South Florida delegation wraps up Dubai prep

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The local contingent set to compete on the March 30 Dubai World Cup card are scheduled to depart South Florida on Tuesday, all five getting in their final major works for their respective races at several venues throughout the area over the past several mornings.

Audible and Gunnevera, both pointing to the $12 million World Cup, lead a group that also includes Coal Front, who’ll run in the Godolphin Mile, and X Y Jet and Promises Fulfilled, who are slated to square off in the Golden Shaheen.

Stablemates Audible and Coal Front turned in their final preps Sunday at Palm Meadows, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.17 and 1:01.58, respectively.

Audible heads to the World Cup off a fifth-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup. He won the Grade 1 Florida Derby here one year ago as a prelude to his third-place finish behind Justify five weeks later in the Kentucky Derby.

“He went a good 1:01 with a nice gallop-out,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s been training very consistently since the Pegasus. We just need to get him back in his ‘A’ form and get him to run the type of race he ran in the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. If he does that, he’s going there with a chance. You look at the alternatives, and this seems like the best one at the moment.”

Flavien Prat, who rode Audible in the Pegasus World Cup, will have the mount again in Dubai.

The lightly raced and steadily improving Coal Front has won 6 of 8 career starts, including the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream and Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn Park in game fashion in his last two outings.

“He worked very well also,” Pletcher said. “He’s in really good form, his last two races were very good. He handled the stretch-out from the 14 post in the Razorback, and I think a one-turn mile is ideal. There were some options here, but talking to the ownership group they felt it’s a $1.5 million purse and they’d like to take a chance.”

Jose Ortiz will replace regular rider John Velazquez, who’ll stay home to retain the mount on Fountain of Youth winner Code of Honor that same day in the $1 million Florida Derby.

Trainer Antonio Sano waited until Monday to give Gunnevera his final prep for the World Cup, five furlongs in 1:01 with a six-furlong gallop-out of 1:13.20 at Gulfstream Park West with his new rider Emisael Jaramillo aboard.

“It was a very, very good work, maybe as good as he’s ever worked,” Sano said. “Emisael said he worked like an exceptional horse, like a champion. He will just have easy gallops every day once in Dubai. Hopefully, things will go a lot better for us over there this time after he came down with colic after arriving for the race last year.”

Trainer Dale Romans made the decision to send Promises Fulfilled to the Golden Shaheen shortly after he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.25 here Saturday. Promises Fulfilled has not started since his fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“He ran well fresh last year and he’s doing so good we’re going to give him a shot against the big boys,” said Romans, who did not have a rider lined up for Promises Fulfilled as of yet.

X Y Jet, runner-up in two of the last three editions of the Golden Shaheen, worked six furlongs in 1:14.60 for trainer Jorge Navarro last Friday at Palm Meadows.

The South Florida representatives for the World Cup card will be joined on Tuesday’s flight by Seeking the Soul (World Cup) and Imperial Hint (Golden Shaheen).