Dubai World Cup: Ready to kick up some dirt

Dubai - The $12 million Dubai World Cup celebrates its silver jubilee this Saturday.

The last bit of trackwork got done and dusted early on Friday morning and all that is left now is to kick up some dirt at Meydan.

The day, or rather the night, one of the most important nights in the world of horse racing, beckons as 14 top contenders from all around the globe, take to the starting gates of the iconic Meydan Racecourse.

And between gates to post will be the 2000 metres of dirt, about 10 furlongs, which they would have to tackle with tactical acumen and not to mention, precision, to land the biggest prize in horse racing.

The $12 million Dubai World Cup is so steeped in history and as the marquee event celebrates its silver jubilee on Saturday night, this year’s renewal will be one of the most open yet, in all of its 25 years of running.

The 14 runners have come from across the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Japan and even as far as Uruguay and each and every one on this stellar cast are winners in their own right, with a combined 23 Group 1 or Grade 1 victories.

And the UAE too has a significant presence, and it goes without saying that winning in their own backyard would be the icing on the cake.

Godolphin will go in with a three-pronged attack and the big one among them is quite obviously multiple Group-winning American raider Mystic Guide, the favourite in the contest. The four-year-old Ghostzapper colt is saddled by Michael Stidham and is the mount of Luis Saez.

Mystic drew a favourable gate six and Stidham hoped for a clean break which could set him up nicely.

“The only important thing for me is going to be breaking and getting a clean break, putting himself in a comfortable spot early,” said Stidham.

“That is going to be the most important part. And then, I’d let Saez take over from there. He’s a very capable rider and one of the top rides in the United States, and I leave that to him,” he added.

And Stidham referenced Arrogate to illustrate his point. Arrogate missed the break and was last before conjuring a brilliant run to scythe through the field and win the 2017 edition.

“Certainly, the break is going to be important as we found out with horses like Arrogate (the 2017 winner) and that if you don’t break well, you are up against it,” Stidham said.