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From the Dubai Racing Club...

Moon heads Cumani's Dubai quartet

Narrow Hong Kong Vase runner-up Purple Moon heads a four-strong Luca Cumani-trained squad for the 2009 Dubai International Racing Carnival.

Purple Moon, Cumani’s big hope for the Dubai Sheema Classic (sponsored by Nakheel), is joined by new German purchase Waldvogel, and the classy handicappers Swop and Presvis.

The Newmarket trainer has not had a runner in the UAE since Vicious Circle finished second in the Nad Al Sheba Gold Cup in 2001, and said: “Endless Hall ran well for us that year to come fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic. It’s been a while and we’re looking forward to it.

“Purple Moon will have one run in the Carnival before the Sheema, while we’ll start Presvis and Swop off in handicaps.

“We have bought Waldvogel more as a travelling companion for Purple Moon, so I’m not sure what he’s going to run in at this stage.”

The four-year-old Presvis has only run seven times, and was last seen hacking up by seven lengths in a valuable heritage handicap over 2000m at Newbury in the UK, back in September.

His stablemate Swop, a five-year-old, has been in fine form too, finishing third in a heritage handicap at Sandown before filling the same position in the prestigious Cambridgeshire Stakes over 1800m at Newmarket in October.

The German-bred Waldvogel, previously trained by Andreas Wohler, is a Listed-race winner and has also been placed in Group company over longer trips.

Meanwhile, Craig Bennett, who bought Purple Moon as a three-year-old to go hurdling, is looking forward to watching his globe-trotting star carry on his international career.

“You'd have to think he'll be right up there in international Group 1 races at a mile and a half,” said Bennett. “He's a well travelled horse and I've been with him every time. We went to Japan, Melbourne and Longchamp and now we'll go to Dubai with him and have a bit of fun out there.

“One day he'll land one. He's won everywhere but the line but I knew he'd lost. He'll winter in Dubai now and then go for the Sheema Classic on the last Saturday in March.

“It's great fun but I've got a great trainer. You wouldn't put a horse with anybody better than Luca.”

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Proud Tower Too aims for Golden Shaheen II

Although he spent last spring covering mares and has not raced in nearly two years, Proud Tower Too is back in training with a mission—to return to Dubai.

The winner of the 2006 Dubai Golden Shaheen (Gr.1) and the highweighted sprinter in the United Arab Emirates that year, Proud Tower Too is within just a few weeks of a comeback race in the United States, according to trainer Sal Gonzalez.

“Our plan is to go forward and run him when he is ready, in the next two to three weeks, and hopefully make the trip back to Dubai,” Gonazalez said.

The now six-year-old Proud Tower Too recorded a six-furlong drill at Sunland Park in New Mexico on December 12, stopping the clock at 1:16.40. Plans call for Proud Tower Too to race at Sunland before facing stiffer competition at Santa Anita Park in California to see if he still possesses the speed needed for the 1,200-meter Dubai Golden Shaheen.

“We want to go back to Dubai because we liked it so much,” Gonzalez said. “We’re hoping he stays sound.”

Owner and breeder Daniel Cardenas of Tricar Stable retired Proud Tower Too in the fall of 2007 after the son of Proud Irish reinjured a problem tendon. The horse was bred to 18 mares at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds in California this spring and all were reported in foal, Gonzalez said.

“He looked so good in the middle of the year that we decided to train him,” Gonzalez explained. “He’s had no problems since then. He’s a natural racehorse. The minute I put him back on the track, all he wanted to do was gallop.”

When Proud Tower Too was at his peak, he was a formidable sprinter. A winner at two, he capped his three-year-old season with wins in the On Trust Handicap at Hollywood Park and the Malibu Stakes (Gr.1) at Santa Anita, defeating eventual champion sprinter Thor’s Echo in the latter.

In 2006, Proud Tower Too again turned back Thor’s Echo in the Sensational Star Handicap at Santa Anita before both were shipped to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen, where they again finished in that order. Proud Tower Too won by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:09.86 to score the biggest victory of his career.

Sidelined after surgery to remove a bone chip in an ankle that summer, Proud Tower Too returned to racing in the winter of 2007, placing in three California stakes before aggravating his tendon. His record stands at seven wins in 22 starts, with five seconds and two thirds and earnings of $1,735,572.