Racing news and tips: Arrogate wins Dubai
World Cup in stunning style
• Grey powers through
the field after slow start to win at Meydan
• Bob Baffert: ‘It’s unbelievable, I can’t believe he won’ inDubai
• Bob Baffert: ‘It’s unbelievable, I can’t believe he won’ in
Mike Smith’s first thought after the Dubai World Cup here on Saturday was of Zenyatta, the
exceptional horse he rode from a long last to first in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup
Classic. But Arrogate is even better than Zenyatta and proved it with an
astonishing performance, shrugging off the loss of several lengths at the start
to win going away without ever leaving second gear.
Some very good horses have won the Dubai World Cup over the past 21 years, and some very
average ones too. The only way Arrogate’s performance is likely to be bettered
in the next 21 years, however, is if Bob Baffert’s four-year-old returns for
another attempt at the race next year.
Arrogate is used to the standard American practice of putting a
handler in the stalls. Without one, he simply fell out of the gate and turned
away from the stands with all 13 of his rivals in front of him. Smith waited
until they were into the back stretch to unleash Arrogate’s immense stride and
start to make some ground, but he was still nearly 10 lengths adrift of the
pace halfway around the far turn.
The next few seconds removed any lingering doubt that Arrogate
is one of the very best dirt runners for many years. He made ground around the
bend with ease and then lengthened again, closing down and then catching Gun
Runner, the leader, with a furlong still to cover. As he crossed the line two
and a quarter lengths clear of Gun Runner, with Neolithic another five back in
third, he became the first horse in history to win $17m in prize money, less
than a year after finishing third on his debut at Los Alamitos.
Arrogate is owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, whose Frankel retired
unbeaten after 14 starts in 2012. He has not reached that pinnacle yet, but
took a significant stride towards it here in the eighth race of his career and
promises to be closer still by the time his career draws to a close.
“That was very emotional for me,” Baffert
said. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought: ‘We’ve come all this way for this, how
could he break so poorly?’ I heard the whole crowd, the heavy sigh, even the
announcer said: ‘He is dead last,’ or whatever, and I’m thinking: ‘What is
this? There is no chance he can win, this is not Hollywood, this is not a
script where he comes running at the end.’
“Then on that turn for home, with that tremendous long stride he
was gobbling up the ground. I was thinking, no way. I was watching this unfold
before me thinking: ‘Where has this horse come from?’ He shows us something
spectacular every time he runs.”
Smith is unsure why Arrogate was so slow to stride, but was
growing in confidence that his partner was up to the task well before Baffert
started to believe. “He’s used to having someone stick their head up in the
doors,” Smith said, “but whatever happened, I just think it happened for a
reason. It made him much more impressive. It might have been a boring race, it
made it an unbelievable race.
“Once I got away like that, I had to sit there
and let him collect himself.
“Zenyatta came from way back, it took her a while to get going.
Once we were on the backside, I moved a little and he jumped at them and I
thought: ‘We’re still here.’ I called on him heading for home and he just took
off, it was incredible. I won the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Zenyatta, people
said that was the greatest race but I think this race has topped it.”
Baffert will work backwards from the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del
But the memory of this performance will not fade easily.
Arrogate’s slow start and electrifying finish advertised his immense talent not
just to his home audience in the United States
“He had to establish himself,” Baffert said. “We all knew he was
this great horse but he hadn’t had a lot of racing. If anybody wasn’t
super-impressed with that, they don’t like horse racing. I still can’t believe
he won the race. How did that happen? How did he pull it off?”
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His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the
Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
|
By Leslie Wilson Jr., Racing & Special
Features Writer
After
missing the break at the start of the 2,000 metre contest, which left him
trailing his 13 rivals, the imposing grey son of Unbridled steadily worked his
way back into the race under a super confident Mike Smith, before pulling away
in the final furlong to win in glorious fashion.
Fellow
American-trained Gun Runner, ridden by Frenchman Florent Geroux for trainer
Steve Asmussen, best remembered for training Curlin to victory in the 2008
Dubai World Cup, finished 2 ¼ lengths behind the Arrogate while the Todd
Pletcher-trained Neolithic, with John Velazquez in the irons, was third, a
further five lengths further back.
South
African-trained Mubtaahij, second in this race last year behind California
Chrome, finished fourth for Christophe Soumillon.
Mike Smith,
Arrogate’s 51-year-old rider and one of the leading jockeys in US
"I
missed the break completely because he's used to having a man in the gate with
him, but things happen for a reason and thank the Lord we got the job done.”
Smith rode
Zenyatta, who was trained by John Shirreffs, to 14 of his 16 victories between
2008 and 2010.
"This
horse can do anything, he can win in the lead, he can come from dead last, he
hasn't even taken a breath,” he added.
"I get
a lot of the glory, but there's a big team who deserve a lot of credit."
Baffert
admitted to being mortified after Arrogate was sluggish out of the stalls but
said: "When he missed the break, I gave him no chance at all.
"I was so mad at myself thinking I shouldn't have brought him - that's the
greatest horse I've ever seen run, it's unbelievable, I can't believe he won.
That is a great horse.
"Mike
did a great job, he didn't panic. When he turned for home I said 'If he wins
he's the greatest since Secretariat'."
Arrogate has
been unbeatable in the United
States
His victory
on Saturday has driven his career earning past the $17 million mark making him
the highest earning horse in American racing history.
Baffert, who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, previously
won the Dubai World Cup with Silver Charm in 1998 and Captain Steve in 2001.
Arrogate
races in the colours of Prince Khalid Abdullah, the first cousin and brother-in-law
of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabi, who also owned the great Frankel.
He has
amassed over $80 million in career prize money.
Abdullah has
won more than 150 Group 1 races worldwide with more than 125 by homebreds such
as Flintshire, Emollient, Seek Again, Empire Maker, Banks Hill, Dancing Brave,
and Frankel.
He also owns
the outstanding Juddmote Farm breeding operation. In 2016, Arrogate gave
Juddmonte its fifth career Breeders' Cup win when he outfinished California
Chrome to win the $6 million Classic. After the 2016 season, Juddmonte Farms
was named the Eclipse Award winner as outstanding owner.
