The first two Guineas preps at Leopardstown on Sunday proved to be rather inconclusive affairs as Dunboyne Express took a three-runner Group 3 Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial while Empowering and Wild Wind gave Aidan O’Brien a one-two finish in the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial.
Last away and last into the first turn, jockey Micro Demuro steered out as the horses hit the backstretch of the Duabi World Cup, and whoosh – there Victoire Pisa went, passing 12 foes in a furlong en route to an upset victory.
Dubai World Cup Day at Meydan - March 26, 2011. Daily Racing Form's video analysis, race-by-race coverage, selections, PPs, live racing, and more.
Victoire Pisa pulled an upset in Saturday’s $10 million Dubai World Cup after jockey Mirco Demuro made a bold move to challenge for the lead about five furlongs from the finish.
With a powerful burst about a furlong from the finish, Rewilding took the starch out of his 13 rivals in the Sheema, running off to a 3 1/4-length victory in grand style. His time of 2:29.01 for about 1 1/2 miles on good-firm turf set a new course record.
Rewilding, third in the 2010 English Derby, won the biggest race of his career in Saturday’s $5 million Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, giving jockey Frankie Dettori his second winner of the Dubai World Cup undercard.
With jockey Ryan Moore diving decisively to the inside for running room 300 yards out, Presvis ran down the game 8-year-old mare River Jetez to capture the $5 million Duty Free by three-quarters of a length.
Saturday night in the $2 million Golden Shaheen, a race in which he had been second last year, Rocket Man finally broke through after four straight second-place finishes in Group 1 races. He blasted by pacesetting Euroears in the final 120 yards and drew away to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Maybe it was the fact he’d already won the race six times, but Saeed bin Suroor knew when the horses the wire that Khawlah finished first in the UAE Derby. He might have been the only one in the house.
Rocket Man avenged a narrow loss in the $2 million Golden Shaheen in 2010 with a victory in the same race in Dubai on Saturday, catching American pacesetter Euroears in the final sixteenth of the race over about six furlongs.
