GATEWAY TO GLORY
North America drawn in gate 3; stall 12 for Thunder Snow
Satish Seemar had the rub of the green yet again. The Dubai-based Indian saddler got the first pick at the Post Position Draw for the Dubai World Cup for the second successive year and he immediately plumped for a stall close to the rails.
North America, having a second go at the world’s richest and the most prestigious horse race — the Dubai World Cup — will break from gate 3 at the Meydan Racecourse on Saturday night.
The seven-year-old son of the highlyacclaimed Dubawi, was also the first to be picked during the Post Position Draw last year and he had drawn stall 2. But a bad break put paid to his hopes of challenging the frontrunners, a race won by Godolphin’s Thunder Snow.
North America, who won Round 1 and 2 of the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge, beating Kimbear and New Trails by nine and 2.25 lengths respectively, at the Dubai World Cup Carnival this season, looks primed to mount another challenge in the 10-furlong contest which has had its prize purse increased from $10 million to $12 million.
The mount of long-serving UAE jockey Richard Mullen, has things going for him so far and will be a strong contender.
The Draw was held at the Meydan Gallery at the Racecourse and had a different system to the one used last time with an Emirates Airline hostess picking up a trophy with the name of the horse. The connections could then come on stage and got exactly a minute to make their pick, with the entire proceedings overseen by the Emirates Racing Authority stewards.
Thunder Snow, who is bidding to become the first ever horse to win the race twice, was the penultimate pick of the afternoon and Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor opted for 12 with only two slots left. The illustrious trainer, the most successful at the Dubai World Cup with eight wins, wasn’t fretting on the wide draw though. “He won last year from Gate No.10 but is in 12 this time, it’s still good from our side. I know the horse has a good turn of foot to take a good position early,” said bin Suroor.
“However, I would have preferred a middle draw, perhaps gate 6. But the horse is in good form. He worked very nicely on Saturday. We now hope he jumps out well and take a nice position early in the race,” he added.
The 51-year-old, one of the main men at Godolphin, the racing operation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai; felt that there were some really good horses in the field. “There are some nice horses in the race but I’d just like to see him handy. The horse is doing good, he’s a class horse,” he said.
One could call Meydan Thunder Snow’s backyard, having raced here seven times, more recently in Round 3 of the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge on Super Saturday, but bin Suroor said that home advantage isn’t the main factor.
“It could be but the important thing is the class of the race, the pace, there are so many things you need to look. I brought him twice here on Super Saturday. He’s there now,” bin Suroor said.
Pavel, one of the four returnees to the race along with Thunder Snow, North America and Gunnevera, got the second pick and opted for stall 6.
Gronkowski, one of Emirati Salem bin Ghadayer’s charges, chose seven, while Axelrod took gate 8. Seeking The Soul took stall 5, while Audible picked gate 4.
Capezzano, who upstaged Thunder Snow by 9.5 lengths in the prep before the World Cup, was drawn on stall 2.