Just Deserts - Week Six in Dubai

Original article written by Kim Plausible posted 9 years 0 weeks ago

There is literally way too much going on this week for a four article limit and I don’t appreciate it one bit. Not one. Luckily for you guys, I’m inventive, so today you have the pleasure of reading not one, not two, but all of the big desert races happening week six as I attempt to break three simultaneous world records:

Most Words Ever Published in a Feature Race Article
Most Money Made Off a Single Feature Race Article
Most Times the Steward Has Ever Wanted to Punch a Writer in the Face While Previewing a Feature Race Article

So grab your turban and your passport and awayyy weeee go!

ARABIAN DESERT CUP

The Dubai race card starts out Friday with the Arabian Desert Cup, a 1 1/4 mile dirt route for Arabian entries five years and up. This is a really fun race because no matter who wins it, they will make more in this race than they have made in their entire careers, which is unusual compared to the thoroughbred versions of these races.

The race features all the usual names in Arabian routing, which I can say because I’ve actually been looking at the Steward’s Cup winners of this breed this week. We see Talia Ichinari, Lucas Davenport, Nikki Everdeen, Chris Everett, and Garret Folsom, who have all been competitors in the top Arabian races before.

Gift That Keeps On is a homebred for Talia Ichinari out of her stakes winning mare Bcuzitsurbirthday. His last win was Week 12 of Week 40 at this distance and in his latest prep week 3 of this year he was beaten by stablemate, and two-time uncle, Giving Heart. Also a Talia Ichinari homebred, Giving Heart is out of Gift That Keeps On’s granddam and is by his grandsire which would make Giving both his mother’s brother and his father’s brother. Weird things happening in the Arabian division, that’s all I’m saying.

Next we have Heartbroken (no relation) from Nikki Everdeen who claims a certain notoriety by being the only female runner in the race and having the lowest earnings. Her race times at this distance are competitive with her male counterparts, so I wouldn’t count her out.

Aside from genetic and chromosomal anomalies, though, the field is almost indiscernible from each other. They have all won at this distance, their times are nearly identical, and they all have about the same earnings. If you’re trying to handicap this race, good luck trying to choose between Gift Heart, Giving That Keeps On, Special Soldier, Spartan Prince, Tobu Bey, Unbelievable Perfect, and Heartbroken who escapes name mangling only by being odd woman out.

DESERT TURF SPRINT

With more than four millionaires in the race - and in the turf sprint division, that’s quite a feat - this race looks stacked. We have two Silver Slipper winners and two Steward’s Cup winners, and two other graded stakes winners to boot. And perhaps not surprisingly, these horses have been competing against each other for months.

To recap, Fez beat Adamantium Plate Y40 Week 13. Fez beat Adamantium Plate, Faithful Tothe End, and Koi Pond in the SC Week 16. Taste My Blade beat Faithful Tothe End and Fez Week 1 in Dubai. Adamantium Plate beat Taste My Blade, Fez, Faithful Tothe End and Adjust the Edge Week 3 in Dubai.

Judging by the two preps where most of these horses already met in Dubai, Adamantium Plate and Taste My Blade seem poised to be the top finishers, though Fez or Faithful Tothe End could surprise with the three week rest between those races and this running. It’s hard to know how Koi Pond stacks up since he hasn’t been racing against these horses, but because he hasn’t been and he still wasn’t winning you have to believe he’s outclassed here.

DUBAI MILLENNIUM MILE

This race features milers, so who cares.

DESERT DUTY FREE

As badly as I rag on milers, who are still entirely beyond my understanding, I think I actually know less about modern turf routers, simply due to the fact that I haven’t written much about them. So as I dive into the world of nine furlong turfy horses, be patient, because I have no clue.

Quite frankly, on initial impression the nine furlong turfy division seems to be just the red headed stepchild of the twelve furlong turfy division, so maybe this race will open my eyes to all the amazing talent I’m missing in the not-the-Arc races.

