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| Staff Writer |
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Calumet Farm, once home to American racing legends such as Citation, Whirlaway, Tim Tam and the great Alydar, will be represented by two runners at Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting.
The historic operation, now owned by successful businessman Brad Kelley, boasts a homebred contender in one race and carries the famous black colours with gold chevrons in the main event itself.
Defending Gr.1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Tuz is a product of Calumet's breeding programme, being by their stallion Oxbow, who was purchased by Kelley and his team for US$250,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2011 before going on to win the Gr.1 Preakness Stakes in 2013. Tuz himself proved a tremendous bargain, costing connections just US$7,000 at Keeneland in 2018.
"It's always nice to have a horse you bred that goes on and does well," said Calumet's General Manager Eddie Kane, who signed the ticket on Oxbow. "Breeding is why we're in the game and it's especially nice to have a horse by Oxbow, who we bought as a yearling. It's always fun to see that."
Runners bred by Calumet accumulated better than US$13 million in earnings in 2024, second only to Godolphin among breeders in North America.
It was at the breeze-up sales that Calumet sourced Mixto, whose sire Good Magic has already been represented by a Kentucky Derby and a Belmont Stakes winner. Calumet parted with US$140,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's April Sale in 2022 despite the colt perhaps not showing his true ability while breezing over a synthetic track.
"Mr. Kelley likes the offspring of Good Magic and [Mixto] didn't have the greatest workout, but [two-year-old consignor] Paul Sharp, who is a very good horseman, said: 'Eddie, I promise you, he's much better on the dirt.'" Kane related. "So that helped us in our decision making to go on and buy the horse. [Trainer] Doug O'Neill has liked him from the get-go."
Though requiring seven attempts to break his maiden, Mixto has always been treated like a top-class galloper and validated his connections' confidence with a 22-1 upset in the Gr.1 Pacific Classic over the World Cup distance of 10 furlongs (about 2000 metres) at Del Mar last summer.
Kane is looking for a similar effort this weekend from their charge, whose rider knows his way to the Meydan winner's enclosure.
"Hopefully he runs good and it's nice to know that Frankie Dettori is going to ride him for us," said Kane.
The Italian reinsman has won the World Cup no fewer than four times, including with American shipper Country Grammer in 2022.