HEADLINE NEWS • 3/27/04 • PAGE 2 of 6
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EUROSILVER OUT OF BLUE GRASS HEADLINE ...p6 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT call 732-747-8060. BY FAX AND INTERNET www.thoroughbreddailynews.com SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2004 WORLD CLASS Looking for the Upset... Godolphin claimed the last two runnings of the $6 The expatriated Grand Hombre (Grand Slam) was million event--winning with Street Cry (Ire) in 2002 and purchased by Godolphin after winning the GIII Pennsyl- Moon Ballad (Ire) last year--but vania Derby, but has been on the sidelines since a Americans, looking to win the second in the Oct. 3 GIII Indiana Derby. “Grand Hombre globe’s richest race for the first has settled down well and we feel that he won’t be time since Captain Steve’s hero- disgraced, but, while we have ambitious plans for him ics in 2001, hold the hot hand in North America this summer, we might have to wait for this year’s edition of the G1 another year for a fifth World Cup,” racing manager Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Simon Crisford said. Admire Don (Jpn) (Timber Coun- Sheba today. Luckily, they’ve try), a champion in Japan, is coming off a tough victory Pleasantly Perfect Benoit photo brought a pair of silver bullets in over Silent Deal in the Feb. 22 G1 February S. Horse- the form of Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado {Ire}) and Pleas- for-course players will have to love Victory Moon (SAf) antly Perfect (Pleasant Colony). The former has been (Al Mufti), the South African import who has won five first or second in 10 consective starts and was kept in of seven at Nad Al Sheba, including the Mar. 6 G2 training with the World Cup in Maktoum Challenge-Round 3. mind. He wrapped up his four- year-old season with a second- Saturday, Nad al Sheba, Dubai, post time: 9:20 p.m. place finish to Pleasantly Perfect DUBAI WORLD CUP-G1, $6,000,000, 4yo/up, 2000m in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, SC PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY ODDS then started this term with a fac- 1 3 Admire Don (Jpn) Matsuda K Ando 8-1 ile 4 3/4-length trouncing of the (h, 5, Timber Country--Vega {Jpn}, by Tony Bin {Ire}) GI Donn H. field Feb. 7. With a Medaglia d’Oro Benoit photo 2 4 Dinyeper (GB) Kasar Karatas 25-1 decided lack of pace in the race, (h, 5, Vettori {Ire}--Early Call {GB}, by Kind of Hush {GB}) Jerry Bailey will likely try to take Medaglia d’Oro wire- 3 1 Domestic Dispute Gallagher Stevens 14-1 to-wire. “Bobby Frankel has been here before [third (c, 4, Unbridled’s Song--Majestical Moment, by Magesterial) with Public Purse in 2000 and sixth with Aptitude in 4 10 Fleetstreet Dancer O’Neill Court 10-1 2001] and Jerry has won it four times [Cigar, Singspiel (g, 6, Smart Strike--Street Ballet, by Nijinsky II) (Ire), Captain Steve and Street Cry], so we’ve got a 5 8 Grand Hombre bin Suroor Dettori 10-1 great team,” owner Edmund Gann said. “We wouldn’t (g, 4, Grand Slam--Santona {Chi}, by Winning) be here if we didn’t think we had a chance.” Pleasantly 6 2 King’s Boy (Ger) Barton Kinane 40-1 Perfect’s career turned the corner last year. He won the (h, 7, Platini {Ger}--King’s Blade {Ire}, by Sure Blade) Oct. 4 GII Goodwood BC H. coming off a seven-month 7 11 Medaglia d’Oro Frankel Bailey 2-1 absence, then came flying late to win the Classic three (h, 5, El Prado {Ire}--Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper) weeks later. His easy win in the Jan. 31 GII San Anto- 8 7 Pleasantly Perfect Mandella Solis 2-1 nio H.--where he showed a new dimension while rating (h, 6, Pleasant Colony--Regal State, by Affirmed) just off the pacesetters--cemented his reputation as a 9 5 Regent Bluff (Jpn) Okubo Yoshida 20-1 top-flight horse, and the massive bay has looked the (h, 8, Park Regent--Sally Belle {Jpn}, by Goodly {Fr}) part since arriving in Dubai. Trainer Richard Mandella 10 6 Silent Deal (Jpn) Ikee Take 14-1 has his charge’s World Cup trip already plotted. “I (c, 4, Sunday Silence--Fairy Doll, by Nureyev) expect him to settle off the pace and make a run the 11 12 State Shinto Al Kurdi Durcan 25-1 last three furlongs,” the Hall of Fame horseman said. (h, 8, Pleasant Colony--Sha Tha, by Mr. Prospector) “He’s got some stamina--I just hope we don’t leave it 12 9 Victory Moon (SAf) de Kock Marwing 4-1 all at home.” (h, 5, Al Mufti--Dancing Flower {SAf}, by Dancing Champ) www.coolmore.