DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), who recently passed the $1-million mark in career earnings, will make his next start in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200 meters on the straight) on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 27, trainer Brendan Walsh confirmed Wednesday.
A six-time stakes winner and second in the GI Highlander S. in 2019, the 8-year-old ran home gamely to be a close fourth off a very wide trip in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and has since rounded out the exacta in three additional black-type events, including the off-turf Colonel Power S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 13.
“He's never ran a bad race and when he really shows up, he's right there,” said Walsh, whose lone previous World Cup night starter Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry) won the 2019 G2 UAE Derby. “In the Breeders' Cup…he was only beaten a length or so after a horrendous draw–14 out of 14–and going wide the whole way and lost a ton of ground. He's one of those horses who no matter the company he's in, he holds his own. He's done it on turf and dirt and it's always been in the back of my mind that he'd be a good horse to bring to Dubai. He's getting on in age and I think this is a good time to go.”
Walsh relishes the opportunity to head back to Dubai, where he worked as a track rider for Godolphin for a decade.
“Dubai has a place in my heart and it always will,” the 47-year-old conditioner said. “It will be nice to have a horse who can come out there and compete again. We had a great time last time, but it's always great when you win. They always put on a great show and take care of you. It'll be a pleasure to come back.”
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