As the pandemic forced the cancellation of last year’s Dubai World Cup, this Saturday will be the 25th anniversary of Cigar’s victory in the inaugural running in 1996. In those intervening years, 11 winners have been bred in North America, but none of those have been bred by Godolphin, even though the world’s leading owner-breeder operation have won the great dirt race eight times, Sheikh Mohammed has won it once on his own and his brother Hamdan twice.
This weekend all that could change with the Darley America-bred Mystic Guide, who is a clear favourite in ante-post lists.
Of the 12 winners bred outside the U.S. (Godolphin’s Thunder Snow won it twice), five were bred in Ireland, four in Britain, one in Argentina, one in Brazil and one in Japan.
Seven of Godolphin’s victories have come from six horses foaled by Godolphin:
Singspiel (1997), the Irish-bred who sired 2003 winner Moon Ballad (Ireland) for Prince Fahd Salman’s Newgate Stud.
Dubai Millennium (2000), British-bred and the 2000-meter track record holder at the now-defunct Nad al Sheba, where the race was run until Meydan took over in 2010.
Street Cry (2002), the Irish-bred who sired 2010 North American Horse of the Year Zenyatta and five-time Australian Horse of the Year Winx (voted TRC’s World Horse of the Decade).
Monterosso (2012), a British-bred son of Dubawi and grandson of Dubai Millennium.
African Story (2014), another British-bred.
Thunder Snow (2018-19), who was bred in Ireland. He broke California Chrome’s Meydan track record by almost half a second with his first win and is the only two-time winner of the race.
Godolphin did win with the North American-bred Electrocutionist in 2006. The colt was initially campaigned by former U.S. Ambassador to Finland Earl I Mack, racing primarily in Italy, where his wins included a G1 and a G2, before heading to York to win the Juddmonte International over Japan Cup winner Zenno Rob Roy.
Godolphin have come close with their North American-bred horses. Of their six home-bred entries, Cat O’Mountain did best when third in 2014 behind African Story. In 2016, the Darley colt Frosted entered the race off a track record-setting performance at 9½ furlongs in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 at Meydan, which raised some expectations. However, the son of Tapit was only able to finish fifth behind California Chrome in the main event.
Shadwell have done slightly better. Nayef finished second to Moon Ballad and Sheikh Hamdan’s operation teamed up with in Godolphin when breeding subsequent Arc winner Sakhee, who finished third in the 2002 World Cup to Street Cry.
The race is certainly a big deal for Americans. It has been won by three of the four dual Horses of the Year in the last quarter of a century - Cigar (1995-96), Curlin (2007-08) and California Chrome (2014,16). It also featured defending Horse of the Year Invasor in 2006, and aspiring Horse of the Year Gun Runner in 2017.
Then there have been five defending U.S. 3-year-old champions: Silver Charm (1997); Curlin (2007), Animal Kingdom (2013), California Chrome (2014) and Arrogate (2016). And, as well as one defending champion older male (Invasor), and two aspiring champion older males (California Chrome and Gun Runner), there has been one U.S. champion 3-year old female and older female, Royal Delta (2011 and 2012).
There have also been five North American runners who have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic: Cigar, Pleasantly Perfect, Curlin, Arrogate and Gun Runner. Of the 11 North American-bred DWC winners, nine were foaled in Kentucky, one in California and one in Florida.
Mystic Guide’s credentials
Mystic Guide, a son of 2005 U.S. Horse of the Year Ghostzapper out of Godolphin’s five-time G1 winner Music Note, enters the race off a career-best performance in the G3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park last month, when he ran a 108 Beyer Speed Figure. This is tied for the top number in the U.S. this year.
Giving weight to five other stakes winners, the Michael Stidham-trained 4-year-old bided his time until the far turn and accelerated from third to first in a couple of strides to win by six lengths (see video below).
Last year, he also took the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga and was second in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, losing by three-quarters of a lengths to the Todd Pletcher-trained Happy Saver after briefly taking the lead.
Mystic Guide was given a TRC Computer Rating of 114 for both the Razorback and the Jim Dandy and is currently world-ranked 129 in the Global Horse Rankings.
The field for the 25th Dubai World Cup will have its usual international flavor, with representatives expected from four continents. Godolphin have had Irish- and British-bred horses win the race for them. Maybe it’s time they had a North American-bred get the job done.
Todd Sidor, an attorney by trade, has helped produce equine law seminars, and has been a member of racing partnerships for a number of years. His more than two decades passion and respect for the sport of horse racing will always make him, first and foremost, a racing enthusiast.