3/31/2004

Dubai World Cup a trainers' affair

Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'Oro were billed as the stars of this year's Dubai World Cup meeting at Nad al Sheba last Saturday. And they did not let down their fans.

Its not often, these days, that one sees 5 and 6-year-old horses competing at the highest level: so great is the lucrative lure of the breeding shed and tough the road they have to tread. So it was very splendid to see two such good horses representing North America so well on the international stage. For they were in a class of their own on this special night.

In days gone by racing fans were thrilled by the likes of Exterminator, Kelso, Forego and John Henry, who all ran until they were 8 or 9. But horses that last but a few fleeting moments seem to be the norm now, as the thoroughbred breed becomes seemingly more and more fragile.

So Richard Mandella and Bobby Frankel have to be congratulated for their patience and skills as horsemen: keeping their colts sound and placing them so cleverly. And one has to wonder whether racing fans would ever have heard of either horse had they been trained by D.Wayne Lukas or Bob Baffert?

Rumbling down the long Nad al Sheba stretch, Pleasantly Perfect looked relentless, as his enormous stride swallowed up the brave Medaglia D'Oro, swamped him with inexorable power, and galloped on to a decisive and famous victory. Indeed, so powerful was this performance, he looked like he could have gone round again.

A real racehorse.....REAL RACING!