Longtime assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill, Leandro Mora is exuding confidence in stable star Hot Rod Charlie ahead of the March 26 Dubai World Cup. Mora told racingpost.com he wouldn't swap “Charlie” for any other horse pointed to the $12 million race – even Pegasus World Cup and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life is Good.
Mora has been with the 4-year-old son of Oxbow in Dubai since Jan. 19, and watched Hot Rod Charlie win a local prep race on Feb. 4. He believes the extra eighth of a mile in the Dubai World Cup (held at 1 1/4 miles, as opposed to the 1 1/8 miles of the Pegasus) will work in Charlie's favor, as will the horse's experience over the local course.
“Charlie has the stamina to do it,” Mora told racingpost.com. “Life Is Good is a super, super horse but how he won it in Florida [in the Pegasus], he ruled the speed, which was slower than the Breeders' Cup. When the races are longer there's so much rein work to do. When the races are shorter it's a different story.
“What I like over here is that Charlie can come from off the pace. He doesn't have a super turn of foot but he's got natural speed, so he's likely to break on top and he can stay with that horse [Life Is Good] and then I think we can work with [that].”
Hot Rod Charlie finished second a long odds in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2020, then won the G2 Louisiana Derby last year before finishing a close third in the G1 Kentucky Derby. He went on to finish second in the G1 Belmont Stakes, then crossed the wire first but was disqualified for interference in the G1 Haskell. Hot Rod Charlie got his Grade 1 win next out in the Pennsylvania Derby, but could do no better than fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Beaten a nose by recent Big 'Cap winner Express train in the Dec. 26 San Antonio, Hot Rod Charlie has amassed a record of 4-3-3 from 14 starts for earnings of $2,721,200. The colt is owned by Boat Racing, Roadrunner Racing, Bill Strauss, and Gainesway Farm.
Read more at racingpost.com.
The post Leandro Mora: Hot Rod Charlie Has The ‘Stamina,’ ‘Natural Speed’ To Take Down Life Is Good In Dubai appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
