Review - Dubai World Cup 2023

On the turn, the pace quickened and Barakka was taken to the lead by Ray Dawson with Hayyan being brought through to battle it out for the final 100m. It came down to a photo finish and a thrilling head-bobbing finish with the Majed AlJahoori-trained Hayyan taking the win with Oscar Chavez onboard.

Al Jahoori, who first won this race with Rabbah De Carrere in 2014 was ecstatic post-race.

"To win this for a second time is a dream and I'm very happy. I have to thank His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his support."

His son and assistant trainer Sultan added.

"This horse is very sensitive. My heart stopped when I saw him stopping (near the finishing post) but he carried on and thankfully he won. My dad won this for the first time when I was just 14 years old, Rabbah De Carrere was one of the best horses we've ever had and finally, we've had another champion with Hayyan. I hope that there are more to come.

“The moment the trainer legged me up, I knew that he was way better than his last run. I knew that he would jump and put himself into a good spot without forcing him too much,” winning jockey Oscar Chavez said.

"He slowed down a little bit but he saw the other horse and he committed again. It is a great way to cap the season and I have to say thanks to all of the owners and the trainers for the support."

Ray Dawson who finished second on Barakka commented on being guttered by the result.

"Heartbroken. You’d rather lose by a couple of lengths than be beaten like that but he’s still an inexperienced young horse and there is always next year when hopefully he’ll improve. That's racing, someone's got to come up on the losing end but he gave me his all and I couldn't be prouder of him."

Doug Watson Doing What He Does Right, Takes Home Godolphin Mile Crown

Bathrat Leon, trained by Yoshito Yahagi lined up in the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile worth US$1 million run over 1600m as the top rated in the field and with three Group company wins to his name.

This start meant more as it was a title defence after winning this feature last year as longest-ever odds winner by 1.25 lengths.

He battled but could not get the job done at all finishing fourth with Isolate shaking him off from the gates. Isolate was taken through to lead by Tyler Gaffalione and sit comfortably with the pack following. Turning for home Isolate extends to have a four-length lead and takes the win for Doug Watson in a clinical win leading all the way.

"I'm just thrilled for Sheikh Rashid (bin Humaid al Nuaimi) and the whole team at home. I've been here for almost 30 years; I've progressed from being in charge of the ambulance at the first Dubai World Cup to now having winners on the night. It's quite remarkable,” Watson said.

"It's unbelievable, he's big and long and you saw the way he broke, he didn't shoot out of the gates - you have to ride him along. Once he gets into his stride, he's pretty amazing.

"Tyler did a great job getting him out and going, getting a nice pace on and he stays a mile, we can definitely say that now. I wasn't quite sure until he turned in and there wasn't much going with him."

Jockey Gaffalione added on the performance from his mount.

"I felt it going into the gate. He gave me this unbelievable feeling. He always breaks a step slow, but when I asked him, he had so much power and the plan worked perfectly. That was amazing.

"I was supposed to ride here with Sir Winston in 2020 but obviously it didn't go ahead. I've always dreamed of winning here and to have achieved it, it's so special."

Law of Peace ran second for Bhupat Seemar with Atletico El Culano finishing third paying $32 odds for the place in a huge performance by Jose Da Silva. 

O'Brien's Broome Wins UAE Debut

A 15-horse field ran the 3200m trip in the US$1 million Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup with the Appleby-trained Global Storm getting out to lead over the first 200m.

Quickthorn threw up the first challenge to the leader beneath Oisin Murphy as the race got on but with 700m left to run the 2021 winner of this race, Subjectivist came in making it a three-horse battle for the lead.

It looked as though Subjectivist would roar back to the form of his emphatic 2021 victory in this race when rounding the bend for home with a narrow lead, but he was soon headed by the strong-travelling Siskany for Charlie Appleby and the Godolphin team.

With 150m left to run William Buick popped the question of Siskany but Ryan Moore onboard Broome was not going to let the win slip away coming up to challenge for the lead.

However, Ryan Moore once again showed why he is one of the best pilots in the world by striking late on the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner Broome getting the victory in its first race in the UAE – and what a race to get the spoils!

"He's a very brave horse. He's a Group One winner, he's got high-class form. The pace was strong and we just had to wait for a bit of room at the top of the straight. He's so brave, though, he puts his head down and he gave me everything. It's a pleasure to ride a horse like him,” Moore said.