Cormoran Strike has to be one of the favorites for the race being as he won this race last year by four lengths over nearest competitor Somekindofmadness. Since then he ran first in La Oceanside Stakes, second in the 10 furlong Chicago Million, and first in the Los Campeones Turf at the same distance. He prepped in South America which seems weird but if nine furlong races are as difficult to find as they seem, I can see why. He looked fantastic in that prep, and I’m not counting him out for a repeat in Dubai.

Imagineer is the only other millionaire in the race, winning his week 4 prep in Dubai against Rages are Priceless and Titan, who are also entered. He ran fourth in the Steward’s Cup Turf at 12 furlongs where he finished in front of King’s Guard, but then week one King’s Guard beat Imagineer at nine furlongs. Because this division makes so much sense, King’s Guard is entered in the 12 furlong Desert race and Imagineer is entered in the nine furlong. I don’t get it. I don’t. What even is happening here.

Itoko has never run at nine furlongs and quite frankly seems to be entered here to dodge the 12 furlong horses. Asafa, Rags Are Priceless, and Titan seem to really like running behind the horses entered here and I suspect will continue doing that. And I think Lucy Dynasty is just here to flirt with the boys. And why not? Imagineer x Lucy Dynasty is preeeeetty.

JUST KIDDING I WILL TOTES PREVIEW THE MILLENNIUM MILE

Look, okay, I just… I just don’t understand how they work!!

Filly Let Me Be Mine looks to be in fine form after winning the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Turf Mile and a prep in London. This will be her first race in open company. Nalbone-owned Make My Own Luck had a ‘what the heck’ finish in his Steward’s Cup attempt week 16 when he ran sixth after trading wins with Old Dan all year. He returned to run a neck behind Night Broken week three, and seems to have simply been a victim of race dynamics that didn’t suit him week 16. His old rival Old Dan finished second in that race and then came back to win The Other Prep for this race week 3, so he is coming in rested and fit.

Night Broken hasn’t lost since week 16 of year 39 and that was to run third in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Turf (behind Make My Own Luck and Old Dan, no less.) Since then he has won three grade 1 races and beat Make My Own Luck in a sponsored week 3 prep. It’s time for his big win and he has been beautifully managed by trainer Katy Turner coming into this race, so he just might get it.

DESERT GOLDEN SPRINT

This. race. is. stupid. And by stupid, I mean, in that way where it’s so good it makes you stupid. Like Zoolander, or really good cheesecake.

We have Steward’s Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Asiliveandbreathe who came back from a rocky but impressive three year old season to run abysmally in the Steward’s Cup Sprint, which just makes no sense, but he nosed out Fourzen week 3 in a prep.

We have Steward’s Cup winner Fourzen, who is not only handsome but talented and who trainer Keith Maidlow desperately wants to coach to back to back SC wins.

We have Lightning, who hasn’t lost since the Two Year Old Sprint Championships where Chicago Bull got a head in front of her week 16. While she hasn’t raced in open company since then, her win in the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint was memorable thanks to the 6 and ¾ lengths she put between herself and her nearest competitor. None of the boys in this race regularly earn 90+ speed figures but Lightning does and she is one to watch.

And then we have the very aptly-named Quietly Admired who probably has a lot more spunk than people give him credit for. A few weeks ago I was contacted to do a story about Quietly Admired and I decided to forego doing a standalone article and instead talk about him here. Don’t count this horse out. He finished fourth in the Steward’s Cup race week 16 and though he makes a habit of going up against the best horses in the division, he doesn’t have that big win yet. That could change here. Week three in the big prep for this race he beat Asiliveandbreathe and Fourzen handily running three and a quarter lengths ahead of them, at this distance, in this location, not too very long ago.

Lightning is my choice, but for second place money you can shake up Fourzen, Asiliveandbreathe, and Quietly Admired and whatever their finish is will be believable. Thunderstorm takes the last check.

DESERT MILE

Next we have another mile, and the only reason I’m not going to make fun of this race is because Parachutes has a son in the race, so it gets a pass.

