Dubai World Cup draws world's best horses

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 29 (UPI) -- The nine-race card on Dubai World Cup night is worth more than $27 million, with prestige and subsequent breeding potential adding to the rewards.

The natural result: Many top steeds from around the globe -- from Argentina to Hong Kong, Japan and Germany -- are entered in the world's richest single day of racing at the plush Meydan track.

And, while the $10 million World Cup itself draws the lion's share of attention, some of the other races feature fascinating matchups that will echo through the top levels of international racing for the next nine months, right up to the Hong Kong International Races that effectively close the year in December.

Here's a closer look at the eight Thoroughbred races on the card:

Dubai World Cup, $10 million, Group 1, 2,000 meters (10 furlongs), main track

The "big three" in the early handicapping are international superstar So You Think and the U.S. contingent -- Breeders' Cup Classic runner up Game On Dude and Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic winner Royal Delta. But the 14-horse field is loaded with potential upsetters, including Monterosso, the Godolphin standard bearer who finished third last year behind the Japanese 1-2 finishers Victoire Pisa and Transcend.

This year, Transcend heads a three-horse Japanese contingent also including Eishin Flash and Smart Falcon, the former with sterling credentials. The German-trained Zazou was a close fourth in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup last December. Sheik Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Maktoum's Master of Hounds raced well during the Meydan Carnival. And Godolphin, in addition to Monterosso, send out Capponi, Mendip and Prince Bishop, none of them hopeless.

But many of those most closely involved with the contenders point to So You Think as the one to beat, despite the fact the 6-year-old, New Zealand-bred son of High Chaparral has not won in his last three starts, finishing fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, second to Cirrus des Aigles in the Champion Stakes at Ascot and sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in his last start.

So You Think got an early chance at gate selection during Wednesday's ceremonies and Keith Dalton, representing trainer Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard, picked No. 4.

"I was on the phone to Aiden and he chose the No. 4 position. So I guess we're happy," Dalton said.

The first draw went to trainer Bill Mott, who saddled Cigar to win the first-ever World Cup and now will try to win for the first time with a filly, the 4-year-old Royal Delta. Mott picked the middle -- gate No. 7 -- and said the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner is doing well.

"The distance isn't a factor," he said. "She's won races on a synthetic track. She's won under lights. And she doesn't need any medication to speak of. She's basically a stalker and there's no reason to change her running style now."

Jose Lezcano will ride Royal Delta.

And if Royal Delta and So You Think got the best of the post-position draw, Game On Dude seemed to get the worst of it. His name wasn't pulled until it was the last one in the barrel and only No. 14 was left. Owner Bernie Schiappa tried to put the best face on it, saying, "Perfect position … Fourteen is a special number for us. It's perfect. The outside is fine."

Jockey Chantal Sutherland, the first female jockey to ride in the World Cup, agreed, saying Game On Dude "has a tendency to sometimes break slow and if he was to do that, it could put us in a bit of a predicament on the rail. So on the outside, we have more options."

But trainer Bob Baffert, recovering at City Hospital from a heart attack shortly after his arrival in Dubai, apparently wasn't with that program. "I can't repeat what Bob said on the phone," Schiappa said.

The race is due to run at 9:40 p.m. Dubai time, which equates to 1:40 p.m. EDT. While there is no legal wagering in Dubai, outlets throughout most of the rest of the world will show the World Cup races and accept wagers.

In addition, Horse Racing Radio Network will provide live broadcasts of the World Cup and much of the rest of the card, as well as coverage of the Florida and Louisiana derbies. Schedules and streaming programming are available on the HRRN Web site.

The other races:

Dubai Duty Free, $5 million, Group 1, 1,800 meters (9 furlongs), turf

The big question is whether Presvis, last year's winner, has lost his edge at age 8 or just was compromised by a slow pace in two poor performances in this year's prep races at Meydan. Trainer Luca Cumani thinks it's the latter. The other 15 starters are hoping it's the former. Chief among them are the Hong Kong-based team of Ambitious Dragon, Xtension and California Memory, who finished 1-2-3 in each of their last two races at Sha Tin. Ambitious Dragon also won last year's QE II Cup and could take a big jump in the international rankings with a win. Musir has run well at Meydan, winning two of his last three starts for Sheik Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Maktoum. Godolphin has three starters, including Delegator, who is looking for a breakthrough race with Frankie Dettori up. Wigmore Hall is back for another try after finishing third in the Duty Free last year, then racing with mixed success in Hong Kong, Singapore, Chicago, Toronto and Ascot. Khalid Abdulla's Cityscape, making his first start since running second in the Hong Kong Mile in December, will stretch out a furlong past his usual distance. If he can overcome the outside draw, Dubawi Gold might be one to watch. He had a terrible local prep in his only 2012 start but raced extremely well against top competition late last year in France, England and Hong Kong, finishing fourth each time behind the likes of Frankel, Excelebration and Able One.

Dubai Golden Shaheen, $2 million, Group 1, 1,200 meters (6 furlongs), turf

Defending champion Rocket Man drew the No. 1 post position and there's no reason to think he will do anything other than run well from that gate. The 7-year-old, based in Singapore, has been a consistent player at the international level except when drawn on the far outside in last December's Hong Kong Sprint, finishing 12th. He also drew poorly in the last two runnings of this race, although he won last year. "He loves this track and he has a better draw now in gate 1 than in the past two years when he was in 6 and 9," owner Fred Crabbia said. "He will be on the back of the leader in the run hopefully and then kick in the straight." This is the race which could have included a showdown between Australian superstars Sepoy, now running for Godolphin, and the undefeated Black Caviar. But Black Caviar ducked, so Sepoy will try to use the Golden Shaheen to move forward on his Australian form and look for a possible match with the super mare at Royal Ascot later this spring. Two American horses -- The Factor and Giant Ryan -- add more spice. The Factor, trained by Baffert, finished a well-beaten eighth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last fall but since has won twice in California in graded, 7-furlong races. Giant Ryan won four straight last year before finishing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint in his last previous start. Lucky Nine represents Hong Kong with a victory in last year's Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint to his credit. Godolphin also starts Soul, another Australian runner who won his only other start at Meydan earlier this month. Others in the field of 12 are locals who have run against one another in prep races during the Meydan Carnival.

