'A' Is For Absolute Superstar Arrogate

Ride him like Zenyatta. That was the plan jockey Mike Smith turned to when 'TDN Rising Star' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), the overwhelming international favourite for Saturday's G1 Dubai World Cup, found himself last going past the stands the first time in the $10-million race. Not only was the grey slowly away from the starting gates, but he was squeezed by rivals soon after exiting and found himself trailing in the opening stages of the 1 1/4-mile event, far away from his customary position on or near the lead.

“I honestly told myself–you know I rode the great mare Zenyatta–and when I got away so bad, I thought, 'you know what buddy, you can do it just like she did,'” Smith said. She used to run from back there and I know he can do anything.”

Arrogate justified his rider's confidence as Smith kept his cool, prompting his mount to gradually make up ground on the outside as last-out G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 winner Long River (A.P. Indy) led the field down the backstretch with Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday) on his heels. Arrogate began to loop rivals in the three path rounding the bend under a vigorous ride from Smith, and straightened with just his two compatriots to catch. Roaring down the middle of the course as Gun Runner led Neolithic by a length, Arrogate swept past Gun Runner with ease passing the 200-metre mark, with Smith able to gear down thereafter as Arrogate drew clear to win by 2 1/4 easy lengths.

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
DUBAI WORLD CUP SPONSORED BY EMIRATES AIRLINE-G1, $10,000,000, MEY, 3-25, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 10f, 2:02.15, my.
1–ARROGATE, 126, c, 4, by Unbridled's Song
1st Dam: Bubbler (MSW & GSP-US, $211,622), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Grechelle, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Meadow Star, by Meadowlake
'TDN Rising Star' ($560,000 yrl '14 KEESEP) O-Juddmonte
Farms Inc.; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E.
Smith. $6,000,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo & MGISW-US,
8-7-0-1, $17,084,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]2–Gun Runner, 126, c, 4, Candy Ride">Candy Ride (Arg)–Quiet Giant, by
Giant's Causeway. O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC & Three
Chimneys Farm; B-Besilu Stables LLC (KY); T-Steven Asmussen.
$2,000,000.[bullet ad=”bridlewood-farm-training-graduate”][bullet ad=”ea-bloodstock-2-yo-selection”][bullet ad=”niall-brennan-nbs-graduate”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]3–Neolithic, 126, c, 4, Harlan's Holiday–Swingit, by Victory
Gallop. ($460,000 yrl '14 KEESEP) O-Qatar Racing & Starlight
Racing; B-Edwin Anthony (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $1,000,000.[bullet ad=”denali-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]Margins: 2 1/4, 5, 1 3/4.
Also Ran: Mubtaahij (Ire), Awardee, Hoppertunity, Keen Ice, Lani, Apollo Kentucky, Move Up (GB), Long River, Special Fighter (Ire), Furia Cruzada (Chi), Gold Dream (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.

Smith put Arrogate's slow start down to a misunderstanding with the assistant starter.

“I don't know if the guy misunderstood me, but I said, 'make sure you keep his head straight,'” he explained. “And then he got out instead. My horse just didn't realise he had to break. But you know what? Things happen for a reason.”

The rider said Arrogate didn't immediately take to the track, either, which has been pelted by unprecedented amounts of rain this week and was sealed earlier in the day. “He was slipping and sliding from the word go,” Smith said. “Once I got to the outside and he was straightened out, he leveled out. And I made up five lengths so quick, I thought OK, we are here. And now I just tried to be patient and not lose ground and let everybody work their way in, so that I didn't have to check out too wide and it worked out great.”

“[Trainer] Bob [Baffert] had a heart attack when he was here last time [in 2012] and I think I had one too,” Smith said. “I had to get it pumping again after we got out. I'm just so blessed, God has blessed me so much, to give me a horse like this towards the end of my career is just, I'm lost for words, I am going to break down and cry. He is the best I have ever been on, he truly is. He is the world's horse now.”

Baffert, who was winning his third World Cup in addition to Silver Charm in 1998 and Captain Steve in 2001 and also trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), was similarly emotional, describing the Juddmonte Farms colourbearer as “the greatest horse we have seen since Secretariat.”

