Sixteen runners are considered likely for the $10 million Dubai World Cup, though the 19th edition of the race will have no representatives from North America for the first time in its history.
Lord Windermere closed from last in a field of 13 and survived a stewards’ inquiry for a historic win in Friday’s $913,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England.
Breeders’ Cup has assigned its director of racing and nominations to work in Europe for six months this year, the organization announced on Friday, underlining its efforts to drum up participation from overseas horsemen and seek new growth in foreign betting markets.
More of That, a 6-year-old gelding making his fifth start, scored a minor upset in Thursday’s $457,000 World Hurdle at Cheltenham, holding off a sustained threat from the previously unbeaten mare Annie Power in the three-mile race.
Bob’s Worth will be a strong favorite to win the $913,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup for the second consecutive year on Friday, and give trainer Nicky Henderson a third win in the last four years in the prestigious steeplechase race.
Big Buck’s won the three-mile World Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse for four consecutive years from 2009-12 before being sidelined with a tendon injury in late 2012. More than a year after the injury was detected, the 11-year-old Big Buck’s is back racing, and back at Cheltenham in western England for Thursday’s $457,000 World Hurdle.
Sire De Grugy, a winner of eight of 11 career starts in steeplechases, is favored to win the richest race of his career in Wednesday’s $581,000 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England.
Other than Shea Shea’s successful return to action in the Meydan Sprint, and, to a slightly lesser extent, Vercingetorix’s victory in the Jebel Hatta Stakes, the results of the Super Saturday card at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai did little to bring into focus the blurry picture still being projected of the March 29 Dubai World Cup card.
No horse has won more Grade 1 races than Hurricane Fly, the 10-year-old hurdler from Ireland. From November 2008 until January of this year, Hurricane Fly has won 19 Grade 1 races for hurdlers in England and Ireland. Two of Hurricane Fly’s wins were the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, a race he is favored to win for the third time Tuesday.
Mike de Kock, South Africa’s leading trainer, will saddle Vercingetorix, Shea Shea, and Soft Falling Rain, who all should be favored in key preps for the Dubai World Cup on Meydan's Super Saturday program.
