Heavy Metal wins Godolphin Mile to give trainer first victory

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The internationally renowned jockey Ryan Moore often can be found in the winner’s circle following a million-dollar race, and there he was Saturday at Meydan Racecourse following Heavy Metal’s two-length win in the Group 2, $1 million Godolphin Mile.

Trainer Sandeep Jadhav? He’d never won a race of any sort, much less a seven-figure one, until late Saturday afternoon.

Jadhav was an assistant to trainer Salem Bin Ghadayer, and when Ghadayer got a one-year suspension for a drug positive earlier this month, Jadhav took over the stable.

“He broke out very nice, and I said, ‘Oh, this is my race,’ ” Jadhav said.

Regardless of the human at the helm, it was business as usual for Heavy Metal, an 8-year-old gelding who won for the eighth time in 19 starts at Meydan while racing for the 59th time in his career. Heavy Metal came into the 2017 Godolphin Mile in great form but floundered on a wet track, beaten more than 20 lengths. This winter, he won the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes by almost 10 lengths, but his race March 10 in the Burj Nahaar was subpar, a fourth-place finish after leading into the homestretch on a track carrying speed.

This time, Heavy Metal didn’t stop at all. Breaking from post 9 under Moore, who was riding Heavy Metal for the first time, the gelding jumped sharply with a notion to make the front and get inside.

“He did jump well, but I still had to work very hard to get across,” Moore said.

Outgunning Capezzano for the coveted rail spot, Heavy Metal took pressure throughout the race but always traveled well. He shook off his pace rivals with about 300 meters left to race and crossed the finish much the best, stopping the timer in 1:36.21 for the 1,600 meters.

“He’s always been a brave horse, always runs very well here. I was lucky to get the ride on the day,” Moore said.

Heavy Metal paid $9.80 to win as the 7-2 second choice in North American parimutuel wagering. The gelding, owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, is by Exceed and Excel and out of Rock Opera, by Lecture.

Muntazah, a longshot trained by Doug Watson making his dirt debut, ran well for second, finishing a half-length in front of third-place Adirato, from Japan, with Musawat fourth. The Chad Brown-trained Economic Model, who is to remain in the Middle East with trainer Nicholas Bachalard and was the 5-2 favorite, never really got involved and finished seventh.