Wow what a night of just sensational racing, great jockeys, terrific horses and very few hard luck stories.
There can be little doubt that the Dubai annual “splurge fest” can lay unfettered claim to the world’s most international meeting and this morning (our time) was no exception.
The win of Aseatic Boy for South African trainer Mike De Koeck and champion rider Weichong Marwing in the Gr 2 UAE Derby was devastating - as there can be little doubt that the Maktoum horses were going to find out if there was any chink in his armour the way they went out hard and kept him wide for most of the trip. Eu Tambem and Folk, the horses thought as the most likely dangers to Aseatic Boy went woefully and never looked likely to figure.
Racing three and four deep for the entire trip, Aseatic Boy just dropped into overdrive when Marwing asked him to extend and he simply blew them away with a devsastating turn of foot.
He is undoubtedly a star horse on dirt and now that De Koeck has announced he will be heading to Europe with the horse - it will be interesting to see if he can reproduce his dirt form on turf.
The Golden Shaheen was won by Kelly’s Landing - a monster of a horse from the USA trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Frankie Dettori. It would not be a World Cup meet in Dubai without Frankie winning at least one feature and last night was surprisingly his first win in the sprint. Kenneally said prior to the race that the low draw and the straight track would suit Kelly’s Landing and that proved to be the case. Boom South African National Colour lost her footing at the start and was slow by two lengths and that was the end of the chances.
Hong Kong will still be trembling after the win of Vengeance Of Rain in the Golden Shaheen (2400 metres) at Gr 1 level. Bred in New Zealand the son of Zabeel from the former Paul Perry trained Danehill mare Danelagh, Vengeance Of Rain was sensational and was aiden by a superb ride by the Seychelles-born South African jockey Anthony Delpech.
Vengeance Of Rain was raced in Australia by leviathan owner Lloyd Williams (where he raced as Subscribe) before being sold to a syndicate in Hong Kong headed up by Winston Chow.
The win was the first for a Hong Kong trained horse at the World Cup meeting and South African trainer David Ferraris has done a wonderful job to get the horse back to his best form after a series of problems last year.
Vengeance Of Rain may now be headed to Australia for the Spring carnival here in Melbourne and that would add some real flavour to the big meetings. He is undoubtedly now up there with Fairy King Prawn, Indigenous, River Verdon and Silent Witness as Hong Kong’s best ever horses.
The win will be huge in Hong Kong. They have a racing product that is world class and to now they can stand up and be counted as an international racing country with horses of the highest standard - the result will mean so much to them.
The Japanese galloper Admire Moon was too good in the Gr 1 Dubai Duty Free Turf over 1770 metres. Ridden by Japanese superstar Yutaka Take he had a gun run in fourth and fifth throughout the race and let down very quickly when Take pressed the button 300 metres from home.
The Aussie rep, Pompeii Ruler raced very fresh and keen and was only fair in finishing eighth.
They say you can save the best for last and Invasor - wow - he was just great and it is easy to see why 19 year old Fernando Jara is called the “ice boy” and their win in the World Cup (Gr 1) 2000 metres - was just sensational.
In a race that urned out to be anything by the much hyped match between Invasor and Discreet Cat - Jara rode Invasor forward from the jump and settled outside Kent Desormeaux and Premium Tap who took up the running.
The two cleared away from the top of the Nad Al Sheba straight and Premium Tap was brave giving Invasor a real race till just inside the 200 metres mark when the outstanding Uruguayan started to draw clear.
Hong Kong’s Bullish Luck, trained by Tony Cruz and ridden by Brett Prebble, raced himself through the roof with his distant third at his first ever start on dirt.
Most thought there was something amiss with Discreet Cat with his inglorious last in the event but according to Saeed Bin Suroor (his trainer) the horse pulled up fine and will be brought back to races in Europe over a mile.
As the dust settled in the desert many would be wondering just how big this meeting can get in the future as on Friday Sheikh Mohammed outlined plans for the construction of a mew racing complex in Dubai - Meydan - which will be a city in itself with a 300 metres long grandstand and the World Cup will be staged at the new venue in 2010.
He also pledged that the prozemoney for the World Cup in 2010 will be “at least” 10m (US) and said that the prizemoney for all other races would be increased.
Regards,
Gary