And that baby is MINIONS, winner of this race last year! If you’ve been reading my Triple Crown Trail articles then you already know I think Minions is super fun so I won’t bore you with reiteration. (But he is super fun, so there.) He ran third in the Steward’s Cup Mile week 16 behind also-entered Arresting Valor but he won his prep week three against super-fancy Doomsday who is entered in the World Cup. That big race might not be the best prep he could have hoped for going into this week six venture but the three week break makes it a little less likely that he will bounce so fingers crossed he gets to make his race here in this one.

Arresting Valor ran second in the Steward’s Cup then made the mistake of running into Fargo in Turkey for what both probably hoped was a nothing prep race that actually ended up being a test for both. Fargo won that duel, as he has won every race he has entered since the Louisville Derby, but that was his first time racing against one of the best in this division so it’s hard to know how well he’s really placed for this race.

It sort of feels like the other entries are simply there to collect the leftover checks but between Arresting Valor, Minions, and Fargo it’s difficult to tell who is the best prepped going into the race. Minions would clearly make for a great story of a repeat winner, but Arresting Valnor statistically is ready to make his move, and Fargo is coming in with a lot of confidence. It’s a toss up.

DESERT MARATHON

The top three finishers in the Steward’s Cup Marathon week 16 were Scorpio Races, Magician King, and Legend Returns. One of those retired, and the other two are in this race. Magician King won his prep in Dubai week 3 over Coronation and Honest Talk, whereas Legend Returns hasn’t raced since Week 2 where he finished only a neck ahead of a horse that hasn’t even hit six figures in a $35k stakes race.

Wat.

Honest Talk and Excalibur were also in the Steward’s Cup race and finished fifth and sixth respectively. That finish is especially interesting for Excalibur as he won that race the year before that. While both finished third in their preps for this race, Honest Talk did so running just a bit behind two horses entered in this race, in Dubai, with an 81 speed figure, while Excalibur ran third behind two horses who are by no means the best in this division, in New York, with a 74 speed figure. I think Excalibur should have retired after week 16 of last year, but Honest Talk has a real chance of coming in the money in this race.

Which brings us to Hyperbole, who is kind of a newcomer to this division in that this is his first big race at the marathon distance having foregone the Steward’s Cup Marathon last year. His only other race at two miles was week 3 in Florida in a sponsored race. He’s never been up against competition like this at this distance but even I don’t know quite what to make of ‘competition like this’ when Legend’s prep was so… seemingly lackluster. I mean are these guys good, or are they just dodging the World Cup??

I like Magician King, Coronation, and Honest Talk for the top three, with Hyperbole as my sleeper pick.

DESERT TURF CLASSIC

Sweet lord have mercy, why did I leave the big races til last?

There’s not a single horse in this race with less than $500k in earnings, thank goodness. There’s nothing more awkward than writing a race review and looking at more than one horse in that race like it’s the random red article of clothing that ended up in your white load. Like how… did you even get here?

I’m going to start with the most exciting (and prettiest) entry in the race, Madeline Smith! Honestly, why is anyone else even showing up? Madeline has been undefeated since she turned three, running a perfect 100 speed figure in the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Turf week 16 and a 98 in her week 3 prep where she finished more than four lengths in front of the winner. This is her first race in open company but she is a monster and shouldn’t be discounted.

Next most exciting is probably Kingdom of Rust, last year’s Desert Turf Classic winner and third place finisher in last year’s Arc. After running sixth in the Steward’s Cup race week sixteen, he won a week one race in Florida and prepped in India week four Monday, where he lost to Movie Sign at 10 furlongs. I think we can expect a big race from this horse.

Movie Sign was a bit of a surprise in that race, running a career best 91 speed figure, but he has been competitive in other big races like finishing third in the Cox Trophy and finishing second by a nose in the Japan Trophy. A critic might point out that most of his best races do not come in at twelve furlongs, though.

