Invasor in 'fabulous form' leading up to Dubai World Cup

“He loves his work and he does it effortlessly,” said McLaughlin, who trains the horse for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Shadwell Stable. “He’s very fit and he puts a lot into his gallops, so we decided he didn’t need to work every week.”

Invasor raced on last year’s Dubai World Cup card, finishing fourth to Godolphin’s Discreet Cat in the UAE Derby (UAE-G2), his only career loss. Although Discreet Cat, who won the Hill 'n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) in track-record time on November 25 at Aqueduct, again is expected to be in the field, McLaughlin said he expects a much different result.“He’s filled out—he’s put on quite a bit of weight—and he’s matured mentally,” he said of his multiple Grade 1 winner. “He’s in fabulous form.”

McLaughlin said that he, Sheikh Hamdan, and Shadwell General Manager Rick Nichols decided to send 19-year-old jockey Fernando Jara to Dubai to ride at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday in a race at the Dubai World Cup distance of 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) so that he will be fully prepared for the world’s richest race on March 31.

“We felt it would be a good experience for the kid to go over there and get a feel for the track,” McLaughlin said, pointing out that the Jara never previously has been to Dubai.Source
Source www.kentuckyderby.com