Animal Magnetism in Dubai

By Staff Report April 1, 2013

With effortless looking but ground devouring strikes, Animal Kingdom crushed his competition in the 18^th running of the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 30.

Sponsored by Emirates Airline, the $10 million Dubai World Cup offers the largest single-event purse in horse sport, and is part of the world’s “richest day in racing,” with total prize money of more than $27 million for the nine-slot 2013 card as part of the Meydan winter racing season in the United Arab Emirates.

The Dubai Cup was launched in 1996, and this 18th running was the third to take place at the spectacular new Meydan Racecourse, which opened March 27, 2010. It was the first time at the new venue that a U.S.-based and –trained horse won (though in prior years the country dominated, with eight victories in 14 years).

Animal Kingdom is now owned in partnership by Australia’s Arrowfield Stud and the Team Valor International racing partnership based in the United States, Animal Kingdom stunned even his owners with his remarkable victory by two lengths over late running Red Cadeaux in the world’s richest horse race.

“That was shocking,” exclaimed Team Valor Chief Executive Officer Barry Irwin. “I thought he could win but I didn’t think he could win like that. He proved that not only is he a top horse, but that he is one of the top horses in the world.”

“It’s unbelievable,” said a beaming jockey, Joel Rosario, who waved his whip to cheers and applause as Animal Kingdom strode into the winner’s circle. “He’s a very good horse; he’s very quick.”

Rosario steered Animal Kingdom to loom outside two-time American champion filly Royal Delta, who had set fractions of :26.59, :50.02 and 1:13.63 under Mike Smith, before they swooped to the lead coming out of the far turn. In just a few steps, Animal Kingdom opened up several lengths—and the race was over.

Animal Kingdom, winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby off a stakes victory on the all-weather Turfway Park track, crossed the finish line in 2:03.21 for the 2000 meters, earning $6 million for his efforts. Trained by English-born Graham Motion, Animal Kingdom now has a career record of five wins in 11 starts with earnings of $8,387,500.

The victory by the five-year-old son of Leroidesanimaux marked the first by an U.S.-based and –trained runner in the Dubai World Cup since Meydan opened with an all-weather surface in 2010, replacing the dirt track at the old Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on which American runners frequently prevailed.

Red Cadeaux unleashed a strong rally from ninth after 1600 metres to gain the runner-up prize.

“This horse never ceases to amaze me. To run second in the Dubai World Cup and get within two lengths of Animal Kingdom, I’ve got to be happy with that,” said jockey Gerald Mosse.

Planteur, recently acquired by Qatar’s Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, finished third, 4  3/4 lengths behind Red Cadeaux. He was third last year, too (see full results below).

Godolphin’s Hunter’s Light, the early favorite in the race off his victory in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round III on March 9, held second position early in the race, but could not keep up in the latter stages. “He had every chance. He just wasn’t good enough at this level,” said jockey Silvestre de Sousa.

Royal Delta “just didn’t seem to care for it,” Smith said of his mount’s performance on the Tepeta all-weather track. “Every time she had to pick it up, she struggled.” It’s been said that turf-runners do better on that track, and that surface, and all others should be adapted to it prior to their first big race.

Previous U.S. winners include Cigar, Silver Charm, Captain Steve, Pleasantly Perfect, Roses in May, Invasor, Curlin and Well Armed.

Built at a cost reported at roughly $1 billion, Meydan has a capacity of 120,000 spectators (60,000 in the grandstand alone). It has a pool on the clubhouse roof and the world’s first five-star trackside hotel. Horses arrive by yacht. (JK! But people do! Located at the eastern end of the grandstand, the Meydan Marina invites yachts to sail in from Dubai Creek. At night, you can watch the action without stepping off the boat.

The Meydan complex includes waterfront restaurants and cafes, a museum, an Imax theater, 72 luxury hospitality suites across five levels and a “rooftop sky bubble” that accommodates 4,500. The complex was designed by Malaysian architect Teoh A. Khing, who drew on the symbol of the falcon in conjuring a fantastical space. Among the many special features, solar panels that generate more than half the complex’s electricity, and a series of underground tunnels used to move the horses from the stables to the track, where “they emerge from the tunnel with their jockeys like footballers at a stadium or, in Teo’s words, like Roman gladiators in the Coliseum!,” Khing told Malaysian blogger Vincent Loy.

An explosive 272 horses were nominated to run in this year’s Dubai World Cup. “In 2002 we had 87 horses nominated for the Dubai World Cup at the free nominations stage; this year we have 272,” Dubai Racing Club international manager Martin Tally said, noting, “the large increases over the years do serve to demonstrate the status that the flagship race, and indeed all the races on the Dubai World Cup day, has attained all over the world.

Ultimately, 13 were accepted and one — last year’s winner, Monterosso, owned by the Maktoum family’s Godolphin Racing — scratched.

$10 Million Dubai World Cup – RESULTS

Horse                                           Trainer              Jockey

1.      Animal Kingdom (USA)        G. Motion            Joel Rosario
2.     Red Cadeaux (GB)                   E. Dunlop            Gerald Mosse
3.     Planteur (IRE)                          M. Botti                Ryan Moore
4.     Side Glance (GB)                      A. Balding           Jamie Spencer
5.     African Story (GB)                  S. bin Suroor     Mickael Barzalona
6.     Meandre (FR)                           A. Fabre               Maxime Guyon
7.     Hunter’s Light (IRE)              S. bin Suroor      Silvestre De Sousa
8.     Treasure Beach (GB)             M. de Kock           Christophe Soumillon
9.     Kassiano (GER)                        S. bin Suroor      William Buick
10.     Royal Delta (USA)                 W. Mott                Mike Smith
11.     Dullahan (USA)                       D. Romans           Gary Stevens
12.     Capponi (IRE)                         M. Al Zarooni     Ahmad Ajtebi

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