Clopin ran second in last year’s Desert Turf Classic last year, won the Everest Stakes week 14, and then ran sixth in the Steward’s Cup race at this distance. He won his prep race week four coming into with a 90 speed figure, overcoming Itoko and Asafa who are entered in The Other Turf Race and King’s Guard who is entered in this one. Assuming he didn’t completely burn himself out in that effort I think he’s incredibly well prepped and has already been in Dubai a month so he’s likely to be rested and ready, as well. I like him!

King’s Guard also looks good coming into this race. He finished a neck behind Ben Browder in the Tribeca Stakes, then won the Chicago Million, finished second behind Clopin in the Everest Stakes, then ran fifth in the Steward’s Cup Turf to finish his season last year. This year he beat Imagineer and Asafa at nine furlongs then ran fourth week four at twelve furlongs.

Tiger Heart and Yasiel have been tagging each other back and forth for a while, mostly because they run largely in the division four furlongs up from this, around the two mile mark. The difference is that when those two horses try the races at shorter distances Tiger Heart bombs where Yasiel performs. He ran in the money in the Sydney Trophy and won the Caulfield Trophy and the Cox Trophy before taking the Melbourne Trophy.

Also in that race was the very interesting See Around Corners, who finished third. The filly then ran back week three in South Africa with a freakish eight and a half length win and a 95 speed figure. I wouldn’t say I’m confident in her but I am very curious to see what she does in this race.

Hunt brings some intrigue out of that race, too, as the incredibly successful three year old who won the Brisbane Derby, the Melbourne Derby, and the Australian Derby, all grade 1s, before running sixth in both the Cox Trophy and the Melbourne Trophy in his first two efforts against older horses. He came back from those losses with two wins at Danish Racecourse and now intends to test his mettle against older company again in the Desert Turf Classic.

Also interesting is Jonti who, despite being kind of hit and miss, had a lights-out finish in the Japanese St. Ledger last year, running a 100 speed figure over fifteen furlongs. This is shorter than that effort and his last two races were just listed stakes, but you have to wonder when his next freakish finish will be.

And last but not least we have Secret of the Fox Steward’s Cup Bunbury winner at two who ran well up the field in the Louisville Bunbury and since then he has traded off wins with O Captain. He took the Grade 1 Irish Derby and English Championship stakes, both at twelve furlongs, before losing to Jonti week 3. He has only raced twice against older horses but in one of those efforts he beat Worst Kept Secret who was fourth in the Arc de Triomphe last year. He has class, but it’s difficult to say how much.

There’s not a horse in this race who couldn’t conceivably pick up a check so it’s hard to say that any one of them is far and away the classiest, but I will say that Madeline Smith looks like a freak of nature against the girls and I will be curious to see if she keeps up that run against the boys. Otherwise, I like Clopin.

DESERT WORLD CUP

Which brings us to - drum roll, please! Dah dah dahhhhhhh! The Desert World Cup, richest race in the sim, with $5,000,000 on the line!

Is that right? Is it the richest? Whatever, I'm saying it is, so run with it.

In this race we have Dobra, winner of this race last year, second place finisher in the Long Island Classic Year 39, winner of the Midsummer Classic the same year, who cannot seem to pick up a check in a Steward’s Cup race to save his life. He prepped in a sponsored effort week 4 where he beat a seven year old gelding also owned by Eric Nalbone. SCARY. Eric Nalbone knows what he’s doing better than I do but that has to be the most boring prep evar.

Next, Doomsday, second place finished in the Steward’s Cup Classic last year but honestly what has this horse even done besides that? How did Brandon McNulty even know to enter this horse into the Steward’s Cup? How? It doesn’t even compute. He won a NW2. He won a NW3. I suppose his best showing of class before the Steward’s Cup was when he randomly won a Grade 2 against older horses week 8 before coming back to run a nose behind Dobra in the Summer Bird Stakes, but seriously - I wouldn’t have known to enter him. But Brandon did, and he ran second, beating Tightrope, Skyfall, Castle Keep, Dobra, and Keep Your Promise. Like literally everyone except Doctor.