"He's done a lot of racing and he always runs his race, but you're never quite sure how they will handle a step up in distance until they come out and do it. It's one of the biggest nights of the year, I'm always delighted to come out here. It's always tough to get a winner so I'm delighted to get one tonight."

The run from Broome set a new race record at a time of 03:16.83.

Shadwell's Danyah Bests The Astrologist In Gr.1 Al Quoz

The Gr.1 Al Quoz Sprint is worth US$1.5 million and showcases the true speedsters of the sport.

Al Dasim is the horse of the moment in the sprints with the Harry Angel colt proven over the distance and coming into this was undefeated with a perfect four from four in Meydan. In his last start, he won by 2.25 lengths in the Gr.3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint.

From the gates, Al Dasim had no space to do much of anything and his chances only lessened as the race progressed.

As the pace quickened and the field bunched up in the closing stages it was the colours of Shadwell worn by Danyah under Dane O’Neill that flashed home to win for local trainer Mussabbeh Al Mheiri in a major upset.

The Astrologist for trainer Troy Corstens travelled from Australia to finish runner-up after a massive performance under Damian Lane and the Charlie Appleby-trained Al Suhail finished third.

Al Mheiri commented on the performance of his runner.

“He had been running over seven furlongs and a mile and we had an invite for the Godolphin Mile but we thought we would try him over six (furlongs) in the Al Quoz. We felt he had enough speed to run well and maybe finish in the placings but to win is a very nice surprise. Great credit to Shadwell for how they planned it and it is a special day for us all.”

Jockey Dane O'Neill admitted the result exceeded all expectations.

“I’d be lying if I said we were confident beforehand. We thought possibly prize money and that would be great as he has a good cruising speed. It was worth a chance but the low draw in gate five was a concern. It was funny they stayed away from the stands side and I got a great draft into the race behind the second horse and he finished very strongly like a horse that gets further.”

Japan Secures First Win On Dubai World Cup Night With Gr.1 UAE Derby

The Gr.2 UAE Derby has been dominated by winners trained by Saeed bin Suroor with Godolphin’s longest-serving trainer having prepared eight winners since the first running in 2000.

Worth US$1 million and run over 1900m Bin Suroor did not have a runner on this occasion but a quality field of 13 saw the trip with reigning winning trainer Koichi Shintani having Goraiko in this year’s edition.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Cairo was heavily fancied prior to the race with the ownership of Tabor, Magnier & Smith having seen three winners in past editions, as recently as Mendelssohn in 2018.

Derma Sotogake was taken to the lead with Cairo left to sit fourth for the opening stages before with 500m left to run Japanese runners held the leading three spots, with Dura Erede taking the lead.

In the end, the flag of Japan was flown by the first three with Christophe Lemaire onboard the winner Derma Sotogake, trained by Hidetaka Otonashi. Dura Erede was the runner-up with Continuar finishing third.

The winner is now lined up with a shot at the Kentucky Derby as he made every step of the UAE Derby in a 1900m contest dominated by Japanese horses.

Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi was rewarded with a win from his first UAE runner in a moment he will never forget.

"It's my first time here and Derma Sotogake is my first-ever runner. Now, I have one runner and one winner - it doesn't get much better than that!

"We didn't exactly plan to go straight to the lead but he broke well. We were expecting him to improve and go well but you can never expect things to go that well. We had a different jockey and different ground so you can never be sure how well it works out, but it did.

"He will go straight to Kentucky from Dubai. We'll discuss it but Christophe will probably keep it - he said he would anyway!"

Switzerland was ready and primed to lay it all down to take back-to-back Gr.1 Golden Shaheens after winning last year and going on to win a Gr.3 Dubawi Stakes earlier this year.

The 9YO trained by Bhupat Seemar had a strong field to contest his title which included Lemon Pop and multiple Stakes winner Gunite, trained by Steve Asmussen.

With 1200m to run the gates flew open with the field breaking well and Tuz along with Hopkins under Frankie Dettori going to the lead.

Pace quickened with Sound Money for Bhupat Seemar taking the lead but in the final stages, Switzerland flew down the outside matching it with Sibelius Switzerland was left to berunner-upp with Jeremiah O’Dwyer-trained Sibelius winning under Ryan Moore.

