Life Is Good tops 14 American-based horses with dates in Dubai
Fourteen American-based horses are expected to contest races on the Dubai World Cup card on March 26 at Meydan Racecourse.
Five horses already are in Dubai and nine more, headed by Life Is Good, were scheduled to ship there from Florida on Monday.
Life Is Good, off scintillating victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, will be favored in the $12 million World Cup itself. Trainer Todd Pletcher is putting him and Colonel Liam, one of America’s leading turf-route horses, on the Monday plane after both worked to Pletcher’s satisfaction this weekend at Palm Beach Downs. Colonel Liam runs in the $5 million Dubai Turf.
Country Grammer and Midnight Bourbon shipped from Saudi Arabia to Dubai after finishing second and third, respectively, in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 26. There they joined Hot Rod Charlie, who has been in Dubai since late January and on Feb. 4 easily won the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2, his World Cup prep race.
Casa Creed went straight to Dubai from Saudi Arabia after a strong second in the 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and is set to start in the $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint, a turf race contested down a straight course at about six furlongs. Get Smokin, most recently second Feb. 5 in the Tampa Bay Stakes, cuts back to a sprint trip for the first time since his career debut 2 1/2 years ago at Saratoga to start in the Al Quoz, trainer Mark Casse confirmed Sunday. Extravagant Kid became the first American-based winner of a World Cup card turf race when he captured the 2021 Al Quoz.
Pinehurst, trained like Country Grammer by Bob Baffert, won the Saudi Derby on Feb. 26 and was among the shipment of American horses going straight to Dubai. He runs in the $1 million UAE Derby on March 26 and will be joined by the American horse Gilded Age. Bill Mott trains both Gilded Age and Casa Creed.
Three Americans -- Drain the Clock, Dr. Schivel, and Wondrwherecraigis - will travel for the $2 million Golden Shaheen, a race long dominated by American dirt sprinters. Trainer Saffie Joseph confirmed Drain the Clock’s participation, as did California-based trainer Mark Glatt, who will have his first Dubai runner in Dr. Schivel, who was edged by a nose in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Trainer Brittany Russell’s social media posts confirmed Wondrwherecraigis, a speedy Grade 3 winner, also is headed to the Golden Shaheen.
Steve Asmussen said he’s sending the only two American runners bound for the $1 million Godolphin Mile, Bankit and Snapper Sinclair, the latter fourth in the 2021 Godolphin Mile.
Meanwhile, a massive contingent of Japanese horses is lining up to contest the World Cup races, with as many as 24 Japan-based runners expected to be entered. After winning their first two Breeders’ Cup races last November at Del Mar, Japan-based runners captured four stakes races on the Saudi Cup card last month. Several Saudi starters shipped straight to Dubai, but the highest-rated Japanese horse expected to start March 26, Schnell Meister, comes directly from Japan. Schnell Meister is the antepost favorite to take out the Dubai Turf.
England-based Mishriff, who ran poorly in the Saudi Cup, which he won in 2021, won’t return to Dubai, where he won the Sheema Classic a year ago.