“I was a little anxious in deep-stretch, to have him pull off farther, but that was to make me breath easier,” Hartmann told Gulfstream Park’s Caton Bredar.  “I think he is bigger and stronger this year.  Dubai is the plan from here.”  Presious Passion will be partnered, as always, by jockey Elvis Trujillo.

Quality Road was scratched at the gate of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) when misbehaving while attempting to load.  The gate crew blindfolded the colt, who was sidelined from the Kentucky Derby trail earlier that year with hoof issues, and that exacerbated the situation.  The son of Elusive Quality is now two-for-two since the incident with wins coming over his beloved Gulfstream Park surface.  Saturday, he was well-respected from the bettors, installed as the 2-5 prohibitive choice. 

Quality Road has yet to have a start over a synthetic surface, but trainer Todd Pletcher was intent on trying that approach at Santa Anita before the gate scratch.  With a $10,000,000 prize looming, and a sensitive horse clearly showing the best form of his career, is it enough to lure him to the desert?  We think so…do the connections?

Also noted is that trainer Wesley Ward is plotting a course to get his turf sprinter Hockeythehayman to the newly upgraded Al Quoz Sprint (G3) on the Dubai World Cup undercard.  Hockeythehayman was a game second over an incredibly boggy course in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes, behind only Hatfield, another possible Al Quoz Sprint shipper.  Ward famously landed two races at the 2009 Royal Ascot meeting.

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Ridden by Eclipse Award finalist Julien Leparoux, Custom For Carlos settled off the lead of Darley’s Past The Point and moved well in hand to the lead and drew off for a measured victory over that rival in a field of five whittled down with four scratches.

The $2,000,000 purse of the race demands Kenneally look at the Golden Shaheen as an option, but one potential hitch is the Tapeta.  Despite winning over four different courses, Custom For Carlos has yet to touch an all-weather surface.  Then again, that might not be much of an issue considering Kenneally reported following Saturday’s win that his charge had never been on a wet track.

Now in the care of former Dubai-based trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, Elusive Warning registered six published workouts in advance of what was his first race in 18 months.  Considering the break, the performance was a strong one for the 2008 Burj Nahaar (G3) winner. Look back on Elusive Warning’s 2008 Godolphin Mile performance below.

Cigar first used the race in 1996 before tasting victory in the inaugural Dubai World Cup, Captain Steve managed the feat in 2001, and Invasor most recently completed the Donn-to-Dubai double in 2007.  Harlan’s Holiday and Medaglia d’Oro, both second in the Dubai World Cup in 2003 and 2004, respectively, won the Donn in their final starts before the desert-bound trip.  Brass Hat, the 2006 Donn champion, was second in the World Cup to Electrocutionist but later disqualified after trace amounts of a banned substance were found. 

This year, without a major player in the handicap division of American racing, and given the country’s domination of the $6,000,000 race, focusing on the Donn is natural.

A.P. ARROW and GREAT HUNTER, fourth and fifth in the 2008 Dubai World Cup, are 10-1 and 15-1, respectively, on the morning line of this year’s Donn.  Most of the attention will be paid to Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner ALBERTUS MAXIMUS (pictured below) and Rick Dutrow-trainee, ARSON SQUAD.  Graham Motion’s improving and lightly-raced BULLSBAY along with FINALLYMADEIT and SIR WHIMSEY round out the Dubai World Cup nominees amongst the Donn starters.

Albertus Maximus preparing for the 2008 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

Barring a major upset, it is probable to expect that the winner of this race would assume narrow favorite status for the 2009 World Cup.

Owner Lansdon Robbins reported the possible trip to Steve Byk on the Thoroughbred Racing Radio Network’s “At the Races.”  At 12-1 on the morning line last Saturday, National Kid went off as the 2.40-1 wagering favorite and sat just off a hot tempo and won by 1.5 lengths in 1:35.  The final time was tied for the fastest mile on the Gulfstream turf in the first week of racing there. 

“He ran very impressively during his debut at Kentucky Downs and Calvin Borel got off him and said [we] had something impressive,” Robbins told Byk.  “Our strategy all along was to get a good one and point to the UAE Derby.  What we are trying to do now is to strategize to get him over there for a prep race [$250,000 listed Al Bastakiya, 8 furlongs, dirt] on March 5.”

Trained by Ken McPeek, National Kid’s efforts have been incredibly impressive and it helps that McPeek has had success in Dubai before, with his Hard Buck finishing second in the 2004 Dubai Sheema Classic.