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 3/27/04 • PAGE 2 of 6 Saturday, Nad al Sheba, post time: 7:10 p.m. Bucking the Trend... DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC-G1, $2,000,000, 4yo/up, The Dubai Sheema Classic has been run since 1998, 2400mT but the U.S. has yet to win it. They have the chance to SC PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY ODDS break that losing streak with Hard Buck. The Brazilian- 1 5 Compton Bolter (Ire) Butler Ahern 16-1 bred was a Group 1 winner in (g, 7, Red Sunset {Ire}--Milk and Honey {GB}, by So Blessed {GB}) his native country at three and 2 3 Delsarte bin Suroor McEvoy 20-1 ended his homestand with a (c, 4, Theatrical {Ire}--Delauncy {GB}, by Machiavellian) second in the G1 Estado do Rio 3 12 Fair Mix (Ire) Rolland Peslier 4-1 de Janeiro last February. He (h, 6, Linamix {Fr}--Fairlee Wild, by Wild Again) was less-than-successful in his 4 13 Gorylla (Brz) Alvani Mota 20-1 first trip to Dubai, finishing (h, 7, New Colony--Steffi {Arg}, by Ahmad {Arg}) ninth in last year’s G2 UAE 5 8 Grand Ekinoks (Tur) Kasar Solis 25-1 Derby, but has blossomed since (h, 6, Barnato--Violent Girl {Tur}, by Aristocrat {GB}) arriving in the States. The dark Hard Buck (#6) Equi-Photo 6 10 Hard Buck (Brz) McPeek Velazquez 6-1 bay started his U.S. campaign with a win in the Sept. 1 (h, 5, Spend a Buck--Social Secret {GB}, by Secreto) Tri State H. at Ellis Park, added a victory in the Ken- 7 4 Lunar Sovereign bin Suroor Dettori 8-1 tucky Cup Mile 19 days later, then stepped up to make (h, 5, Cobra King--January Moon, by Apalachee) it three in a row in the Nov. 16 GIII River City H. at 8 11 Martaline (GB) Fabre Bailey 10-1 Churchill Downs. Hard Buck didn’t handle a switch to (h, 5, Linamix {Fr}--Coraline {GB}, by Sadler’s Wells) the main track for the Jan. 31 GIII Canadian Turf H. at 9 6 Polish Summer (GB) Fabre Stevens 3-1 Gulfstream Park, but bounced back to take the Feb. 22 (h, 7, Polish Precedent--Hunt the Sun {GB}, by Rainbow Quest) GI Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup H. last time out. 10 1 Rawyaan (GB) Gosden R Hills 14-1 Jockey John Velazquez gets the call for the first time. (h, 5, Machiavellian--Raheefa, by Riverman) Fair Mix earned his first Group 1 win in last year’s Prix 11 2 Razkalla Loder Durcan 10-1 Ganay, then went to the sidelines for six months. The (h, 6, Caerleon--Larrocha {Ire}, by Sadler’s Wells) gray was off the board in three outings last fall, ending 12 7 Scott’s View (GB) Johnston Chin 10-1 the year with a fifth in the Dec. 14 G1 Hong Kong (g, 5, Selkirk--Milly off the Vally {GB}, by Caerleon) Vase, but came out running in 2004, posting a two- 13 9 Warrsan (Ire) Brittain Kinane 6-1 length tally in the Mar. 6 G3 Dubai City of Gold S. over (h, 6, Caerleon--Lucayan Princess {Ire}, by High Line {GB}) course and distance. Warrsan makes his Nad Al Sheba debut. The six-year-old has been held winless since capturing the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom last June, but had Fair Mix behind him when third in the HK Vase, and trainer Clive Brittain believes that effort was not his best. “Forget Warrsan’s last run,” said the 71-year-old conditioner, who underwent hip surgery a year ago, but now rides out on three or four lots a day. “He lost 16 kilos on the journey over and we could never get the weight back on him. He ran no race, 14 kilos below his best, but since arriving in Dubai he has really thrived and he is now three kilos above his racing weight. Mick Kinane rides and you ignore him at your peril.” TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 3/27/04 • PAGE 3 of 6 Saturday, Nad al Sheba, post time: 7:50 p.m. Defending Champ Is Up Against It... DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN-G1, $2,000,000, 3yo/up, Godolphin’s State City beat U.S. rep Avanzado (Arg) 1200m by 3/4 of a length in last year’s Shaheen, but, after SC PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY ODDS running third to champion Aldebaran in the July 4 GII 1 12 Alke Pletcher Velazquez 3-1 Tom Fool H. at Belmont Park, was fifth in the Aug. 10 (c, 4, Grand Slam--Pasampsi, by Crow {Fr}) A.G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga and has not been out 2 3 Cajun Beat Margolis Bailey 4-1 since finishing fifth again in the Oct.