. That was a very special day. From there, he continued to progress and he just became a very consistent, good stayer.
TDN: Which of his performances was your personal highlight?
DS: My personal highlight was probably later on in his career when we stepped him up to two miles and he won the two-mile race on Champions Day at Ascot. That is a very special day of racing, a lot of prize-money, and it is, as the day says, a Champion's day and for me, he was Champion two-miler that day. He also loved Dubai, he was very consistent in Dubai, accumulated a lot of prize-money out there.
TDN: What was he like to train?
DS: He was quite fruity when he started. He was a little keen, a little headstrong, but he became more and more straightforward as time went on. He wasn't a wonderful workhorse, he would only do what he was asked to do, but I think his biggest attribute was that he stayed sound throughout his career and that's a wonderful trait in a horse. He enjoyed his racing and from day one to the day he retired, he was a sound horse, which was what we were very keen to finish on.
TDN: How is he transitioning into the yard hack?
DS: He's very good. Still goes out in a hood as he'll jump at traffic but with the hood on he's not worried at all. He'll watch the string, no problem at all and is very keen to eat grass. My assistant, Sam, is riding him at the moment, she's getting the freshness out of him. He's still a little keen when he has a little canter but generally I think he's really enjoying it.
TDN: I believe your Head Lad Gary has a bit of a special bond with Sheikhzayedroad?
DS: Gary has been with me the best part of 12 years. He rode Sheikhzayedroad throughout his racing career and is very fond of him. He's the first person to see him in the morning, he's the last person to see him at night and he probably knows his character better than anybody. I know he has a very soft spot for him.
TDN: When can we expect to see you riding him on the Heath?
DS: I haven't ridden for quite a while and I would want to see him behaving impeccably before I get on him. I'm pretty sure I'll be riding him in the summer and I'm looking forward to riding him. He's got a kind nature, he expresses himself but he's not going to rear or buck me off, I hope.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
