The likely fields for the nine group races (one Arabian and eight Thoroughbred) of the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup night card on Mar. 26, were revealed on Thursday. A total of 32 Group/Grade 1 winners will take part in the Meydan showpiece.
Todd Pletcher trainee Life Is Good (Into Mischief), a winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., anchors the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airlines. Fellow Americans joining him in the field are Grade I winners Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow)-who already sports a win over the surface in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 earlier this winter for Doug O'Neill, and Country Grammer (Tonalist), while the multiple Grade I-placed Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) also takes part. The latter pair were second and third in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 26, and are trained by Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen, respectively. Last year's Dubai World Cup second and third, Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) and Godolpin's Magny Cours (Medaglia d'Oro) have also signed on. Another in the royal blue is Group 2 winner Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) from the yard of Saeed bin Suroor. Hypothetical (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), the winner of the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 at the beginning of the month and the second-place finisher Remorse (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), are also part of the field.
A field of 14 lines up in the $6-million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, with a pair of Japanese Group 1 winner-Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) representing the Land of the Rising Sun. Godolphin's GI Breeders' Cup Turf hero Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby and G1 Coronation Cup victor Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) have also thrown their hats in the ring. Others in the Sheema Classic are William Haggas's Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) and Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), while Owen Burrows will saddle G2 Dubai City Of Gold scorer Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).
John and Thady Gosden's Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) will defend his title in the 1800-metre $5-million G1 Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World, but multiple Group 1 winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) and a trio of Japanese hopefuls–Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), Vin De Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn})–will make his task difficult.
In the $2-million 1200-metre G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored By Atlantis Dubai, American Grade I winners Dr. Schivel (VIolence) and Drain The Clock (Maclean's Music) lock horns with the Japanese duo of Chain Of Love (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Red Le Zele (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). Another Japanese entrant, Copano Kicking (Sprint At Last), who ran fifth in the 2021 Golden Shaheen, has been withdrawn from consideration due to an injury.
On turf, the 1200-metre $1,500,000 G1 Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments sees three Charlie Appleby Godolphin colourbearers-Group 1 winner Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Man Of Promise (Into Mischief) and Group 2 winner Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) go up against European Group 1 winners Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) and A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}).
Classic hopefuls square off in the $1-million 1900-metre G2 UAE Derby Sponsored By Irwin, and Bob Baffert's GI Del Mar Futurity and G3 Saudi Derby victor Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) heads the field, which also includes the Saudi Derby runner-up Sekifu (Jpn) (Henny Hughes). The 1600-metre $1-million G2 Godolphin Mile Sponsored By Nakheel features last year's winner Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who is aiming to defend his title. The longest race on the card, is the 3200-metre $1-million G2 Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors on grass. Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi saddles G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. winner Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}), who will face the undefeated G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy winner Manobo (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby.
“We are delighted with the strength of the entries for the 26th Dubai World Cup meeting,” said Major General Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, General Manager of Dubai Racing Club. “We have strength and depth across all nine races and it's wonderful to have so many different countries represented.
“We are also extremely happy to be able to welcome back a capacity crowd for the first time since 2019 and we hope that everyone will enjoy a superb evening of racing.”
The G1 Kahayla Classic for Arabians will begin at 3:45 p.m. local time, and the Dubai World Cup will take place at 8:30 p.m. Meydan Racecourse opens at 12 p.m., and tickets are available on the Dubai Racing Club website.
The post Dubai World Cup Night Card Attracts 32 Group 1 Winners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse will host the only card in the southern hemisphere with five Group One races, when a stellar program gets underway at 9:10 p.m. ET / 6.10 p.m. PT this Friday. The marquee race, the AU$5 million Golden Slipper, is the world's richest for 2-year-olds over six furlongs and goes as the 8th of ten races.
Seven colts and nine fillies will contest the 66th Golden Slipper which will be broadcast live on TVG and is available to stream on the Sky Racing World App.
In a season (which began last August) that has seen fillies ranked slightly above their male counterparts, favoritism will be shouldered by the undefeated Coolangatta (4/1). Named for a beach town on Australia's Gold Coast, the Sydney-based filly has not raced since winning the Magic Millions – appropriately, at the Gold Coast track – in January. While Coolangatta has been training impressively, she will have to break a record for longest period leading into the Slipper without a race. Coolangatta's training partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who operate one of the nation's largest stables, have not wanted to risk their star filly on the extremely wet tracks of the past month.
After torrential rain and deadly flooding on Australia's central-east coast, Rosehill has been drying out this week. The going will be soft, but safe and fair to all horses' chances.
This year's Slipper pits the conventional against the unorthodox. Anthony Cummings trains She's Extreme (7/1), whose three career races have been in the last five weeks.
Cummings said: “I would rather have my recipe (of rock-hard fitness) than the favorite's.”
Conversely, Coolangatta's jockey, James McDonald, considers it “a blessing to be coming in on fresh legs,” having avoided a “gut buster on heavy ground.”
Coolangatta and Sejardan (5/1) each won the season's first juvenile races on the same day last October. From the moment that the filly clocked more than a second faster than the colt, Coolangatta has dominated future book wagering for the Golden Slipper. Yet, there is now little market separation between the pair, as Sejardan follows a traditional path by winning a historically productive prep race two weeks ago.
Given world events and racetrack form, the biggest threat could come from Russian Conquest (10/1), who ran Coolangatta to a neck in the Magic Millions. The filly raced two weeks ago – on the same card as Sejardan – finishing only 4th of six while uncomfortable in very heavy conditions. Jockey Tommy Berry seeks a record-equaling 4th Golden Slipper triumph.
Friday night's other Group One races:
Race 5, the Ranvet Stakes for 3yo-and-up at 1-1/4 miles, stars reigning Horse of the Year and Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (2/5).
Race 6, the Rosehill Guineas, for 3-year-olds at 1-1/4 miles, features a potential rematch of the recent Randwick Guineas exacta. However, Converge (5/2) who upset Anamoe (even-money) at Randwick, is also entered in the 7th. Profondo (9/2) is lightly raced and supremely talented.
Race 7, the George Ryder Stakes at 7-1/2 furlongs for 3yo-and-up, is a sensational contest. Mo'unga (3/1), Forbidden Love (3/1), Colette (5/1), the aforementioned Converge (5/1) and Private Eye (6/1) are all Group One winners – Mo'unga on the corresponding day last year, in the Rosehill Guineas.
Race 9, the Galaxy, at 5-1/2 furlongs for 3yo-and-up, is headed by Isotope (3/1). A half-dozen horses are quoted from 9/1 to 11/1, in another stimulating betting race.
Over the next five weeks, 16 Group One races will be run in Sydney – seven of which are rated in the Longines World's Top 100 Races. Many of these will be part of The Championships at Randwick, on the first two weekends of April.
The Rosehill card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:10 p.m. ET / 6:10 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Gold Coast, Kembla Grange and Ascot. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
About Michael Wrona
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.
The post Australia: Five Group 1 Races Led By Undefeated Coolangatta In Golden Slipper appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not quite as strong as they were a few weeks ago.
