Hurricane Fly put a smile into Irish eyes at Cheltenham on Tuesday when he won the $598,000 Champion Hurdle on opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, Hurricane Fly, the 11-4 favorite in the 2 1/16-mile ev drove to a 1 1/4-length victory over the previously undefeated 9-2 chance Peddlers Cross.
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on Friday continues to play havoc with racing there. On Tuesday, the Japan Racing Association announced that all four of the remaining meetings at Nakayama this month had been canceled. Last weekend’s two meetings at the track east of Tokyo had previously been canceled.
Trainer Christophe Clement confirmed Monday that Gio Ponti would be on the flight that was scheduled to depart for Dubai from south Florida on Tuesday to compete in the $10 million World Cup on March 26.
VIDEO: Watch Dubai racing live from Meydan – get free PPs and bet with DRF Bets
The four-day Cheltenham Festival – the world’s preeminent jumps racing meeting – gets under way on Tuesday with the $590,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle as the opening day highlight.
Binocular, last year’s brilliant winner of this 2 1/16-mile event, has won two of his three subsequent starts and is set to defend his crown. But he faces strong opposition, especially from Peddlers Cross, who has won all seven of his career starts, including a Novice Hurdle over 2 5/8 miles at this meeting last year, and who comfortably beat Binocular at Newbury in November.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan on Friday has played havoc with the Japanese racing schedule this weekend, with damage to at least two racetracks in northeastern part of the country. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu.
The center of Japan’s Thoroughbred breeding industry - home to such American-bred champions as Azeri, Silver Charm, and Charismatic - appears to have escaped the nation’s largest-ever earthquake with relatively little damage, according to French bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe.
Daily Racing Form’s coverage of the Dubai International Racing Carnival will continue through March 26, the world's richest day of racing, with a seven-race program featuring the $26 million Dubai World Cup. Watch live video of the races from Meydan.
Rileyskeepingfaith gave Godolphin a victory in the Group 2, $250,000 Zabeel Mile at Meydan on Thursday night. The last of six local preps for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free went to the gelded British-bred son of Hunting Lion by 2 1/4 lengths over Fareer, with Fanunalter a late closing third, 1 1/4 lengths further back.
Ridden by Ahmed Ajtebi, the winner covered the mile on good ground in 1:37.89.
VIDEO: Watch Dubai racing live from Meydan – get free PPs and bet with DRF Bets
The Group 2, $250,000 Zabeel Mile at Meydan in Dubai on Thursday night will be the last of six local preps for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free on March 26.
With most of the principals for the Duty Free already having been decided, the Zabeel looks like a contest for those scrambling for one of the last few places left in the race.
VIDEO: Watch Dubai racing live from Meydan – get free PPs and bet with DRF Bets
Beauty Flash added his name to an already crowded Dubai Duty Free field when he won the Group 1, $770,000 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. Ridden by Gerald Mosse, he came from just off the pace to lead inside the quarter pole and held gamely in a stiff drive to defeat Sunny King by a half-length, with former Hong Kong mile champ Good Ba Ba back in seventh. The time for the one-turn seven furlongs on good ground was 1:21.74.