The win was off the back of an insane finish with Ryan Moore storming home on his mount as he did onboard Broome in the Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup.

 In doing so he gave Irishman Jeremiah O’Dwyer by far the biggest win of his career, with the trainer acknowledging the moment post-race.

"The race worked out quite the way I had predicted. You know you can read these races a hundred times but it will never go the same way. To be honest, he just sat back in the gates and was a bit slow but when you have a master rider like Ryan Moore, he gets you out of trouble.

"It really is a proud moment for us. I am grateful to the owners. They let me do what is best with the horse every step of the way and never interfere.

"He trains like a good horse, he acts like a good horse, he rides like a good horse.

"Junior Alvarado gave him his last breeze before we shipped out. He was not able to make it over and there's some Derby trials and big handicaps in America so he could not be here.

Ryan Moore, one of the greatest jockeys going around currently also commented on how the run played out.

"I was very lucky to pick up the ride. He actually stepped a little slowly, I was a half-length further behind than I wanted to be. We had a charmed run, they just drifted off which meant we didn't have to change lanes and the horse dug in really deep. He showed a lot of courage and heart to get there.

"He has form over a little bit further which I think really helped too."

Switzerland who ran second was piloted by Jockey Championship leader, Tadhg O’Shea who is friends with O’Dwyer in actual fact.

"He's a tough horse. He's done everything right, he's just unfortunate to come out the wrong side of a photo, but he's lost nothing in defeat,” O’Shea said.

"It’s hard to get beat like that; he did everything right. These horses if you take care of them they pay you back. We had a plan to just give him two races and keep the miles off his legs and I thought we had it there,” trainer Bhupat Seemar added.

Dettori Secures Fourth Gr.1 Dubai Turf Win With Lord North

Four Dubai Turfs! That is now the record that the retiring and legendary jockey Frankie Dettori has in this Group One.

Three Dubai Turfs! That is the record that the John & Thady Gosden trained Lord North has in this event after taking out his third straight US$5 million Group One on World Cup night.

 Out of the gates, the Roger Varian trained hope El Drama got to the lead with Nations Pride working out deep under William Buick for Charlie Appleby and Lord North well back in the early stages.

With half of the 1800m journey in the rear view, El Drama held the lead with Nations Pride and Alfareeq travelling well contesting the lead.

With 200m left to run the great jockey, Dettori flashed up with Lord North under him to take his third straight Dubai Turf for the Gosden’s.

In the perfect farewell to Dubai for Dettori not only did he crack his own record in this race but he also extended his lead as the most successful rider at the Dubai World Cup meeting across its nearly three-decade history, with this marking his 23rd victory since its inception in 1996.

He was emotional after the race knowing what the victory meant in his final year in the saddle.

"It's amazing to win once; three times, it's unreal. Thady has done an amazing job because he's a horse that gets sick quite easily, that's why he doesn't run that often. The boys got him ready for this race and full credit to them, they've done great with him.

"And Lord North himself, what a star. To just get one on the board at this beautiful place, in Dubai that has been my home for so many winters, it's pretty special."

"The first time he won the race he showed a nice turn of foot and then last year his preparation wasn’t quite as straightforward as this year. The lad who rides him out every day thought he was in much better form than coming into last year. Obviously, you can’t say that beforehand in case it all goes wrong,” trainer Thady Gosden added.

"It was a little bit messy in the mid-part of the race and coming into the bend, but he missed any trouble and showed a great turn of foot to get to the front. He broke well from three and the strong pace up front definitely helped him; he got a nice tow into it and he picked up as we know he can.

"It’s fantastic and thanks to everyone at home in the yard, to the horse and to Frankie as well. He’s a homebred gelding and it’s fantastic for him to come here and win a race of this quality three times on the trot."

Japanese Horse of the Year, Equinox Takes Home Gr.1 Sheema Classic

The penultimate race worth US$6 million was the Gr.1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic and with a field of 10, it had attracted some quality runners.

Shahryar returned to defend his title from last year but the Tetsuya Kimura-trained Equinox came in with a bulk following for the race.

The favourite Equinox came out of the gates and straight to the lead with a handy start under Lemaire with Mostahdaf in the second spot.

