El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) winner Dice Flavor visited Meydan Racecourse's all-weather track for the first time on March 24 following a check-up at the local equine hospital after his long travel from California to Dubai.
Dice Flavor is in Dubai to race in the $2 Million UAE Derby (UAE-II) at 1,900 meters (about 1 3/16 miles) on Meydan's all-weather track.
Dave Heaslip, exercise rider for trainer Paddy Gallagher, said the Scat Daddy colt had a minor digestive problem that caused him to be uncomfortable when he arrived in Dubai. He did not go to the track March 23 as the other American-based runners did after they cleared quarantine.
Dice Flavor "got a little colicky" but he did not require any major treatment, and "he's fine now," Heaslip added.
On his toes after not being ridden for about six days, Dice Flavor was skittish when he first walked on to the Meydan track after sunrise, jogging to one side and then another before settling down.
"He likes it," Heaslip said of how the colt moved on the synthetic surface, which is the same Tapeta brand as the track at Golden Gate Fields, scene of his El Camino Real Derby triumph. "He's still a baby but he's learning fast."
Dice Flavor
Marcel LangevinVassar Photography