Furia Cruzada dazzles on UAE debut
dubai — The Group 2 middle round of the Al Maktoum Challenge was claimed by gritty Chilean mare, Furia Cruzada by a nose on UAE debut in the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday night.
The Erwan Charpy-trained five year old, who had won three times at the highest level on dirt in South America, transferred to John Gosden’s stables in Newmarket where she was campaigned at various distances on turf without success. Yet returning to dirt at Meydan proved the cure and, under Antonio Fresu, Furia Cruzada held off the challenge of the fast finishing Second Summer ridden by Pat Dobbs.
It was a second win on the night inside 35 minutes for Charpy, after Zamaam scored in the earlier EGA Casthouse Trophy handicap over 3200m on the turf.
“She is very tough,” said Fresu of Furia Cruzada. “She loves the dirt and to be honest, she is not 100 per cent fit so I am looking forward to her next race.”
“I ride her every day so I know. She needed the race so she could have run better.” “I think she will improve.” Charpy’s victory with Zamaam came courtesy of jockey, Jim Crowley. “They went pretty quick for this kind of distance and it was a new trip for my horse,” said Crowley of the 3200m trip. “He settled perfectly and basically just lobbed around for the first half of the race.
“Erwan decided to step him up and it was the right move as the horse stayed on really strongly to win nicely.”
Also on the dirt surface was the main support race, the 1200m Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint Sponsored by Emirates Global Aluminium. Only six may have gone to post but it produced an exciting finish nonetheless with last year’s Group 1 Golden Shaheen winner, Muarrab easing to the front 500m out under Crowley.
However, he was always being stalked by Dobbs aboard the Doug Watson-trained Cool Cowboy, victorious in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar over 1600m on Super Saturday last year.
Crowley’s mount quickened early in the straight, seeing off the other four rivals but Cool Cowboy steadily narrowed the gap, before leading in the final 100m.