DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – So famous was Cigar in 1996 that the Associated Press sent out a fairly detailed news story the day after the horse touched down in Dubai, where he would race in the inaugural Dubai World Cup.
“Cigar, the spectacular Thoroughbred looking to extend his winning streak to 14 races, arrived in Dubai on Monday, completing a 16 1/2-hour trip from Florida to the Persian Gulf.”
CHELTENHAM, England - Sprinter Sacre completed one of the most remarkable comebacks for a top-class horse in recent memory when the 10-year-old gelding won the $500,500 Queen Mother Champion Chase for the second time on Wednesday.
Sprinter Sacre won the race in 2013 at what was believed to be the height of his career. He missed the 2014 running because of an erratic heart beat and was pulled up last year when considered past his prime.
Wednesday, Sprinter Sacre turned back the clock, delivering one of his finest performances in his third consecutive win of the season.
A field of 13, including five Americans, is expected to be entered for the $10 million Dubai World Cup, according to a Wednesday release from the Dubai Racing Club of probable runners on the March 26 World Cup program. Final entries for nine stakes worth $30 million are due at 9 a.m. Monday, Dubai time.
CHELTENHAM, England – With 2015 winner Coneygree sidelined with injury, Friday’s $810,175 Cheltenham Gold Cup lacks a standout. There are several accomplished horses who are capable of winning the Grade 1 race at 3 1/4 miles, including Cue Card, Djakadam, Don Cossack, and Don Poli.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is England’s top weight-for-age race for steeplechasers.
As of Wednesday morning, Don Cossack was the 3-1 favorite with British bookmakers, a slight choice over Djakadam at 7-2, and Cue Card and Don Poli at 4-1. The race drew a field of 10 and is run over 22 fences.
CHELTENHAM, England - Thistlecrack needs about 2 1/2 miles to reach his best in a race.
An 8-year-old gelding, Thistlecrack won 3 of 7 starts at distances of about two miles to 2 1/2 miles early in his career. In the last year, he is 4 for 5 at three miles, including wins in three Grade 1 hurdle races, and has emerged as the top long-distance hurdler in England.
Thistlecrack will be favored to win the richest race of his career in Thursday’s $429,000 World Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse.
CHELTENHAM, England - Annie Power became the first mare in more than 20 years to win the $572,000 Champion Hurdle, run at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday.
The victory was a remarkable fourth win in the last six years in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle for jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins, and owner Susannah Ricci.
CHELTENHAM, England - When he finishes his races, Un De Sceaux wins.
A specialist in two-mile steeplechases in the last 17 months, Un De Sceaux will be be an odds-on favorite to win for the 15th time in his 17th start in Wednesday’s $500,500 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse.
In chases, the 8-year-old Un De Sceaux has won five of seven starts. He fell in his chasing debut in November 2014 in Ireland and again as the 1-4 favorite in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland in December.
The gang’s all there, the eight U.S.-based horsed slated for races on the March 26 Dubai World Cup program departed – five from Florida, three from California – for the Middle East on Sunday. The journey is long, especially from California, but the riches at trip’s terminus vast, the horses racing for purses ranging from the $1 million in the Al Quoz Sprint to $10 million in the World Cup itself.
CHELTENHAM, England – Annie Power holds a dubious role in the recent history of the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse.
In 2015, Annie Power was comfortably leading the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham as the 1-2 favorite when she fell at the 10th and final hurdle. A win, which seemed certain in early stretch, would have been the fourth that day for trainer Willie Mullins.
