Peter Snowden is quietly confident Sepoy and Helmet will handle the Tapeta surface and do their best when they represent Australia at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan this Saturday night."I couldn't be happier with how they've done since their arrival from Australia," said Snowden, "and yes my gut feeling is that they will handle the track."Sepoy, the world's top rated three-year-old sprinter, takes on all-comers in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m) while last year's Caul

Peter Snowden is quietly confident Sepoy and Helmet will handle the Tapeta surface and do their best when they represent Australia at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan this Saturday night.

"I couldn't be happier with how they've done since their arrival from Australia," said Snowden, "and yes my gut feeling is that they will handle the track."

Sepoy, the world's top rated three-year-old sprinter, takes on all-comers in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m) while last year's Caulfield Guineas winner Helmet steps to 1900 metres to contest the UAE Derby.

"We've given them plenty of exposure to the Tapeta track and plenty of decent work. It's a demanding surface and for that reason I think you have to have a horse very fit to cope with it. It hasn't worried them in their workouts. They've recovered quickly," he said.

Snowden said that Helmet appeared to have adapted the better but was encouraged by Sepoy's work on Tuesday morning.

"Helmet has a long fluent stride and, up until this morning, I'd say he was definitely going the better on the Tapeta but Sepoy's work this morning was excellent so perhaps he's adapting now as well. He worked as well as he would have at home. He may have even gone a touch quicker than you'd want but he did it on his ear," he said.

The downside for the two from south of the equator could be the weight scale. Sepoy gets only one kilogram from the older horses in the Golden Shaheen while Helmet, as an older Southern Hemisphere-bred 3YO, has to concede 4.5 kilograms to the 3YO males bred in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Helmet is older so we have to accept the weights and I don't think the trip is an issue," Snowden said when asked about his eighth place finish in last year's Cox Plate, at 2040 metres, at his only attempt beyond 1600m.

"He was coming off a long, hard campaign in the Cox Plate and taking on the older horses. He was only about four lengths off them and certainly wasn't disgraced," he said.

"I know his last couple of runs haven't been great but there were excuses and I wasn't that unhappy with them. He has done well here and I expect him to run well.

"Obviously we hope they both run well but it is a whole new ball game for them and it's not the end of the world if they don't.

"Sepoy's the lone three-year-old in the Golden Shaheen and he's got plenty of upside. His run in the Oakleigh Plate was sound given the handicaps and I'm optimistic. Always better to be optimistic. Let's hope they do us proud," Snowden said. Sepoy has drawn nine of 12 in the Golden Shaheen with defending champion Rocket Man in barrier one. Helmet has drawn the outside gate, barrier 14, in the UAE Derby.

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