3 minute read
Hit Show lands the Dubai World Cup.
During the past three years, Qatari based Wathnan Racing have emerged as a global horseracing powerhouse and the team added the Group 1 Dubai World Cup to their list of big race successes with outsider Hit Show.
The success of the Brad Cox-trained Hit Show denied Japan's Forever Young from completing a historic Saudi Cup/Dubai World Cup double – with the Saudi Cup winner struggling to travel throughout the race before picking up for a third-place.
Ridden by French-born Florent Geroux, who is now based in the United States, Hit Show was settled in the early stages of the race with Walk Of Stars setting the pace in the extended nine-furlong event held on the dirt surface. Hit Show was ten lengths off the lead coming to the top of the straight and was able to progressively peg back his rivals to claim the lead in the final 100 yards, snatching victory three-quarters of length from Mixto with odds-on favourite Forever Young a further two-lengths away in third.
Although the grey boasted a fair strike rate, he had previously only won up to Grade 2 class in his native United States. With this victory, Hit Show earns an all-expenses-paid trip to the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on November 1. Trainer Brad Cox indicated this would be the horses' target race.
Reviewing the race, Florent Geroux said:
"Only at the 100m did I think I could win! When I passed a lot of horses. Forever Young was my target, and he was not travelling at all. I tried to find another horse to follow, from there my horse was game. For some reason, he just runs for me all the time, he is amazing.
"I'll be honest with you, I was running for a place and he gave me more. I can't quite believe it. I'll take it though! Gun Runner (second to Arrogate in 2017) was such a great horse and he couldn't do it, it was a very tough beat, but Hit Show has done it."
Speaking remotely, trainer Brad Cox added:
"I still can't quite believe it, it's unbelievable. I would have loved to be there but just with so much going on with these three-year-olds and trying to get to the (Kentucky) Derby, I couldn't make it. However, he was in good hands with the people I sent over with him. It's a great accomplishment and we have a great team that allows us to spread ourselves out and travel when the opportunities are there.
"He ran a great race in California and it set him up well. The mile and a quarter is his trip, he ran well in the Kentucky Derby and out to a mile and a half in the Belmont but he hasn't got out in trip properly until his last two starts. We always knew that ground was his thing, the further the better. He's a classy horse, he's shipped all over and now he's a Dubai World Cup winner."
Beaten favourite Forever Young's jockey Ryusei Sakai reflected on the defeat:
"We had to win this race and I am disappointed. He ran a great race in Sudi and I expected him to win if he ran his race but it was a tough race as he was the horse to beat. It was tough and we did our best. He wasn't traveling at all. It wasn't an easy race and hard to keep winning."
