The veteran Switzerland pulls off upset in Dubai Golden Shaheen
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Switzerland finished second in his first start, a maiden race on Feb. 15, 2017, at Gulfstream Park. Five years later, on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse, Switzerland made his 27th start and won the biggest race of his life, the Group 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Switzerland ($67.20) had been eighth in the 2018 Golden Shaheen and seventh in the 2021 renewal but was comfortably best Saturday night – improbable as that might seem. Stalking a wicked early pace, he took command in upper stretch, opening a big lead and holding clear deep-closing Red le Zele for a 1 3/4-length win. Dr. Schivel, the 7-5 favorite in American pools, didn’t have much luck in the running and finished third.
Chad Brown trained Switzerland for his first eight starts, which yielded only a maiden win, before Steve Asmussen took over for seven more races, the American phase of Switzerland’s career coming to an end in fall 2018.
Switzerland then changed hands and changed lands, coming to Dubai for the 2020 World Cup Carnival, where he performed decently but failed to win in four starts. Blanked in two 2020 Dubai races, Switzerland finally won here when he landed the Dubawi Stakes in 2021. His powerful victory to start his 8-year-old campaign here on Jan. 1 came on a sloppy track and against suspect opposition, and Switzerland came into the Golden Shaheen after taking a sound defeat last month in Saudi Arabia.
The gelding, however, had scoped dirty following that start, and jockey Tadhg O’Shea, winning his first Group 1 race, engineered an ideal journey Saturday.
Drain the Clock leapt in the air at the start but still came through along the inside to make the lead, fellow American speedster Wondrwherecraigis going with him as the pace heated up down the backstretch. O’Shea sat coolly drafting behind the pacesetters until the 500-meter mark, where he steered outside to pounce on the tiring speed. Moving fleetly for an 8-year-old, Switzerland quickly took command and had plenty left to hold clear a belated wide run from Red le Zele, the Shaheen runner-up for the second year in a row.
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“There was a lot of speed on, and this horse excels in a truly run race,” said O’Shea.
Switzerland, by Speightstown out of Czechers, by Indian Charlie, ran 1,200 meters in 1:11.13, the slowest Shaheen during the Meydan dirt era.
Dr. Schivel, racing inside before lacking room in upper stretch, plugged gamely away to finish third, as none of the other American horses came close to contending in a race they have traditionally dominated.
Switzerland also used to be an American – but that was years ago.