Jerry Bailey | Horse Racing Free Tips

Flashback: Pleasantly Perfect Denies Medaglia D’Oro In 2004 Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup meeting celebrates its historic 25th anniversary on March 27, with six Group 1 races and three Group 2s, including one of the world's premier races, the $12 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.

Over the next three weeks, the Dubai Racing Club will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. Today, we rewind to 2004 when Pleasantly Perfect won the Dubai World Cup in thrilling fashion.

Such was the reputation that arrived with Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro that not even the previous year's UAE Derby winner and Al Maktoum Challenge champion Victory Moon, nor the Japan Cup Dirt winner Fleetstreet Dancer or Japan's finest dirt runner, Admire Don, could garner much support when opinions were sought as to the likely winner of the Dubai World Cup.

Pleasantly Perfect and fierce rival Medaglia D'Oro were different, and many were expecting them to repeat their battle of four months previously in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, some going further and predicting that the former would emulate inaugural winner Cigar and follow his Breeders' Cup win with a Dubai World Cup success.

Pre-event predictions of match races and classic encounters hardly ever come to fruition, however this would be different. As strong a field as was assembled for this Dubai World Cup, Victory Moon, Fleetstreet Dancer, Admire Don and seven others would be relegated to just bit players as Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro made Nad Al Sheba the venue for some scores to be settled from Santa Anita.

Jerry Bailey, rider of Medaglia D'Oro, decided to make his move shortly after turning into the long Nad Al Sheba straight and for a few strides it appeared the horse could carry him to Dubai World Cup success number four. Bailey, however, didn't need to glance over his right shoulder to discover who was within his shadows, his nemesis from Santa Anita was right there and ready to challenge.

Such is the size of Pleasantly Perfect that he doesn't appear to quicken, merely lengthen his giant stride, and as he did, so he drew alongside Medaglia D'Oro at the 400m. Further back Victory Moon was beginning to make some ground, however all attention was with the leading two. They drew away from the chasing pack and as hard as Medaglia D'Oro tried to come back, Pleasantly Perfect was too big, too strong, on an evening where both would receive the plaudits.

Nad Al Sheba erupted as Pleasantly Perfect and Alex Solis eventually drew clear to win by just under a length, however as good as the win was, their appreciation was also for the brave second placegetter. Victory Moon was far from disgraced in finishing third five lengths away, himself a long way in front of the fourth, Grand Hombre, the horse entrusted by Godolphin to give them a hat-trick of Dubai World Cup successes.

However, with Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro it was always going to be a tough assignment. For Richard Mandella it was the breakthrough he so eagerly sought. This was an event where two top class horses proved themselves superior to their rivals with the winner arguably just that little bit better than the second.

Pleasantly Perfect finished his career winning nine of eighteen starts, with earnings close to a record US$8 million.

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Flashback: Street Cry Gives Jerry Bailey A Fourth Dubai World Cup Victory

Over the next three weeks, the Dubai Racing Club will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. Today, we rewind to 2002 when Street Cry gave jockey Jerry Bailey his fourth and trainer Saeed bin Suroor his third Dubai World Cup title.

Champion American jockey Jerry Bailey collected his fourth victory in what was the world's richest race as the Godolphin owned and Saeed bin Suroor-trainee Street Cry dominated in the seventh running of the US$6,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup.

Street Cry's success gave Bailey his fourth win in the event after Cigar (1996), Singspiel (1997) and Captain Steve (2001).

“It's great to have won this race four times but it's because I have had some nice horses to ride,” Bailey commented after the win, while for Saeed bin Suroor it was his third success after Almutawakel (1999) and Dubai Millennium (2000).

The seventh running of the Dubai World Cup proved to be a triumph for Middle East-based horses as the first five over the line were trained in either the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia with the Japanese runner Agnes Digital the best from outside the area, finishing sixth. Bailey secured the ride on Street Cry after Godolphin stable jockey Frankie Dettori opted for Sakhee (winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). That horse finishing third, over eight lengths away from the winner.

