US horse Country Grammer on Saturday made a late charge to win the US$12 million Dubai World Cup, giving his jockey, Frankie Dettori, and his disgraced trainer, Bob Baffert, their fourth win in the race’s 26 editions.
Favourite Life Is Good, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the Pegasus World Cup, looked set to do what was widely expected of him, but ran out of steam over the last 100m and finished fourth. Hot Rod Charlie was second and Chuwa Wizard third.
The 51-year-old Dettori won the Group 1 race, contested over 2,000m on dirt surface, for the first time since he rode Godolphin’s Electrocutionist to the podium in 2006. His two wins before that came on Dubai Millennium in 2000 and Moon Ballad in 2003. The Italian holds the record for most wins in the race for a jockey alongside Jerry Bailey.
Photo: Reuters
Baffert won the race three times before: with Silver Charm in 1998, Captain Steve in 2001 and Arrogate in 2017.
The trainer is under fire in the US after Medina Spirit tested positive for prohibited substances during his Kentucky Derby win last year.
The horse died during training in December last year and Baffert was banned from racing for two years in June last year.
“I thought Life Is Good was getting away from me, but he [Country Grammer] is a big horse and did exactly what I wanted him to do,” said Dettori, whose previous wins came at Nad Al Sheba before the Dubai World Cup moved to Meydan. “I started trying something different to get him on the right leg, give him some fresh air and fill his lungs.”
“The last furlong was amazing ... such a great feeling. This is an important race, and Dubai has taken up a good chunk of my life. Coming back, it was as if I’m part of the furniture. It has been a long time, but it is worth it. This is my fourth Dubai World Cup win but I never won at Meydan,” he said.
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