Next big race is Dubai World Cup, which we also have in the game, only two days earlier.
The Dubai World Cup is held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In 2010, the Dubai World Cup was first held at the new Meydan Racecourse on March 27, on all-weather surface known as Tapeta. However, it was held as dirt race again in 2015 due to the high maintenance cost and being an unpopular condition among American participants. It is a Group 1 flat race on dirt for Northern Hemisphere Thoroughbred four-year-olds & up and for Southern Hemisphere Thoroughbred three-year-olds & up run over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 10 furlongs).
[align=center]The FF Dubai World Cup info:
Date
2022-03-28
Race
Dubai World Cup (Gr. 1)
Surface
Dirt
Distance
10 furlongs
Age
3yo+
Purse
$6,000,000[/align]
Note: there are no active FF stables located in Dubai, and all other locations require air shipping, which is cheapest (and shortest) from England; while the longest (3 days) and most expensive routes are from Lone Star and Aqueduct. There is an energy penalty for air shipments, so plan that in advance.
Real life speed records:
2:01.61 (synthetic) - African Story (2014) since the race has been at Meydan Racecourse
2:01.83 (dirt) - California Chrome (2016) since Meydan was converted from synthetic to dirt
1:59.50 - Dubai Millennium (2000) at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Going to send Strike It Lucky over for the World Cup. He seemed to enjoy it there last year when only missing out by a nose. Ran ok the other day, with a fast sectional so should be spot on by the end of March (we hope
Some recent news; Godolphin’s flashy colt Talismanic may run in Dubai World Cup. He won Breeders’ Cup Turf and needs only one stakes win of any grade to be “stud qualified” in Final Furlong! I hope we can have him in the game whenever he retires, because he’s also a handsome dark bay with a blaze and four stockings
“No filly or mare has ever won the $10 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), but trainer Dallas Stewart knows a few things about good fillies and mares capable of beating the best males at the top level.”
I found the winners of previous FF runnings for Grand National, so why not do that here too -
2019 - [color=blue]ICh. Devil’s Walk, Track: Good, Time: 1:49.380, SF: 275. He is now a stallion at Fox Run (Australia). Won by a nose but earned a speed record; one of his four speed records on dirt. The 3rd, NCh. LiveLong&Prosper and 4th, ICh. Calle de Oro are also standing at stud now.
2020 - [color=blue]Ch. Among the Stars - won as a 4yo and he is retired now. NCh. LiveLong&Prosper was 4th in this race. Track: Fast, Time: 1:58.365, SF: 100.
2021 - [color=red]NCh. Lovers’ Duel - won as a 5yo and she is not retired, although hasn’t ran this year. Track: Fast, Time: 1:52.740, SF: 249.
Lovers’ Duel and Devil’s Walk are both by WCh. Nightfight. He did not win the Dubai World Cup, but he showed twice (in 2009 and 2010).
I was going to try Postmaster in the Godolphin Mile, but I’ve decided to risk Dubai World Cup instead. I have a few horses between the UAE Derby, Dubai Golden Shaheen, and Dubai Duty Free.
I entered 2 because I’m a crazy person, and I’m maybe hoping the fields won’t be too crowded.
Entered Sunad in the UAE Derby and Llwynog in the Golden Shaheen, he’s been resting for 2 months and has won twice at 6.5f dirt, and twice at 7f dirt, so hopefully he has a chance!
Thanks to someone (coughWillacouch) I moved Postmaster back to the Godolphin Mile and decided to ship my top mare, Loewe, for the World Cup. She was entered to run tomorrow in Oz buuuut…
This year’s DWC races are insane. Where have you people been hiding these horses?! I treated Dubai as a layover and sent 2 on to England; they’d be battered around so hard, haha. Last year’s fields were definitely softer.
I’m strangely proud to see so many amazing horses assembled for one day but I’m simultaneously terrified, haha.
Ahahaha yeeeah we sent Llwnog back to the states, there is an allowance he might like better. Oh well, wasted shipping fee but we tried! Still going to see how Sunad does as the UAE Derby is less terrifying.
Yay, now Clicker Lab also has one homebred in - [color=blue]Ch. Bong Bong Bong, who is being leased by Starfish Stables. Thanks Lewis for entering him!
Entries for the World Cup are now closed (and for the first 2yo races are open, yay! Let’s enter everything ). Our colt Ch. Bong Bong Bong is the youngest, but it might be his peak time I think - his dam always produces excellent stakes level horses, but they seem to lose their interest in big races after the 2yo season (which is why I got frustrated and sold her). I tried to improve that by breeding her to Nightfight, who was a 4yo to 6yo champion, so we’ll see how it goes.
Of others, only Ch. Strike It Lucky ran in Dubai before, and he was 2nd in last year’s World Cup. This year he ran once, finishing 3rd in San Pasqual Handicap at Santa Anita. He also has the highest SF figure (current year) in this group. GCh. Fool To Be Smokin’ is the most accomplished here; he ran 18 races in his career and he is already stud qualified. He will also carry the highest weight, just like Ch. Dark Debate and Strike It Lucky. Ch. Loewe, one of the two member-owned fillies, won her last two races running without a whip, and she will be the only horse to run with no whip tomorrow. The other filly, Ch. Modern Peace, has the second-highest lifetime speed figure, just one point behind Fool To Be Smokin’.
Thunder Snow the run away winner - the colt that bronked down the track when coming out of the gate in last year’s Kentucky Derby. Sounds like it might be a new track record too.
