Nutella Fella headed for Dubai

Nutella Fella, who won the Pelican Stakes at Tampa earlier this month, received an invitation to the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen and will make his next start in that six-furlong race on April 5 at Meydan, trainer Gary Contessa said Monday.

Nutella Fella scored an upset win in the Grade 1 Hopeful at 70-1 odds in 2023 and has made just three starts since, as he’s been hindered by a hind ankle injury. The Pelican, which Nutella Fella won by a neck on Feb. 8, came after he finished second in an allowance race on Jan. 11.

“He’s got three wins, a second, and a third in five starts. He deserves that shot,” Contessa said. “He came back good. That ankle is perfect.”

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Among the horses Nutella Fella will face in the Golden Shaheen is Straight No Chaser, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner who made a good-looking return to the races in Saturday’s Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia.

“I think he’s a really nice horse. So is ours,” Contessa said. “I think [Nutella Fella] rises to the level of competition.”

Contessa said U.S.-based horses shipping to Dubai leave from Kentucky on March 22.

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