Sheikh Mohammed sets his sights on Kentucky Derby
CHANGE: JUST AN ORDINARY HORSE ON TURF, GOLD TOWN HAS TRANSFORMED ON THE DIRT
Crawford and De Kock launch attack on Carnival meeting.
Dubai World Cup Night on 31 March is obviously hugely important to Sheikh Mohammed and his brothers, but when Godolphin was launched 25 years ago he stressed his aim was not only to be successful at the highest level but around the entire globe.
So when the Sheikh revealed on Monday that last week’s runaway UAE 2000 Guineas winner Gold Town would be supplemented for the Kentucky Derby, America’s most prestigious race, it was no real surprise.
The Sheikh is a true sportsman, and, while he concedes Gold Town, just an ordinary horse on the turf in Europe last season, winning a maiden and a nursery, has a mountain to climb in his quest to beat the Yanks in their own back yard, he also reminded me of his favourite saying “the biggest risk is never taking a risk”.
Gold Town has a dirt pedigree, being a son of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry, and he proved a revelation when trainer Charlie Appleby put him on the surface for the first time during the winter, producing the performance of this year’s Carnival when outclassing his rivals in last week’s colts classic, winning by 10.50 lengths in a fast time.
William Buick, who rides Gold Town, is adamant that “I have never ridden a horse who has taken to the dirt so quickly – he is a natural on the surface and is very exciting.”
Appleby said: ”Gold Town will never reach the top on the turf in Europe, but it is uncanny how soon he has adapted to the dirt. He’s got an engine and it’s rare to see a horse quicken so well on this surface, so why not stick to what he does best?
“The UAE Derby on World Cup Night will be the next port of call, but the boss is keen to give Churchill Downs a go, and he would be the most exciting prospect the team have ever taken to Kentucky.”
Godolphin go into Thursday’s Carnival meeting with a phenomenal 22 winners already on the board, nine for Appleby and 13 for Saeed bin Suroor, whose Promising Run completed the Group 2 double in defying the penalty to add the Balanchine Stakes to her Cape Verdi triumph last Saturday.
The boys in blue give their European sprint star Blue Point his prep for the Al Quoz on World Cup Night in the Group 2 dash.
But he might have his work cut out to cope with course specialist ERTIJAAL, who has won six times at Meydan.
And granted a dry track is virtually invincible over the 1000m.
Mike de Kock makes a twin-attack on the Group 2 Dubai Millennium Stakes, but both Light The Lights and Al Sahem might fall short in a race full of quality, with Godolphin’s FOLKSWOOD, who proved a money-spinner for the team at last year’s Spring Carnival in Australia, being just preferred to Chad Brown’s Singapore Gold Cup winner Gilt Complex.
De Kock is also doubly-represented in the Group 2 Zabeel Mile with Noah From Goa and Janoobi, but South Africa also have strong claims here with Brett Crawford’s Sun Met winner Whisky Baron, who will enjoy this fast ground far more than he did the mudbath at Newmarket last September.
Janoobi, who ran a blinder to belie huge odds when only just beaten in the Al Fahidi Fort, is a value win and place bet, but CHAMPIONSHIP, who was making his seasonal reappearance and badly needed the race, might improve past all of them. He is in his element at Meydan and was a star at last year’s Carnival.
Mention Royal Ascot to an Aussie and they still wallow in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes victory of Black Caviar, but they have also left their mark at the meeting with other speedballs, like Miss Andretti, Choisir, Takeover Target and Scenic Blast.
And in Melbourne last week, seven-year-old Redkirk Warrior staked his claim for a trip to Europe when beating the best sprinter Down Under in Redzel in Flemington’s prestigious Group 1 Lightning Stakes.
Blinkers and dropping back from 1600m have transformed Redkirk Warrior, who denied Redzel his seventh win in a row when nailing him on the line, prompting trainer David Hayes to suggest that the veteran, who started life at Newmarket with William Haggas before a spell in Hong Kong en route to Oz, was “ideal for Ascot”.
Hayes said: ”It’s on my bucket list to train a winner in the UK, and I’ve got a Pom here who has what it takes to realise my dream.
“The Newmarket is one of Australia’s toughest handicaps and Redkirk Warrior became the first horse to win it first time out last year.
“He’ll defend that crown and then we’ll talk about Ascot, but he never fires at Sydney so it makes sense to go travelling and he is a freak on a straight course.
“He’s won three times at Flemington, and he’s a big, scopey horse who finds that all his moons come together when he gets a straight track, so the Jubilee would be right up his street.”
Not that Peter Snowden, trainer of Redzel, hero of the Everest, the richest turf race on the planet, was too despondent.
He said: “We got mugged on the line, but Redzel was always going to be slightly vulnerable at 1000m, and we’ll now go for a race in Sydney before heading for the TJ Smith at Randwick.”
Australia’s remarkable racemare Winx, three time winner of the Cox Plate, remains a possible for Royal Ascot, having enjoyed a 1400m barrier trial at Randwick last week, clocking a faster time than the Group 3 winner on the same card.
Winx, who is unbeaten in her last 22 races, stretching back three years, will be back on the track in next month’s Chipping Norton, but no decision on whether the mare will be making the trip to the northern hemisphere will be made until she has run in the George Ryder at Rosehill on 24 March.
Finally, back in Britain the Winter Derby is run at Lingfield on Saturday, when Aidan O’Brien breaks new ground in bring his five-time Dundalk winner CLEAR SKIES across to the Polytrack.
Leading jumps owner JP McManus has won Grand Nationals and Gold Cups, but teaming up with O’Brien gives him the chance of putting one over the big boys on the Flat, and with Clear Skies he has just the right tool to do just that.