Street Cry was allowed to settle midfield on the inside of Sakhee and as the field approached and rounded the home turn. Sakhee went around the early leaders Western Pride and To The Victory, while Bailey had no hesitation in keeping to the fence on Street Cry. Sakhee got to the front momentarily, however Street Cry grabbed him quickly and then kicked clear. Sakhee was beginning to labour as Street Cry got a winning break at the 200m and it was Saudi Arabia's Sei Mi (fifth to Captain Steve in the 2001 Dubai World Cup) who came from last to finish second, four and a quarter lengths away.

Street Cry went to America and appeared certain to dominate after an impressive performance to win the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs before a second in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga, and then injury unfortunately brought a premature retirement to Jonabell Farm.

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Tuesday Throwback: Watch Cigar Post Thrilling Victory In Inaugural Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup meeting celebrates its' historic 25th anniversary on March 27, 2021, with six Group 1 races and three Group 2s, including one of the world's premier races -its namesake feature-the $12million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline.

Over the next three weeks, the Dubai Racing Club will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. We rewind back to 1996, and the very first winner of the Dubai World Cup race – worth $4 million at the time, won in thrilling fashion by America's Cigar.

They say first impressions count for everything, and if that adage rings true then Cigar provided the perfect beginning to the Dubai World Cup. It was essential that the inaugural Dubai World Cup attracted the best from around the world and first and foremost on the list was Cigar, the phenomenon from America who was in the middle of a sequence of races that included a runaway victory in the previous year's Breeders' Cup Classic.

From Europe came that continent's champion Halling and from Oceania came the best from that part of the world in Danewin. However, all of the other continents combined, held no match for the American challenge.

Cigar sat behind the leaders in the early part of the race, stalking L'Carriere and Tamayaz, however from halfway Cigar stepped up the tempo, jockey Jerry Bailey making his move approaching the home turn. As Cigar straightened in front it appeared a repeat of the Breeders' Cup Classic was in store for those at Nad Al Sheba.

However, emerging from the back was Soul Of The Matter who began to cut into Cigar's lead. At the 200m it appeared Cigar was in trouble, but the great champion dug deeper, found extra reserves, and he eventually defied Soul Of The Matter to beat that horse by a half-length.

It was the first of a quartet of Dubai World Cup successes for Cigar's rider Jerry Bailey, who was to later prove successful on Singspiel (1997), Captain Steve (2001) and Godolphin's Street Cry (2002). The Dubai World Cup was the 14th win in Cigar's magnificent sequence stretching from October 1994 through until August 1996 when he was beaten in the Pacific Classic by Dare and Go.

Cigar's presence and his gallant defeat of Soul Of The Matter and a host of international stars provided the ideal launching pad for the latest addition to global racing's calendar. Cigar would retire at the end of the year following his third behind Alphabet Soup in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Woodbine. The racing superstar passed on in 2014 at the age of 24.

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Irad Ortiz Jr. Rides Six Winners At Gulfstream: ‘Tomorrow, Everybody WIll Forget’

Two-time defending Championship Meet titlist Irad Ortiz Jr. rode six winners on Saturday's 12-race program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

After notching a natural hat trick with victories aboard Hard Game ($8) in Race 2, Noble Empire ($3) in Race 3 and Bourbon in May ($7.60) in Race 4, Ortiz scored aboard Great Island ($2.60) in Race 6, the $100,000 Suwannee River, Democracy ($15.60) in Race 7, and R Mercedes Boy ($5.60) in Race 9.

Ortiz has ridden a meet-leading 76 winners, 16 more than Luis Saez.

“You never think that you're going to win that many races, but you come here positive,” Ortiz said. “You try to win every race. I ride all my horses with the same mind. I try to win, no matter what. I think that helps. I got the right horses, too. My agent does a great job and all the trainers support me. They give me a lot of good chances, and the owners. Right now, we're in a good position, thank God. I'm glad. I feel great.

“It's pretty great. You don't have too many days like this, so I just enjoy it. For me, honestly, I go home and it's just another day. Tomorrow everybody will forget what happened today. I just move on. I celebrate the way I want to; I go home with my family. That's it, and tomorrow is a new day.”

The record for most wins on a Gulfstream program is 7, shared by Jerry Bailey (3/11/96), Tyler Gaffalione (7/4/17), Luis Saez (1/24/18 and 3/29/18) and Paco Lopez (3/21/20).

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