Will Clarken has his sights set on the Gr.2 Blue Point Sprint over 1000m on February 18 with Parsifal (NZ) (Darci Brahma) following the first run of his Dubai World Cup Carnival campaign.

Parsifal finished sixth in the Listed Dubai Sprint over 1200m on Friday night at Meydan, while stable mate He’s A Balter (Spirit Of Boom) was narrowly beaten in the consolation race on the same program.

Clarken said that Friday’s race wasn’t part of the initial plan with Parsifal.

“Parsifal wasn’t actually going to run, and I thought, he’s done so well on the travel, they’ve actually put on quite a lot of weight and I wanted to give him a good gallop to tighten him up for the Blue Point,” Clarken said.

“Six furlongs isn’t his ideal trip; I think he’s a bit better just a bit off them and over a bit shorter and I think he’ll take huge improvement.”

Parsifal and He’s A Balter were both ridden by Caitlin Jones, who has looked after the two horses since they arrived in the United Arab Emirates.

“She’s a very accomplished horsewoman and she’s really done a wonderful job,” he said.

“I was planning to go over there ten days ago and unfortunately got COVID, so I was a little bit nervous going into their first run, because I’ve got no idea of the lay of the land over there, but she’s communicated so well about the training tracks and other things.

“It’s unbelievable what I’ve seen of the training tracks and the horse’s soundness is fantastic, so I’m really happy to have them there.”

Clarken will get to see those training tracks first-hand soon enough, as he plans on travelling to Dubai to oversee his pair prior to their next outings.

He also hopes that this isn’t the only time he’s involved in the Dubai World Cup Carnival, which attracts horses, trainers and jockeys from around the globe.

“I’d love to think one of them might be able to win a race over there and we’ll do it again next year,” he said.