Dubai based businessman Dr. Jim Hay has purchased a significant interest in Dubai World Cup candidate Cape Blanco.  

A Group 1 winner of the 2010 Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes, Cape Blanco is trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien for Coolmore associate Derrick Smith.  

Hay and his wife Fitri have been a high-profile buyers at European auctions in recent years with trainer Paul Cole.  Hay is a former BP senior executive and heads JMH Group which has an annual turnover of $350 million.

Cape Blanco (4c Galileo – Laurel Delight by Presidium) has been off the scene since failing in the G1 Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.  He will remain in training with O’Brien and will sport Hay’s silks in the G1 Dubai World Cup on March 26.

Cape Blanco is currently on the fourth line of Dubai World Cup markets.  Twice Over is favourite at $4.50 followed by Bold Silvano ($6), Snow Fairy ($8.50) and Cape Blanco ($9).

Coolmore agent Demi O’Byrne bought Cape Blanco for 330,000 euros at the 2008 Goffs yearling sale.  His dam Laurel Delight is a winning half-sister to former Haunui Farm shuttler Paris House (Petong).  He sired 55 winners from three seasons in New Zealand but the only stakes winner among them was Tobruk (G1 Bayer Classic & G3 Doomben Classic).