Kane Hekili stamped his passport to the Dubai World Cup on Sunday with an overpowering three-length victory in the Grade 1, $1.56 million February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.
Winner of the Japan Cup Dirt in his previous start in November, Kane Hekili (1.70-1), trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and ridden by Yutaka Take, came from 10th place to lead at the eighth pole, winning the one-mile race in a time of 1:34.90.
Kane Hekili puts his tall reputation on the line at Tokyo Racecourse in Sunday in the $1.56 million February Stakes, a Grade 1 mile that is expected to produce candidates for both the Dubai World Cup and the Godolphin Mile.
Kane Hekili's victory in the Japan Cup Dirt on Nov. 26 added to his 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 tallies in the Japan Dirt Derby and the Derby Grand Prix. From the barn of champion Japanese trainer Katsuhiko Sumii, Kane Hekili, a 4-year-old son of the Sunday Silence sire Fuji Kiseki, is already earmarked for the Dubai World Cup on March 25.
Gold for Sale gave Dubai's locally trained Kentucky Derby hopefuls a thrashing at Nad Al Sheba on Friday night and remained undefeated by capturing the Group 3, $250,000 UAE 2000 Guineas.
The winner of all five of his starts in his native Argentina, Gold for Sale was last of 16 coming into the 2 1/2-furlong stretch, but made up nearly eight lengths under a patient ride by Michael Kinane to run down Where's That Tiger by a half-length.
NEW YORK - The reverence with which the American bettor is held in some circles is not necessarily shared by racing confraternities elsewhere in the world. There are places where betting revenues make up only a part of the purse structure and others where those revenues are a negligible factor in sustaining prize money.
Take for example the United Arab Emirates, where the sport prospers in a country where gambling is illegal. Attend any of Nad Al Sheba's 21 evenings of racing this 2005-06 season and you would place a bet on pain of having your hands cut off.
Jack Sullivan landed his second consecutive Maktoum Challenge-Round 2 at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night as he held off the renewed bid of Round 1 winner Blatant to record a one-length victory in the Group 3, $200,000 prep for the Dubai World Cup.
The maximum field of 16 has been drawn for Friday's Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Nad Al Sheba. Four entrants - Well Armed, Testimony, Unification, and Flashing Numbers - hold nominations to the Triple Crown.
Well Armed handed Testimony a 3 1/2-length thrashing in a seven-furlong allowance at Nad Al Sheba on Jan. 19. Well Armed has a license to improve off that effort but will be facing a much tougher bunch in this $250,000 mile.
Winner of Woodbine's Grade 3 Grey Stakes for Eoin Harty, Unification will be saddled by Ismail Mohammed for Sheikh Mohammed's son Hamdan.
Jack Sullivan will defend his Maktoum Challenge-Round 2 title at Nad Al Sheba Thursday night, when he will be sorely tested by Blatant, the easy winner of Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge on Jan. 19.
Twelfth last time in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Jack Sullivan will be much more in his element in the Maktoum Challenge, a 1 1/8-mile, Group 3 prep for the Dubai World Cup worth $200,000. But if Blatant runs back to his 9 3/4-length victory in Round 1, he will be very difficult to beat.
Henny Hughes, runner-up in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, has been declared out of Friday's UAE 2000 Guineas at Nad Al Sheba after failing to impress in a workout on Monday morning.
His trainer, Alec Laird, said that Henny Hughes had been in Dubai only a month and was not quite ready to run.
Takeover Target landed the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge at Flemington, Australia, on Saturday with a narrow victory in the Group 1, $353,000 Lightning Stakes.
Sent off as the 3-1 favorite, Takeover Target, a gelded 7-year-old son of Celtic Swing, prevailed by a short neck over God's Own, with Hong Kong invader Cape of Good Hope three-quarters of a length farther back in third. The time for the five furlongs was 56.80 seconds.