Chrome and Arrogate chase richest win purse in racing
BIG BUCKS: WINNING OWNER WILL WALK AWAY WITH $7 MILLION IN PEGASUS INVITATIONAL ʂ De Kock saddles Light The Lights in Grade 2 Al Rashidiya at Meydan.
California Chrome, the world's highest rated racehorse, will have to do it the hard way if he is going to avenge his Breeders Cup Classic defeat by Arrogate in Saturday's inaugural $12 million Pegasus Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Saturday.
The richest prize on the globe – the winning owner will walk away with $7 million – is the brainchild of Gulfstream boss Frank Stronach, and it is a unique race in that it cost each of the 12 owners a cool $1 million at the advance entry stage last summer to secure a slot in the field.
That is peanuts to these elite millionaires but Art Sherman's hopes that America's twice Horse Of The Year California Chrome, who heads to Kentucky to start his stud career after this race, might go out in a blaze of glory took a knock on Monday night when his “horse of a lifetime”, winner of last year's Dubai World Cup, drew the outside post in stall 12.
In dirt races at Gulfstream over the Pegasus distance of 1800m since the track was redesigned 10 years ago the strike-rate for box one is just 1-18,
But connections of California Chrome know that their horse has just the one way of running – jump out and attempt to grind his rivals into submission – so there will be no changing the tactics.
Sherman said: “California Chrome will need all his tactical speed to get to the front as it is a short run to the first bend, but he has shown us time and time again that he is the real deal, and being his last race, we have nothing to lose. We'll give it our best shot and hope that it's good enough.”
Whereas six-year-old California Chrome is about to make his farewell appearance, Arrogate, who beat his arch-rival in an epic scrap up the Santa Anita stretch in November, is just starting off, the three-year-old winning all five races since running green on his debut.
The world's two top-rated thoroughbreds look to have it to themselves – British bookmakers make it a ‘match, betting 20-1 bar the principals – could not be drawn further apart with Arrogate in stall one, but he will need to break smartly to avoid getting the early kickback on the inside.
However, encouraged by the stats of 4-12 for the one box at the current Gulfstream meeting, Arrogate's trainer, Bob Baffert, said: “We have only just arrived in Florida and we did not have the ideal preparation as the storms have been really bad in Southern California, but we'll be making no excuses.
“Arrogate has impressed in his final two workouts, clocking 1 min 12.13 sec for the 1200m last weekend at Santa Anita, and he is getting stronger every day.
"He has enjoyed a good break since the Breeders Cup and is fit and raring to go.”
“Chromie” has been a superstar these last couple of years, but in Doris Day fashion I fancy it might be a case of Move Over Darling.
There is a new number one in town, and ARROGATE, the young pretender, is poised to take over the equine throne.
We more than held our own against the bookies at Meydan last week, and Godolphin bring out two of their major players for the Dubai Carnival tomorrow, BEST SOLUTION in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial and VERY SPECIAL in the Grade 2 Cape Verdi.
Best Solution was runner-up in a Group 1 in France last back-end and has the class to win this if he takes to the dirt.
But, punting-wise, I wsould be keener on Very Special, who won twice at last year's Carnival and, though absent since finishing second to the classy Alice Springs in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket last July, has been doing plenty of work at Al Quoz.
The other big race there is the Grade 2 Al Rashidiya, and Mike de Kock is hopeful of a big run from LIGHT THE LIGHTS.
Light The Lights' victory over Championship in the Singspiel Stakes this month was given a timely boost by the runner-up winning last week.
Korean is reckoned to be one of the most difficult languages in the world to conquer, yet somehow jockey Pat Cosgrave managed to get the drift of his riding instructions from trainer Kim Young Kwan, and, while their pre-race conversation was brief before he climbed aboard Main Stay for the $125,000 handicap on the dirt, the result was a historic and happy ending.
Main Stay, who had won four of his previous five races in his homeland, missed the kick but had the natural speed to get to the front after the first 100 metres.
And when Cosgrave gave him a smack half-way up the straight the four-year-old stretched clear for an easy victory and a first ever for Korea, who thus became the 21st different country to enjoy a winner at the Dubai Carnival.
Cosgrave said: “Main Stay had a dirt pedigree, being by Tale Of The Cat, and his form in South Korea suggested he might be a contender.”
Korea twice finished third last year with Success Story, but there were wild scenes of celebration in the winner's enclosure as Main Stay, classed as Korean-bred as he was imported in-utero when his dam was purchased for $32,000 at Keeneland in 2012, returned to joyous connections after going two better.
Meydan this year is staging a few celebration parties for the equine old-timers, with Medicean Man, like the previous week's Carnival hero Reynaldothewizard, in his 12th year but looking as spritely as a two-year-old as he rocketed up the outside to come from last to first and win the $125,000 sprint handicap over the minimum distance (1000m).
Saeed bin Suroor is only two short of a double-century at the Carnival, having moved on to 198, courtesy of Really Special.
She lived up to her name when making it 3-3 in the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial.
Really Special, who has quickly taken to the dirt since arriving in Dubai, won a Listed race at Newmarket on only her second start, and, though she'll stay over for the UAE 1000 Guineas, she looks to have the class to be a contender in the UK version on the first Sunday in May.