Once the 4YO Kitasan Black colt hit the lead Equinox held off challenges to take the win for Silk Racing Co Ltd showing why he was so heavily favoured with a dominant display stamping his authority on global middle-distance turf racing. With the performance and Equinox broke the track record in running 02:25.65 to make the result even more impressive.

"I knew he was the best horse and so I was happy to make the pace. I'm really happy about all of the connections. It's been a long time since I won the Sheema, the last time was with Heart's Cry and he passed away two weeks ago. So, I am very grateful for this horse and he has allowed me to pay tribute to Heart's Cry,” jockey Lemaire said.

"Race after race, he's going up the rankings of the horses I have ridden. It was a great, great performance against these kinds of horses at the top level. I couldn't be happier."

Mostahdaf ran fourth by jockey Jim Crowley and said that the winner here was something very special.

"I was in second behind the winner. He’s broken a track record on the bridle. My guy ran well as he could but Equinox is something else. I think he's the best Japanese horse we have seen over here in many years."

Noboru Takagi Repays HH Sheikh Mohammed And Takes Home Dubai World Cup With Ushuba Tesoro

It all came down to this! Worth US$12 million the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup served up plotlines aplenty.

In his final year in the saddle and as a perfect farewell to the UAE could Frankie Dettori steer home Country Grammer for a back-to-back title? Is it reigning Saudi Cup champion Panthalassa’s year to mark himself even more on the world stage? Can Algiers make it three straight Meydan victories in Group company? Will Bhupat Seemar’s pair in Remorse and Bendoog throw down a challenge in the big dance?

The draw for the race had placed three of the main hopes – Country Grammer,  Algiers and Panthalassa – out wide and the latter could never dominate the way he did when landing the Saudi Cup a month ago. He tried finishing well beaten in the tenth by last year’s hero Country Grammer left a bit laboured and finished seventh.

Gates flew open with 2000m ahead of them! The pack gets out with Panthalassa taking the lead on the first turn with Remorse running second. Half of the trip travelled and Panthalassa holds the lead with Country Grammer sitting ninth.

With 500m left to run Algiers moved to the lead and as he extended another Japanese raider in Ushba Tesoro sprung from the ground coming from last to first to take the spoils in the Dubai World Cup with a remarkable ride from Yuga Kawada trained by Noboru Takagi! The World Cup now heads to Japan with Algiers second and Emblem Road finishing third.

"He jumped quite well but the majority of the other Japanese runners ran towards the middle of the pack. I just tried to focus on maintaining the horse's rhythm and just to keep his rhythm from the middle of the pack,” Jockey Kawada said.

"It was his first time running overseas and there were queries on whether he'd travel as well as the fact it was his first time on the surface. He was training quite well over here this week and I knew the horse was in good condition, so it was just a matter of the horse keeping his head in the race and he did that very well today.

"There were eight Japanese horses in the field and aside from myself the only other Japanese jockey on a Japanese horse was Yutaka Yoshida on Panthalassa. I was on the horse for the first time today but it was a tremendous honour to ride him and there was a lot of pressure as the leading Japanese jockey heading into the race.

"Thanks to the effort of the horse he fought on very well and I'm very proud of myself as the leading Japanese jockey by winning the leading race in the world today."

"It's a great feeling! After watching his previous run (when winning the Kawasaki Kinen last month), the Dubai World Cup was certainly on my mind for this horse,” trainer Takagi added.

"Everything went as planned. Actually, when he first got here he was actually quite nervous and a bit toey but that was expected and as the days went by he gradually got used to his environment and ran a great race. This is by far the greatest honour of my career.

"We will go back to Japan as he's a bit vulnerable in hot weather and heat. We'll see how he is over the summer and come up with a plan for him."

James Doyle who finished second on Algiers was left still impressed with the race and performance from his mount.

"Delighted with the way he’s run. It was his first opportunity to run at this top level and he has acquitted himself magnificently. He travelled around like a superstar and it has been a lot from the top bend to the winning line, but his stamina just kind of drained at the end."

Winning trainer Takagi said the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, still the one race Japan has yet to conquer and the one it covets most, will come under consideration later in the year if all goes well. For now, they return to Japan with the spoils and time to set the next plans for this horse that captured the Dubai World Cup.