“When I was watching it, I thought 'I hope Mike takes care of him', maybe I shouldn't have come here,” the trainer said. “It's unbelievable what he did. I was actually listening to the crowd and everybody was thinking, 'oh, he has no chance.' That was an incredible performance. When he turned for home, he started to give and maybe I thought 'this is it'. He did that. That is the best I have ever seen in my life.”

Baffert also paid credit to Smith, adding, “I tell you what, Mike Smith did a great job. He didn't panic, he just thought, 'well I just [have to] get him around there. Mike Smith, what a job he did. Unbelievable.”

With the win, Arrogate becomes the richest-ever North American-trained Thoroughbred, the $6-million winner's share of the purse pushing his bankroll to $17,084,600, past that of his old adversary and last year's Dubai World Cup winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) with $14,752,650. With targets like a repeat in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in his sights later this year, the win also puts Arrogate in striking range of Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn})'s worldwide record of $19,005,276.

It was the first win in the Dubai World Cup for Saudi Arabian Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, whose story with Arrogate began at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale. Following the death of trainer Bobby Frankel–the namesake of Juddmonte's unbeaten European champion Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire})–in 2009, Juddmonte had been without a strong presence on the Southern California racing circuit in the U.S. for a few years, and thus hired Baffert and his advisors to help its team pick out a handful of colts with stallion credentials at auction. One of those was Arrogate, who they scooped up for $560,000.

Unraced at two, Arrogate was beaten three-quarters of a length on debut when third last April, but made amends six weeks later when romping by 4 1/2 lengths in a Santa Anita maiden, earning 'TDN Rising Star' status. Arrogate ran through is allowance conditions last summer in California before shipping to Saratoga for his stakes debut in the GI Travers S. Well regarded beforehand, he elevated himself to superstar status in the Travers, coming home 13 1/2 lengths the best in track-record time.

The stage was set for a showdown with the older veteran, former GI Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year California Chrome in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Arrogate was brilliant, of course, but did he have the necessary foundation to take down such a seasoned star? Arrogate answered that with an empathic yes, getting California Chrome's measure by a half-length. Arrogate was named Eclipse champion 3-year-old in late January, and a week later justified that honour further with a 4 3/4-length score in the $12-million GI Pegasus World Cup, which this year replaced the Dubai World Cup as the world's richest race.

Gun Runner, who was third behind Arrogate in the Travers, found himself once again watching the grey's tail on Saturday after running a big race from the front end. Jockey Florent Geroux said, “It took him a little while to get position early on. Long River came out running hard from my inside and it took my horse two or three more strides to get position. Once he did and was comfortable on the turn, it was exactly where I wanted to be. If someone wanted to go faster, I could let them go, but I was comfortable. On the last turn, Long River started to back out and we took the lead and my horse was going really easily. He started flicking his ears back and forth and was cruising. I waited as long as I could–almost until the eighth-pole–but Arrogate went by me. Gun Runner was trying and was fighting with him all the way to the end. He's still getting better and before I wasn't sure about the 2000 metres, but now as he's improving I think it's fine.”

Likewise, Neolithic was third behind Arrogate in the Pegasus, and rider John Velazquez said, “I was very happy with his run. He ran right up to his best. We were beaten by two better horses, and the winner–my God he is out of this world.”

Mubtaahij (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 UAE Derby two years ago and second in this race last year, wound up fourth, and jockey Christophe Soumillon said, “If he had one more run under his belt maybe he could have been third, but he's a nice horse and gives everything.”

Pedigree Notes…

Bred in Kentucky by Clearksy Farms, Arrogate is the first foal out of the four-time stakes winner and Grade III-placed Bubbler, who RNA'd for $4.7-million when offered at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale in foal to Into Mischief. Bubbler has an as-yet unnamed 2-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro who was a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Bridlewood Farm and a filly of 2016 by Giant's Causeway. Arrogate's third dam is the champion 2-year-old filly and six-time Grade I winner Meadow Star (Meadowlake), who is also the third dam of the GI Delaware H. and GI Beldame S. winner Belle Gallantey (After Market).