Cranes tend the open ribs of the skyscrapers like surgeons. One of these buildings, Burj Dubai, will end up the tallest on the planet.

And here, cantering in the foreground, was perhaps its most precious racehorse. In the stifled light, yesterday morning Discreet Cat had his own gleam, a fluid, primal grace. In contrast to the breathless haste of construction all around him, his foundations have been laid very patiently. But now, at last, the time has come to measure him against a global pinnacle.

On Saturday, the richest prize in the sport's history will be contested by Discreet Cat, this unbeaten freak, who has been drawn in stall one in the seven-runner field, and Invasor, Horse of the Year in the United States after that vintage Breeders' Cup success last autumn. As it happens, both horses are owned by men with the prestige of the 12th Dubai World Cup close to their hearts: Discreet Cat runs for Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of the emirate, and Invasor, drawn widest in seven, for Sheikh Hamdan, his older brother. Whether both horses would be here in other hands must be doubted. As it is, they are laying on a spectacle commensurate to the race's purse and purpose.

Like the World Cup - and its gaudy supporting card, which will be decorated by the Derby winner, Sir Percy, among others - the Godolphin stable is intended to exalt Dubai both ancient and modern. The thoroughbred had its roots in the desert, and to Sheikh Mohammed these champions are coming home.

The convergence of these priorities has yielded five Godolphin winners in the first 11 runnings of the World Cup, and assured Discreet Cat top billing at the stable's open morning. There was no equivocation from Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager. "We haven't been round too many horses like this," he said. "His last run was unbelievable, the hallmark of a great champion."

That was his Grade One debut, over a mile in New York last autumn, when he melted the stopwatch in taking his sequence of runaway wins to six. Speed being his forte, however, the step up to 10 furlongs here scarcely plays to his strengths, and it cannot help that he missed his intended rehearsal three weeks ago, as many horses tend to race freely after a break from the track. "The only reason we wanted to get a run into him was to knock that freshness out of him," Crisford admitted. "But he had a slightly elevated temperature, so we have taken him down to Nad al Sheba twice since, for racecourse work, and while he didn't need to do anything strenuous, he didn't turn a hair on either occasion.

"He completed his final gallop on Monday and looked absolutely fantastic. He's an active type, doesn't carry much condition, and fitness is not going to be an issue - he's very clean-winded. If he manages to relax in the early stages, he gives the impression he should stay the distance well."

Certainly Discreet Cat saw out nine furlongs with no problem in the UAE Derby here last year. Invasor, still to blossom after his emigration from Uruguay, lurked seven lengths away that day, the only defeat of his career.

And Crisford feels that the colt has repaid cautious handling since, both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup having been deemed too much, too soon. "The horse has definitely matured," he said. "As a two-year-old, he still had a lot of development to make.

"We needed to handle him carefully, let him grow into his frame. Over the past year he has become physically stronger. He's definitely more settled, while at the same time remaining an alert type. He's a horse on his game. Which is as it should be, because he's about to face the biggest test of his life."

Chris McGrath

Nap: Back In Business

(Hereford 4.10)

NB: Inherent

(Towcester 4.30)