Romantic Warrior wins Jebel Hatta as Measured Time suffers fatal breakdown

An unsuccessful return to racing for 2024 Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River and a successful Dubai debut for Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior highlighted an important Friday card at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, but the fatal breakdown of the Godolphin homebred Measured Time cast a shadow over the program.

Measured Time, winner of the Manhattan Stakes last summer at Saratoga on the Belmont Stakes undercard, proved impossible to settle for jockey William Buick in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta Stakes, opening a huge lead into the homestretch. His advantage had evaporated when the horse took a staggering stride, then a couple more, then fell just before the finish. Jockey William Buick escaped without injury. Measured Time was euthanized.

Romantic Warrior ($4.20 on the American tote) wound up a 4 1/2-length winner over Poker Face, adding a Dubai Group 1 to top-level wins abroad in Australia and Japan, and the best horse in Hong Kong, one of the best in the world, now is set to make his dirt debut next month in the $20 million Saudi Cup. Patiently ridden Friday by James McDonald, Romantic Warrior, by Acclamation, is trained by Danny Shum and now is an 18-time winner from 23 starts.

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Laurel River somewhat controversially recently was named the Longines World’s Best Racehorse for 2024, his international rating of 128 achieved through an 8 1/2-length pasting of runner-up Ushba Tesoro last March 30 in the World Cup. Laurel River hadn’t started since – and it showed through the final furlong of the 1,600-meter Firebreak Stakes.

Racing somewhat eagerly on the lead under Tadhg O’Shea, Laurel River carried a wide advantage to the furlong grounds, whereupon he tired noticeably and was nailed on the wire by massive longshot King Gold, a French 8-year-old turf horse of no great accomplishment who last raced on dirt two years ago at Meydan. King Gold, by Anodin, was up by a head with former American miler Cagliostro third, also nearly catching Laurel River. King Gold, ridden by Adrie de Vries for trainer Nicolas Caullery, paid $91.60.

Trainer Bhupat Seemar wanted to start Laurel River on his path to the 2025 World Cup over one mile, and had another horse good enough to win the card’s feature, the Group 1, $1 million Al Maktoum Challenge, contested at 1,900 meters, or about 1 3/16 miles. Six-year-old Walk of Stars, formerly a turf horse, won for the first time on dirt last month in listed company and on Friday made all the running under O’Shea, beating second-place Imperial Emperor by a little more than 2 1/2 lengths. Facteur Cheval, the Team Valor International and Gary Barber-owned 6-year-old gelding, finished a well-beaten third in his dirt debut. Walk of Stars, by Dubawi, paid $7.40.

Seemar had a second stakes winner as Tuz, winner of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen last March, made it 2 for 2 this winter with a front-running score in the Al Shindagha Sprint. After awkwardly changing leads in upper stretch, Tuz, with O'Shea aboard, briefly was collared by old rival Colour Up, but he quickly regained momentum and was home by 3 1/4 lengths. Eight-year-old Tuz, by Oxbow, paid $2.60.

West Acre scored a notably sharp win in the Blue Point Sprint, a 1,000-meter straight-course dash that leads to the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on the World Cup undercard. Flying home under Callum Shepherd, West Acre rolled to a 3 1/2-length victory after having finished second making his Dubai debut in a conditions race. West Acre, a 3-year-old Mehmas gelding trained by George Scott, clocked 55.28, a course record, while getting as much as 12 1/2 pounds from his older rivals.

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