Dubai World Cup

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Twelve of the world's top middle-distance dirt horses representing a half-dozen racing nations will clash in Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at sprawling Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The fields and post positions for the evening's four non-Group 1 races--including the Dubai Kahayla Classic for the Purebred Arabians--were announced Monday, while stalls for the five elite-level contests were allotted during a ceremony Wednesday evening emceed by Rishi Persad and Laura King at the Armani Hotel at the iconic Burj Khalifa in Central Dubai. Ushba Tesoro...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- With over 100 of the world's most talented gallopers on hand, it isn't easy to stand out, but John and Susan Moore's G1 Dubai Turf hopeful Catnip (Kitten's Joy) has done just that at Meydan this week. A strapping, nearly-black gelding, Catnip exits a longshot, but close third to Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 27. Trainer Mike Stidham looked at Catnip's Ragozin sheet and that encouraged him to swing for the fences in a hot renewal of...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Headed by the first appearance from the seven World Cup night horses from the yard of Aidan O'Brien, there was a buzz of activity on both the dirt track and turf course Tuesday morning at Meydan proper as well as back on the Tapeta track a couple of furlongs down the road. The Ballydoyle septet slowly ambled out of the tunnel near the 1600-metre starting point on the the dirt surface, led by G3 Red Sea Turf H. hero Tower of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire},...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- To coin a phrase uttered by the actor John Houseman from the Smith Barney television commercials of the mid-1980s, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) has really 'earrrrrned it' as he approaches his second straight appearance in an eight-figure horse race, Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. "Yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy," admits owner and breeder Joey Peacock, Jr. Peacock, a resident of San Antonio, and his family have been in the horse business for the better part of 5 1/2 decades, but...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- It has been a circuitous first three decades of life for Pat Comerford, from big city Melbourne to Alice Springs smack dab in the middle of Australia and from studying in Central Missouri to New Zealand to the bright lights of Dubai. At age 28, Comerford is set to call his first Dubai World Cup meeting, having cut his teeth on the mic in the Northern Territories almost by accident. Called up into a similar role at the Singapore Turf Club--a job that has proved...

Newgate (Into Mischief), recent winner of the GI Santa Anita H., was one of nine American horses to turn in breezes Saturday morning both domestically and abroad in advance of the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan Racecourse in two weeks' time. An $850,000 Keeneland September yearling, Newgate returned to the worktab for the first time since the Mar. 3 Big 'Cap, covering five furlongs in a bullet :58.20 (1/77) in the company of GIII Native Diver S. winner Mr Fisk (Arrogate) at Santa Anita. Frankie Dettori, who won his...

Five returning champions and one previous champion highlight the prospective fields for the Dubai World Cup meeting to be held at sprawling Meydan Racecourse in Dubai Saturday, Mar. 30. The connections of 106 horses from no fewer than 12 racing jurisdictions have accepted invitations to the eight Thoroughbred races on a $30.5-million program that begins with the $1-million Dubai Kahayla Classic for the Purebred Arabians and concludes with the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup. The main event has attracted a field of 15 that is led by its defending champion...

The lightly raced Newgate (Into Mischief), last-out winner of the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 3 and Hopkins (Quality Road), narrowly second when last seen in the Feb. 10 GIII Palos Verdes S. at Santa Anita, will ship to Dubai for the G1 Dubai World Cup and G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Mar. 30, respectively, SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan confirmed in a message Sunday. An $850,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Newgate won the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. last February before being sidelined for 11 months. Runner-up to subsequent Palos Verdes...

Juddmonte Farms' recent G3 Burj Nahaar romper Laurel River (Into Mischief) will bypass the Mar. 30 G2 Godolphin Mile and will instead stretch out to 10 furlongs for the first time in the G1 Dubai World Cup, Garett O'Rourke, the manager of Juddmonte's American operation, told the TDN Thursday morning. "It's worth a try. There's $12 million reasons to do it," he said. The homebred winner of the seven-furlong GII Pat O'Brien S. when under the care of Bob Baffert in 2022, Laurel River was favored in many circles for...

An already stiff Japanese challenge for the Dubai World Cup programme at Meydan on March 30 was further fortified on Wednesday when it was announced that the Mikio Matsunaga-trained duo of Matenro Sky (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), upset winner of the G2 Nakayama Kinen, and the three-year-old colt Ballon d'Or (Jpn) (New Year's Day) have accepted invitations to the G1 Dubai Turf and G2 UAE Derby, respectively. Netkeiba was first to report the news. The five-year-old Matenro Sky broke through at the stakes level in the Listed Rigel S. going a...

Winless since taking out Round 1 of the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge going this track's 1600 metres way back in January 2021 and second in this race the year prior, Military Law (Ire) (g, 9, Dubawi {Ire}--Marine Bleue {Ire}, by Desert Prince {Ire}) led home a 1-2 finish for his legendary sire in Saturday's G2 Al Maktoum Classic, besting a valiant Walk of Stars (Ire) by a length on the wire. Content on taking a chasing role as Aldous Huxley (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was hard-ridden to set fast early sections...

High-class juvenile Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is likely to begin his three-year-old campaign with a run in the G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4 according to trainer Adrian Murray. Bucanero Fuerte won three of his five starts as a two-year-old in the familiar colours of Amo Racing, producing his best effort when easily winning the G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh by four lengths from the subsequent G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). On the sidelines since finishing well held in the...