Zoom, a locally based 6-year-old, was elevated to first in Saturday's Sandy Lane Gold Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados, after fellow local Show Me the Money was disqualified.
Japanese juvenile filly champion Reve d’Essor makes her 3-year-old debut at Hanshin on Saturday in the Group 3, $862,000 Tulip Sho, a one-mile prep for the Oka Sho, or Japanese 1000 Guineas, on April 10.
Twice Over was the decisive winner of Round 3 of the Maktoum Challenge at Meydan in Dubai on Thursday night. Trained by Henry Cecil for Juddmonte Farms, the 5-year-old son of Observatory probably established himself as the favorite for the Dubai World Cup on March 26.
Safety Zone will attempt to give owner Eugene Melynk his third victory in the Sandy Lane Gold Cup on Saturday in Barbados.
Super Thursday, perhaps better tagged Dubai World Cup Preview Night, was jarred when World Cup favorite Bold Silvano was not entered in Round 3 of the $300,000 Maktoum Challenge, the 1 1/4-mile course and distance prep for the world’s richest race. The Mike de Kock-trained winner of Round 2 of the Maktoum Challenge is suffering from a foot bruise and will go straight to World Cup on March 26.
Victoire Pisa’s Dubai World Cup audition went according to plan on Sunday, as he romped to a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2, $1.5 million Nakayama Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse.
Mont Pelato’s plans to come to America for the Blue Grass Stakes and a possible tilt at the Kentucky Derby hit a snag at Cagnes-sur-Mer on Saturday when the Forest Danger colt backed up to finish ninth in the listed $75,000 Prix Policeman.
Victoire Pisa, winner of the Arima Kinen, will use Sunday’s $1.5 million Nakayama Kinen to prepare for his March 26 date in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.
Mont Pelato’s bold American ambitions start on Saturday at the unlikely venue of Cagnes-sur-Mer, where he will use the listed, $75,000 Prix Policeman at 1 1/4 miles as a trial for Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes.
The Dubai Racing Carnival at Meydan this winter has been largely a battle between Mike de Kock and Godolphin. On Thursday night, Godolphin’s boys in blue got the upper hand when the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Khawlah upset the odds-on de Kock-trained Mahbooba in the $250,000, Group 3 UAE Oaks.
