Starry Night
by Erley Turk
continued........
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Post Draw & Representatives
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This year's post position draw was a fairly straightforward affair held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (next door to the "Burj.") It lacked, however, the drama and exciting news of last year's event at which time the concept of the Emirates World Series Racing Championship was announced. But hey-what could you expect for an encore?
ACT II
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Nad al Sheba Grandstand on DWC Night
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March 25, 2000 is a day that will go in Dubai racing history. The weather was clear with temperatures in the low 90s. The increased fan interest in this DWC was not only seen at morning workouts but also with larger numbers pouring through the entrance gates. While I can't guess at the overall crowd figure it seems that either the public enclosures are going to have to be expanded or the attendance limited. Tickets to the exclusive International Village, which used to be so easy to obtain, are in scarce supply days before the big race. Two features stand out when comparing the International Village this year versus two years ago. First, many more tents and marquees sell food and drinks to accommodate the rising number of guests. Second, DWC has become a major fashion show for ladies who seem to spend a great deal of time and care in choosing their outfits and matching them up with the perfect hat. An indelible impression of the public grandstand was the sight of colorfully dressed Asian women with their children sitting behind a row of white-clad Arab men.
The evening's first race, the Dubai Kahayla Classic, featured Arabian horses. The winner of the previous two runnings, Alanuud, had been retired, and the favorite was the mare Djelmila who had been trained in the nearby country of Qatar. In the event, she could only finish fifth to Nivour de Cardonne. Gerbya, who disrupted the harmonious loading of the horses into the starting gate by refusing to enter, managed to finish second.
There were 13 entries for the Godolphin Mile, and it brought about a sensational finish. Conflict had taken the lead with 3/16 of a mile left but soon surrendered the lead to Iftitah. With 1/16 mile left, either the former found an extra turn of foot or the latter tired because Conflict accomplished a racing rarity: he was passed in the stretch but came on again for a victory stopping the clock in 1 minute 36.40 seconds. It was a fine riding display by the U.A.E.'s leading jockey Ted Durcan and training effort by Nick Robb.
Erley Turk once knew how many "Derbys" there were in the world (over a hundred,) but he has long forgotten the exact number. The latest addition is the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) Derby. It attracted 16 entries in 2000, but will attract so many horses in future years that there will be an also eligible list. The reason for this was an almost passing comment Sheikh Mohammad made during his press conference earlier in the week when he noted, "the U.A.E. Derby is $500,000 this year. Next year it will be worth $2,000,000." (Again, my good friend, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. In only its second running the U.A.E. Derby will be the richest race in the world for three year olds, and one of the richest for any horse. It will be interesting to see if horses ship over to attempt a "Dubai-Kentucky" or "Dubai-Epsom Double.")
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China Visit
Photo © Trevor Jones |
Anyway, China Visit, whose sole race was a win last summer at Deauville, romped to a 4 length win over Bachir who was favored owing to a victory in a February prep race. China Visit may attempt the Kentucky Derby, but the odds seem against him as his sire, Red Ransom, was noted more for his speed than stamina. China's winning time of 1 minute 49.50 seconds was also not too remarkable on a night when two records were broken on the dirt. In all, three of the top four places went to jockeys wearing the Godolphin blues. The surprise of the race was the admirable fifth place earned by Markhan who shipped over from Saudi Arabia.
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Big Jag
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On paper, it looked as though the Dubai Golden Shaheen 6 furlong sprint race would be the most competitive on the card. Lend a Hand was the heavy 8-5 favorite perhaps owing to his six length victory in last year's mile race. Oddly enough, California speedster Big Jag, who finished a close third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (which was won in record time,) was a lukewarm 4-1 second choice [there is no betting at the race course. Erley Turk presents these odds as a matter of reference.] Unfortunately, the British-trained challenges never materialized as Gaelic Storm and Rudi's Pet were scratched and Bold Edge ran poorly.
As is his custom, Big Jag lay off the lead for a half-mile until jockey Alex Solis pushed the "go" button. Big Jag went on to score a four length win in a sharp track record time of 1 minute 08.10 seconds. Bertolini, who was placed three times last year in Group I events, nosed out Bet Me Best for second. (For what it's worth, how often have you seen the names of the top three finishers begin with the same letter?)