Whoa.

He lost his week 3 prep against aforementioned Minions, but what the heck does that matter, he will probably still run second here because that’s how this horse rolls.

Then we have Derby winner Skyfall, filly extraordinaire, who hit the board in all three Triple Crown races, winning the Derby, and then ran fourth in the Steward’s Cup, as a three year old. It’s stupid, she’s stupid, and I do mean like really good cheesecake stupid. She won her week 3 prep in Florida with a 93 speed figure. She can clearly compete against boys, she had an easy win for a prep, and she’s had rest, so, whatever that means.

Statues really doesn’t seem to have any business running in the biggest races in the game but keeps showing up there anyway. I would love to see this older brother of Mazer Rackham avoid all stacked fields for a good four races and then come into a big race like this with a ton of confidence, but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen for him and that’s a crying shame.

Through the Ghost is coming off a big win in the Arcadia Million where he beat Long Island Classic winner Proverb. Before that he lost the Awesome Derby to Tightrope, the Midsummer Classic to Ace, and the Baltimore Crown to Doctor, Tightrope, and Skyfall. I kinda think that’s going to continue here.

I didn’t get to Ace earlier because I wanted to start with Dobra so let’s go ahead and throw him in to screw with all the people who like alphabetical order. Ace lost week four to Statues and ran ninth in the Steward’s Cup Classic, but before that he won the Midsummer Classic and - well, honestly, that’s pretty much it. He runs in the big places but he just doesn’t usually put in a big race so I only expect him to be a contender until the closers kick in.

First in the Awesome Derby, third in the Steward’s Cup Classic, Tightrope prepped in Florida week two and beat Mint at nine furlongs. I want to say more about this horse, but, honestly, I got nothing. He was second to Doctor in the Baltimore Crown, and again in the Queen’s Derby, stuck to three year old races until the Steward’s Cup and prepped conservatively for the DWC. Now we wait and see.

You could say that You Go On has been prepping conservatively for this race, but to do that, you’d have to say that he has been prepping conservatively for it his whole life. He nets high speed figures when he’s racing against no one but his last time against horses of this caliber was last year’s Louisville Derby where he ran eighth, and since then he has failed to win even against second-tier type horses like Battle Ground and Hyperbole. I just have to believe there’s a race that suits this horse better than this one.

And last but not least, we have Doctor. Sneaky Doctor is not yet entered in the Desert World Cup, but he’s in Dubai, and I’m pretty sure Susie Rydell just likes to give me heart attacks. Doctor ran second in the Louisville Derby, ran first in the Baltimore Crown, took the Queen’s Derby in Canada, ran fourth in the Midsummer Classic, and then won the Steward’s Cup Classic by three lengths as a three year old. Love it! He prepped week three in Florida and has been in Dubai ever since. If that week 3 prep was his ‘off race’ after the ‘on race’ in the Steward’s Cup then Doctor is coming into this well-prepped, fit, and well-rested, and having beat most of these horses before.

Honestly, I would love for Doctor to win here. I want him to win the 2.5 million and have ridiculous earnings. But it all comes down to whether or not he can hold off the closers after he, Ace, and Dobra set up the speedy start to the race. If not him, then I have to root for Skyfall, because filly reasons. Whoever wins, if Doomsday could run second, I would giggle gleefully, so please make that happen kthnxbai.

I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO PROOFREAD THIS

So instead I will say, I kept wanting to write ‘furlong’ instead of ‘length’ so double check me because that makes no sense. Also if I missed your horse, it might have been intentionally, my bad. Also if you don’t enter week Friday races and I write on Monday, I kind of hate you. And not in a cheesecake kinda way, either. Like, box-mix brownie at best.

AN UPDATE

In the time it took me to copy and paste this article, Susie has entered Doctor. Yaaaaay!

Good luck and enjoy week 6!

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