LONDON: British trainer Jamie Osborne is eying another victory in the Group 2 UAE Derby as he prepares Heart Of Honor for the prestigious $1,000,000 race on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday.
The Lambourn-based handler, who memorably won the contest with Toast Of New York in 2014, is hoping his latest contender can emulate that success.
Osborne’s charge has been a regular feature at Meydan throughout the Dubai Racing Carnival, notching two victories before narrowly missing out in his last two outings.
The David Redvers-bred colt, from Tweenhills in Gloucestershire, will head into the race with a tactical change — he will wear blinkers for the first time in a bid to sharpen his performance.
Adding to the family affair, Heart Of Honor will be partnered by Osborne’s daughter, Saffie Osborne, in the high-profile event.
Speaking to Great British Racing International, Osborne detailed his hopes for Heart Of Honor’s performance.
“Heart Of Honor won his first two races in Dubai and was not disgraced in defeat in his last two races. I think there were factors involved in his last defeat and I don’t think he was at his best. We learned a lot about him,” he said.
“I think he just needs to be sharper through the gate and sharper through the first half of his races, and the application of blinkers is to help him with that. We have got him in a better place now than we got him before the Al-Bastakiya. We are hopeful that he will run his best race next Saturday.
“It’s great for the owners, who have trusted me to do this. The plan when we bought him was always to bring him to Dubai for a Middle Eastern winter campaign with the hope that he would make it to the derby. Thankfully this plan has worked out so far, but we have got one more mission to accomplish,” Osborne added.
Osborne remains the only British trainer to have won the UAE Derby, and he reflected on Toast Of New York’s success a decade ago.
“(That) win is something that I look back on with pride, and getting the opportunity to do it again this year with Heart Of Honor is special. It’s even more special to get to do it with Saffie on board,” he said.
“When Toast Of New York won it, she was 11 years old and was screaming at the television at home. When we arrived home from Dubai, she had made all the banners for his stable and was very excited, so it’s thrilling to get the chance to do it again with her,” he added.
Osborne has been a regular competitor in Dubai in recent years, sending a steady stream of runners to the Middle East and picking up notable victories with horses such as Cliffs Of Capri and Ouzo.
He also landed the Dukhan Sprint in Qatar in 2023 with Emaraaty Ana, placed fourth in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup in 2022 with Alignak and finished runner-up on Saudi Cup night in 2020 with Mekong.
Osborne said he was enthusiastic about competing in the region.
“Personally, I enjoy coming to race in Dubai and the Middle East during the British off-season, and my clients enjoy racing their horses here, too,” he said.
“We’ve had a good year this year in Dubai, and my horses have won plenty of prize money finishing placed in big races. We look forward to coming back again next year as it works well before our racing starts here in the UK.”
