DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The colt swept into Santa Anita last fall, plundered the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes as an 18-1 outsider, and then skipped town before the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Gitano Hernando may have missed the richest race on the American calendar last year, but he is firmly among the contenders for the world's most lucrative race, Saturday's $10 million Dubai World Cup at the newly launched Meydan racecourse.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Injury and illness will prevent the last two winners of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile from starting on Saturday's Dubai World Cup program at the new Meydan racecourse, Godolphin Racing announced on its website over the weekend.
Vale of York, the winner of the 2009 BC Juvenile, suffered a bout of colic over the weekend, and is out of Saturday's $2 million United Arab Emirates Derby. Midshipman, the winner of the 2008 BC Juvenile, suffered a recurrence of a soft-tissue injury last week and was declared from the $1 million Godolphin Mile last Friday.
Tranquil Tiger paid a pair of Dubai Word Cup runners a compliment on Saturday by winning the $153,000, Group 3 Winter Derby on the Lingfield Park Polytrack.
In beating Suits Me by three-quarters of a length in the 1 1/4-mile contest, Tranquil Tiger was defeating the same horse Gitano Hernando had beaten by 4 1/4 lengths into second in the Winter Derby Trial over the same course and distance. Tranquil Tiger is also a Henry Cecil-trained stablemate of World Cup hopeful Twice Over, who had been finishing ahead of him in workouts throughout the winter.
Imperial Commander won the $725,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday as the odds-on favorite, Kauto Star, fell at the fourth-last fence in a failed effort to win jump racing's premier steeplechase for the third time. Sent off as the 8-11 choice, Kauto Star, who had made a bad mistake at the eighth fence, was being ridden along in fifth place with about a mile left in the 3 5/16-mile chase. Ruby Walsh asked him for a big effort at the 19th of 22 fences, but Kauto Star flubbed it, crashing to the ground with his stablemate Denman holding a narrow advantage.
The European season's first stakes race on turf, the Group 3, $110,000 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud on Saturday, has attracted a high-class field of Group 2 caliber. Ashalanda, a 4-year-old filly owned by the Aga Khan, won twice at the Group 2 level last year, taking Saint-Cloud's Prix de Malleret and Newmarket's Pride Stakes. While those were both at 1 1/2 miles and against her own sex, Ashalanda, a daughter of Linamix trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, will probably be the favorite in this 1 1/4-mile contest against males.
Kauto Star will attempt to become the first horse in history to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups in nonconsecutive years when he defends his title in the $725,000 steeplechase over 22 fences and 3 5/16 miles on Friday. A 10-year-old French-bred, Kauto Star also won jump racing's most coveted prize in 2007 but was defeated a year later by his Paul Nicholls-trained stablemate Denman.
Binocular turned a near-miraculous return to form into victory in the $556,000 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday, powering to a 3 1/2-length score over Khyber Kim in what is widely regarded as the world's premier hurdle event. A half-length third in this race last year as the favorite, the 9-1 Binocular led under Tony McCoy after jumping the second-last hurdle and gave nothing else a chance the rest of the way.
Dubai World Cup favorite Gio Ponti heads an American team of nine horses who will contest five of the seven big races on March 27 at Meydan, where the $26 million program retains its position as the single richest day in Thoroughbred racing.
Happy Zero took full advantage of the absence of Sacred Kingdom to land the $580,000 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. A half-hour later Super Satin proclaimed himself the best 4-year-old in Hong Kong by taking the $2 million Hong Kong Derby.
The world's best steeplechase and hurdle meeting gets under way at Cheltenham on Tuesday with the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle the highlight on the first day of the four-day stand. The meeting culminates on Friday with the long-awaited third clash between Kauto Star and Denman in the Gold Cup.