This current week has been momentous for myself in that I got to feast my eyes on the very flashy spectacle that is the 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome. His very arrival here in Dubai last weekend has in itself generated a bit of a buzz at the track in the early mornings.

As the sun rose and dawn became day the usual spectator audience of four or five had swelled to about thirty. It included camera crews and presenters from at least three of the UAE television teams. We all stood around in a hyped-up gaggle of chattering racing followers and connections, eagerly awaiting the first sighting of the star of that morning’s show.

Finally on the dot of seven o’clock we caught our first glimpse of the handsome chestnut head with its striking white blaze and at that moment a complete hush descended over the little corner of the track that is our viewing area.

One could for a few seconds have honestly heard a pin drop.

Chrome’s legs were swathed in the usual thickly padded white wraps that most American horses wear, his head high with curiosity and ears listening, intently missing nothing, his groom walking beside him along with Alan Sherman, who’s father Art has the task of conditioning this beautiful beast of a horse.

Cameras whirred and clicked as Chrome walked calmly and purposely on to the dirt track. It’s been a while since he strode this particular surface so valiantly to a second place in last years Dubai World Cup - only Godolphin’s Prince Bishop getting in front of him at the line after he had had a fair bit of the sting taken out of him whilst following the strong pace set by Japan’s Hokko Tarumae. who had been pressed all the way by African Story. Godolphin’s other runner. and 2014’s World Cup Winner.

California Chrome was sent to England soon after for a tilt at Royal Ascot. Unfortunately his trip did not go as planned possibly primarily because full time care of Chrome was transferred to English trainer Rae Guest, who although a perfectly capable trainer, being asked to take on an American horse of such magnitude, with his huge fan base, cannot have been easy.

The horse had endured a pretty tough three year old career, having been set the task of attempting the Triple Crown, which while he didn’t win, he preformed gallantly. All that added up to a very tough five week period with a lot of travelling in between to contend with too.

It takes a superstar horse to be able to cope with such a regime at only three years of age. He was given a break then before an Autumn campaign during which he was only beaten a neck and a nose in a controversial finish to the Breeders Cup Classic won by Bayern with Dubai’s own UAE Derby hero Toast Of New York in second.

To then follow up with an attempt at the Dubai World Cup was indeed a very bold and brave move by his connections.

In hindsight the foray to the UK was probably a step too far but how great we would all be with the benefit of hindsight!

But slowly and steadily Chrome been restored to full fitness and many speculate that the bigger stronger five-year-old version of this much loved racehorse could be even better than he was at three. The successful return to racing was accomplished without any fuss at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, just three weeks ago.

Watching him move at a leisurely pace around Meydan I am particularly struck by how effortlessly he glides over the surface, so light on his feet yet so powerful at the same time. He is quite an awesome sight.

Chrome has his full entourage of people with him, including trainer Art Sherman’s son Alan, as a well as a his work rider, groom and vet.

With this A team dedicated to his every need I expect we will be treated to a fine display of greatness when he races next month, which by all accounts is to be in a handicap! I will feel sympathy for the other horses lining up against him that night.

We finally witnessed the first European Carnival winner of 2016 this week. Italian, but Newmarket-based trainer Marco Botti was on hand with his wife Lucia to supervise their Fanciful Angel win the mile turf handicap. It was a great finish fought out by a pair of greys both sons of Dark Angel. The other being our hero of last year, Dark Emerald, who only went down by a neck.

The winner once again confirmed the belief that horses who ‘run off the plane’ often do so well as he had only landed in Dubai on Sunday.

— The author is a former trainer from the UK and the mother of leading international jockeys James and Sophie Doyle.