Schutz Aims at Emirates Series With Caitano, Samum

From Emirates Racing Series

German trainer Andreas Schutz has never been one to avoid a challenge and the 2001 Emirates World Series Racing Championship is one of the titles he will be setting his sights on this year. He holds a strong hand with a pair of runners in Caitano and Samum.

Schutz is scheduled to arrive in Dubai on March 19 to oversee his globetrotting Caitano through his final preparations for the Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night at Nad Al Sheba. This will be Schutz's fourth visit to Dubai, the first being in 1998 with World Cup challenger Borgia.

Caitano finished second to 2000 Emirates series champion Fantastic Light in last year's Dubai Sheema Classic and the two will meet again on the Nad Al Sheba turf on March 24. In his last start, Caitano finished second to Silvano in the Singapore Cup on March 3.

"I have not seen Caitano since his run in Singapore but my traveling head lad has reported he is in very good form," Schutz said.

"He will be aimed at both European and overseas legs of the Series. His main targets will be the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (Eng-I) at Ascot, the Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I) and then the Cox Plate (Aust-I) in Australia towards the end of the year," Schutz said.

Last year Schutz finished fourth in the Emirates World Series trainer's championship with 16 points. Thirteen of those points were scored by his German Derby (Ger-I) winner Samum, who claimed the fourth leg of the Series -- the Grosser Preis von Baden (Ger-I) and was then sixth in the Hong Kong Cup (HK-I).

"I will now be aiming Samum at those Emirates World Series races which are later in the year, mainly the Grosser Preis von Baden, then the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) and then hopefully the Breeders' Cup. I am really looking to win the World Series with one of my horses this year," Schutz stated.

The Emirates World Series Racing Championship, sponsored by Emirates Airline, takes in 12 top Thoroughbred races around the globe and is the largest sponsorship in the history of horseracing.