European Horse of the Year Sakhee, American sprint champion Xtra Heat, and Breeders' Cup Mile winner Val Royal have been installed as favorites in the $6 million Dubai World Cup, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen and $2 million Dubai Duty Free, respectively, on Saturday's $15.25 million Dubai World Cup card at Nad Al Sheba.
The six-race Thoroughbred card also will include the $2 million Dubai Sheema Classic-G1, the $1 million Godolphin Mile, and the $2 million UAE Derby.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - True, the Maktoum family's Godolphin stable holds a homefield advantage Saturday at Nad Al Sheba, scene of the $6 million Dubai World Cup and five other Thoroughbred races worth a combined $15 million.
Nevertheless, five of the 12 American runners Saturday will be playing a game the hosts have yet to perfect. At six furlongs, American speed is king, and Xtra Heat's co-owner Kenneth Taylor was accurate Tuesday in his prerace analysis of the $2 million Golden Shaheen.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The sale of Santa Anita Handicap runner-up Western Pride to a Saudi Arabian prince means the $6 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday will be without an American-owned runner for the first time in the event's seven-year history. According to a Dubai World Cup publicist, Western Pride was sold Tuesday to Saudi Arabian Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdul Aziz.
In a sign that preparations with Johannesburg for a potential start in the Kentucky Derby are moving forward, the colt worked Tuesday on an all-weather surface at Lingfield in Britain.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - There is no wagering in Dubai, but bettors in the United States will have sufficient opportunity to bet on the $6 million Dubai World Cup and three other World Cup races Saturday from Dubai. Officials from Arlington International are coordinating simulcast and wagering for the last four races on the World Cup program. Each race will include an exacta, trifecta, and superfecta.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A stiff, persistent wind whipped clouds of sand across the desert Monday, obscuring the surroundings at Nad Al Sheba racetrack, site of Saturday night's $6 million Dubai World Cup. By the time the World Cup and five lucrative supporting races are run, full visibility is forecast.
Tempera suffered an embarrassing five-length defeat at the hands of her Godolphin stablemate Infinite Spirit in the $250,000 UAE 1000 Guineas at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night.
Running for the first time since she won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last October, Tempera challenged the front-running Infinite Spirit at the three-sixteenths pole, getting to within 1 1/2 lengths before the winner reasserted herself.
Tempera suffered an embarrassing five-length defeat at the hands of her Godolphin stablemate Infinite Spirit in the $250,000 UAE 1,000 Guineas at Nad Al Sheba Thursday night.
Running for the first time since she surprised the world with her victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last October, the daughter of A.P. Indy challenged the front-running Infinite Spirit at the 3/16's pole, getting to within 1-1/2 lengths before the winner reasserted herself.
CHELTENHAM, England - Johannesburg, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old colt of 2001, worked Tuesday and remains on schedule for an attempt at the Kentucky Derby on May 4, trainer Aidan O'Brien said.
Speaking from the National Hunt Festival, O'Brien said that Johannesburg worked five furlongs in 56 seconds in Ireland and that he was not surprised by the quick time.
"His works are always fast," O'Brien said. "So far, so good."
