Get the rest of the news from Dubai World Cup day as Mystic Guide recorded a tremendous victory in the feature Dubai World Cup.
Meydan Highlights
Mystic powers to World Cup victory
Godolphin won the Dubai World Cup once again but this time with an American-trained horse as Mystic Guide justified favouritism in the carnival's feature.
Michael Stidham's four-year-old Ghostzapper colt came over from the United States with a lofty reputation on the back of a six-length win at Oaklawn Park on February 27.
Luis Saez broke well from stall six and tracked the pace in third throughout in what proved to be the perfect position.
Coming off the home bend it was clear Mystic Guide was going best of all and he lengthened clear in the straight where he wasn't for catching.
Chuwa Wizard and Magny Cours tried in vain to chase him down late on, but Mystic Guide had the race all sewn up and was pushed out for a comfortable win.
Subjectivist strikes Gold
Subjectivist ran his rivals ragged in the Group Two Dubai Gold Cup under Joe Fanning at Meydan on Saturday.
Mark Johnston's raider was a talented three-year-old and won three times last year, his Classic season, culminating in Group One glory in the Prix-Royal Oak at Longchamp.
Only seventh in the St Leger, he looks an improved horse as a four-year-old on this evidence, the two-mile trip bringing out the very best in him as he sauntered clear to win by five-and-three-quarter lengths, breaking the track record.
Sky Bet cut the son of Teofilo to 7/1 from 12s for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June.
Fanning said: "He's a good horse and there's a bit of juice in that ground. He's sometimes keen but he settled very well. He galloped all the way, it's brilliant.
"I thought the ground was nice and to be honest I think he'd go on anything."
Johnston confirmed he found Subjectivist’s dominant performance a joy to watch throughout.
“Always, from past the winning post first time I thought ‘this is perfect, I’m very happy, he’s going really well,” said the Middleham trainer.
“When he hit the front, I was thinking ‘well, I’m glad I’m not the trainer of one of the other horses!
“I just thought frankly, as proved to be the case … anybody who thinks they can go and catch this horse from back there and make up that sort of ground … I just thought it was absolutely perfect.
“It wasn’t as if he’d been running too free, or he’d been driven to the front. He eased to the front with five lengths to spare over the field, and it just couldn’t have been better.”
The trainer of former Ascot Gold Cup winners Double Trigger and Royal Rebel, and last year’s runner-up Nayef Road, believes Subjectivist could be lynchpin of a successful new era for his yard in the staying division.
Acknowledging huge respect for John Gosden’s three-time Ascot winner and title-holder Stradivarius, Johnston is nonetheless up for the challenge.
“You can never underestimate Stradivarius, because he’s beaten some fantastic horses – including Dee Ex Bee – and we thought in Dee Ex Bee, we had the absolute perfect Cup horse,” he said.
“Stradivarius made short work of him. But it’s not all about one horse, and we go into 2021 with this horse and Nayef Road – the nearest thing to Stradivarius last year – so it’s just very, very exciting.
“We love the Cup division. With Double Trigger and then Royal Rebel, we were always right up there with some of the best horses in the staying division.
“We’ve had a few relatively quiet years. But I just feel we are going into it (this year) with the best team in the world.
Kid pounces under Moore
Extravagant Kid (12/1) took advantage of a below-par run from Space Blues to land the Group One Al Quoz Sprint for American trainer Brendan Walsh.
Charlie Appleby's Space Blues was well-fancied as he bid for a sixth consecutive win but he was caught out dropping in trip to six furlongs and he finished out of the frame.
Ryan Moore burst through late on aboard Extravagant Kid and he just pipped Final Song (16/1) who raced in the Godolphin red cap for Saeed bin Suroor.
Nigel Tinkler's Acklam Express ran a cracker on the far side in a much smaller group and he was a close-up third at 50/1.
Romance loves the UAE Derby
Charlie Appleby and William Buick teamed up to win UAE Derby with Rebel's Romance who powered away from Panadol for a convincing success.
Only fourth in the Saudi Derby last time out, he bounced back from that first career defeat in style stepping up in trip to the extended 1m1f for the first time.
