American Favorites Loom Large in Dubai

If the 2017 G1 Dubai World Cup card were a stagy Olympics-style event, with medal counts determining bragging rights, Team America would enter the opening ceremonies arena with no small amount of swagger. In three of the eight Thoroughbred events, the United States holds a significant advantage with a logical favorite, if not a dominant force. Juddmonte Farms' 'TDN Rising Star' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) is the epitome of the latter. The roan warrior–along with Sharp Azteca (Freud) in the $1-million G2 Godolphin Mile and Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) in the $2-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen–is the overwhelming market choice in the $10-million G1 Dubai World Cup and appears primed for another overpowering procession.

Arrogate's exploits are already approaching storybook, with him as the protagonist appeasing racing's penchant for the histrionic. His act has been short thus far, but no less powerful. In the first scene he exhilarated the audience with a hope-inspiring, history-making GI Travers S. romp in record time. Scene Two depicted an epic Santa Anita civil war and ultimately a usurping of the reigning king in a GI Breeders' Cup Classic out-willing of California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit).

Scene Three reveled in the provocative as the Bob Baffert-trained behemoth managed to not only thwart an attempt of his predecessor to reclaim the crown in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, but also gain the adoration of the populace.

Now he goes global.

Arrogate's next act involves a campaign to conquer a new continent. As the highest-rated (134) horse ever to enter the Dubai World Cup's international showcase, he appears poised to prove in only his eighth career start to be one of the best horses of the modern era. Jockey Mike Smith will again pilot the equine Alexander the Great when he breaks from post nine against a full field that includes seven international Grade I or Group 1 winners.

“On paper it looks like it's going to be easy, but it's probably going to be his most difficult challenge,” Baffert said. “You have to ship across the world and there are 30-minute walks to the track here like in Europe and those things can take a bit off their fastball, but we're all in the same boat. One thing I know is that he's doing great and all his races have been pretty spectacular. He's just going to need another spectacular run to win here. It's a lot of pressure because you have the best horse in the world– and he is the best horse in the world, like [Triple Crown winner] American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) was–but you have to go out there and prove it again.”

In the day's first race, Sharp Azteca will look to commence proceedings with a win in a complex renewal of the Godolphin Mile. At a one-turn mile (1600m) on Meydan's dirt course, the race appears to be at the whim of said swift, talented multiple graded stakes winner. Fresh off a resounding victory in the

GII Gulfstream Park H. over the same distance, the muscular son of Freud puts his undefeated 4-for-4 record at a mile on the line for high-percentage trainer Jorge Navarro and owner Gelfenstein Farm.

“He kind of reminds me of Private Zone (Macho Uno), who I trained a couple years ago,” Navarro said. “If you want to go with him, he will bury you. That's the way he is. He is a fighter and he keeps digging. He likes to go out there and roll and there's no doubt he's going to be better this year. He keeps getting bigger and stronger and maturing mentally. He's more of a professional, so everything is coming around with him.”

Major competition in the full field could come from Imhamed M I Nagem's streaking North America (GB)(Dubawi {Ire}), who romped by seven lengths in a key course and distance prep, the G3 Firebreak S. Feb. 11. Another who brings considerable class is Mamoru Kato's Sachio Yukubo-trained Kafuji Take (Jpn) (Precise End) from Japan, whose third-place finish in the one-mile G1 February S. Feb. 19 and length-beaten fourth in the G1 Champions Cup (formerly Japan Cup Dirt) Dec. 4 demand respect. Still, all ways to victory go through the Florida-based speed fiend that is Sharp Azteca, who will be ridden by regular pilot Edgard Zayas from post six.

The last horse to defeat Sharp Azteca was coincidentally Mind Your Biscuits, who out-finished said adversary in the seven-furlong GI Malibu S. Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. An adjudged second in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint a race prior, the four-time winner of $800,000-plus goes the opposite direction in trip and shortens up to 1200m–or about six furlongs–in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Owned by J Stables, Head of Plains Partners, et al., the chestnut son of Posse received a two-month break after the Malibu, was transferred from Robert Falcone, Jr., to the barn of part-owner and newly licensed conditioner Chad Summers and now tops a full field of 14 both literally–breaking from the much-loathed 14-hole–and figuratively as the horse to beat. Overall, Mind Your Biscuits boasts an impressive record of solid performances in graded stakes company since taking the GII Amsterdam S. as a sophomore last July. He enters off a brave runner-up effort to highly regarded 'Rising Star' Unified (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint Feb. 25 and looks to have taken extremely well to the trans-Atlantic ship.

“He's doing great, he shipped great and I'm really happy with him,” Summers said. “Everything he is doing says that he's sitting on a career-best effort and if that happens, I think he could win by two or three lengths. It's a good field, but we have a lot of confidence in our horse and just hope for the best.”

Prime adversaries include Americans from each side of the country in St. Joe Bay (Saint Anddan} and Stallwalkin' Dude {City Place}. The California-based former seeks to win his fourth race and third graded event in a row since being shortened up to one-turn races by trainer and co-owner Peter Miller. Seven-year-old multiple graded stakes-winning warrior Stallwalkin' Dude, trained and co-owned by David Jacobson in New York, has hit the board in his last eight starts, including two GI placings. While local horses must also be respected, it seems that if Mind Your Biscuits can defeat those two, the rest is gravy.