Gladiator King by a neck in Dubawi Stakes

Gladiator King, who won the Hutcheson Stakes this past spring at Gulfstream Park, made a winning Dubai debut on Thursday when he captured the Group 3, $200,000 Dubawi Stakes by a neck over Ibn Malik.

The Dubawi was the featured race on the first program of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and Gladiator King’s connections – trainer Satish Seemar, owner Rashid bin Humaid al Nuaimi, and jockey Mickael Barzelona – have reason to hope Gladiator King might take them to the World Cup card itself. Gladiator King wouldn’t need massive improvement upon his Dubawi performance to earn a spot in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen, Dubai’s most important dirt sprint, and surely was purchased from his U.S. connections last year with that race in mind.

Thursday, racing for the first time since June 1, Gladiator King, a 4-year-old by Curlin out of Golden Dawn, broke alertly from post 7 and got a three-wide pressing trip as Tour to Paris set the pace along the rail. Gladiator King held his spot around the turn, came to challenge for the lead about 400 meters from the finish, and solidly held his lead as Ibn Malik made mild progress from the 200-meter mark home. Drafted, who probably needed a race, rallied late to finish third, 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Gladiator King clocked 1:11.29 for the 1200 meters on a fast track.

Earlier on the card, Major Partnership won the listed $175,000 Meydan Challenge, a 1,400-meter turf race, by 1 1/2 lengths. Zainhom finished second and Suedois, third in the Shadwell Turf Mile this past October at Keeneland, was third. Saeed bin Suroor trains Major Partnership, a 5-year-old son of Ifraaj who won a 1600-meter turf handicap last winter at Meydan before finishing 11th on dirt in the Godolphin Mile.

Final Song, another bin Suroor-trained winner for Godolphin, landed the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial to kick off Thursday’s program. Christophe Soumillon had the mount on this 3-year-old filly by Dark Angel who raced for the first time on dirt.