Dubai Sheema Classic, $5 million, Group 1, 2,400 meters (12 furlongs), turf

How about a race that includes the winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Turf and another runner who defeated World Cup favorite So You Think last season? That's this race. Trainer Aidan O'Brien brings St. Nicholas Abbey back for the first time since his triumph at Louisville. Cirrus des Aigles bettered So You Think by 3/4 length last October in the Quipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, then finished fifth in the Hong Kong Cup. In his only previous start this year, the 6-year-old was second to Zazou at Chantilly three weeks ago. Among others in the 10-horse field, Treasure Beach won the Grade I Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds at Arlington Park last summer over a yielding course, then was outclassed in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Several others in the field have shown the ability to compete at this level, including Godolphin's main hope, Cavalryman. And among the more intriguing is Beaten Up, who was, in fact, unbeaten in his only three career starts last year in England but makes a majestic leap in class to this spot. "I am under no illusion of the task he faces and it may come early in his career," said trainer William Haggas. "But you can't win if you don't try."

Godolphin Mile, $1 million, Group 2, 1,600 meters (8 furlongs), main track

The Godolphin Arabian was one of the three founding sires of all Thoroughbreds, standing in England in the third and fourth decades of the 1700s. His name graces not only this race but also the racing operation of Sheik Mohammed bin Rasheed al-Maktoum, the vice president and defense minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai. Sheik Mohammed, himself a dedicated horseman, is among the world's top buyers, breeders and owners of Thoroughbreds. He dreamed up and built the Meydan race course and is the founder of the World Cup. No surprise, then, that Godolphin has three starters in this race and that trainer Saeed bin Suroor Thursday identified African Story as his best chance on the entire night. The 5-year-old son of Pivotal has won two of his last three races and faces a field that may not be as deep as in some past running of this race. Another Godolphin runner, Sandagiyr, finished ahead of African Story in an earlier prep race. And the third, Do It All, jumped up to win the Zabeel Mile in his last local start, defeating a few others entered for Saturday's race. Sheik Hamdan's Snaafy has steadily improved throughout the Meydan season and finished second to African Story in their last race. British-based Western Aristocrat returns to the races after a late-year swing to America that found him winner of the Grade I Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park and third in the Grade I Hollywood Derby in California.

Dubai Gold Cup, $1 million, Group 3, 3,200 meters (16 furlongs), turf

Godolphin's other trainer, Mahmood al-Zarooni, had a top chance in this race, added to the card for the first time. While few of the 13 starters have tackled the 2 miles, Opinion Poll has run at the distance four times, with two wins, a second and a third. He closed out the 2011 season with a second-place finish to Fame and Glory in the Qipco British Champions Long-Distance Cup and warmed up for this race with a second-place finish to stablemate Fox Hunt in the 1 3/4-miles Nad al-Sheeba Trophy. Fox Hunt also is in Saturday's field. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has two in here -- Bronze Cannon and Mikhail Glinka. Both ran in the Dubai City of Gold in their last outing with Mikhail Glinka winning while Bronze Cannon fired a dud, finishing 13th. Kasbah Bliss, at age 10, can't be counted out despite the outside post position. The French-bred gelding finished first and second in his last two outings last year in Group races at Deauville and Longchamp.

UAE Derby, $2 million, Group 2, 1,900 meters (9 1/2 furlongs), main track

Three of the top-fancied runners in this 14-horse field drew the extreme post positions. Lucky Chappy, who last raced in California, drew the No. 1 stall although, as a confirmed closer, jockey Alan Garcia should be able to take back and wait for position. Officials of Team Valor International have denied interest in the Kentucky Derby but partnership pressure may ratchet up in Lucky Chappy, who was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, should he win Saturday. Wrote, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in his last start, is installed in gate No. 13. And Helmet, Godolphin's hope after a mixed early career in Australia, drew outside. One of the better draws was for Daddy Long Legs, the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes winner last fall at Newmarket who flopped at Churchill Downs in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, finishing next-to-last of 12. But that was from gate No. 11 and with a wide trip. Saturday's run from the No. 7 gate could be a more advantageous one. Godolphin is well represented again. In addition to Helmet, the home team has Kinglet and the filly, Falls of Lora, who won the UAE Oaks impressively in her last outing. Another filly, Balada Sale, is in from Argentina, where she has won five straight races, all by daylight and three of them Group events. It's a tough race to figure out, as trainer Graham Motion noted in assessing Lucky Chappy's chances. "As I read in a quote by Bob Baffert, this is one of the places where you take them over and you don't know what to expect in the race, it's so hard to evaluate," Motion said Thursday. "But I guess that's one of the things that makes it so special."

Al Quoz Sprint, $1 million, Group 1, 1,000 meters (5 furlongs), turf

This cavalry charge from the chute down the home straight drew a full field of 16. Among them are Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready, who was unimpressive in his local debut, finishing 13th; Joy and Fun, who was second in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint last December; Australian runner Ortensia, who won his last two races of 2011 down under; and Invincible Ash, who won the Meydan Sprint over the same course and distance last time out, beating several of the other starters.