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Dettori rides Country Grammer to Dubai World Cup win for disgraced Baffert
Dettori rides Country Grammer to Dubai World Cup win for disgraced Baffert
American horse Country Grammer made a late charge to win the $12 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday, giving both his jockey, Frankie Dettori, and his disgraced trainer Bob Baffert, their fourth win in the 26 editions of the race held so far.
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 100-odd metres and finished fourth. Hot Rod Charlie was second and Chuwa Wizard third.
The 51-year-old Dettori won the Group 1 race, contested over 2,000 metres 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 now holds the record for most wins in the race for a jockey alongside Jerry Bailey.
Baffert has won the race three times before – with Silver Charm 1998, Captain Steve in 2001 and Arrogate in 2017.
The trainer is under fire from authorities 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 and Baffert was banned from racing for two years in June last year.
Hot Rod Charlie was second in last year's Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby – two of the US Triple Crown races – and continued to be the bridesmaid in another big race. Chuwa Wizard was second in last year's edition of Dubai World Cup.
Life Is Good, who recently moved to trainer Todd Pletcher from Baffert, was attempting a longer distance in the race, and it showed as he failed to get a seventh win in his last eight starts.
"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 the stunning 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."
In a rare occurrence, local stable Godolphin failed to produce a single champion this year.
It was an unforgettable day for Japan as they produced five of the 10 winners on the day (one dead heat).
Bathrat Leon started the day by winning the Godolphin Mile, and this was followed by Stay Foolish in Dubai Gold Cup; Crown in UAE Derby; Panthalassa, a dead heat winner alongside Lord North in Dubai Turf and Shahryar in Dubai Sheema Classic.
Dettori was also on top of Lord North in the Dubai Turf, which involved three horses – Japanese Vin De Garde and Panthalassa being the other two.
Vin De Garde produced a stirring finish to move from seventh place with less than 300m to go, but fell short in the photo-finish that could not detect any separation between the other two horses.
Q.Bernardi--INP
