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Click HERE for the Dubai World Cup meeting probable runners, from HorseRacingNation.com

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?

Those are the words of Southern California racing columnist Art Wilson as they appeared in his San Bernadino Sun column of August 6.  You can access the entire column, which actually discusses the powerful mare Zenyatta and likely sophomore champion filly Rachel Alexandra, by clicking HERE.

Such a statement could easily be characterized as a ”hit-and-run,” and one that Dubai racing has regularly endured from the American media throughout the years.  If you didn’t know that…

• Curlin emerged from his 2008 Dubai World Cup (G1) win with a 4.5 length victory in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1),
• Followed that with a second in the Man O’ War (G1) at Belmont Park in his first lifetime turf start (where a hot early pace compromised his chances),
• After which he won the Woodward (G1) at Saratoga,
• Then added a repeat victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont,

…then how could you disagree with Wilson’s statement?

Click HERE for Curlin’s past performances before the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic.  Click HERE to review Curlin on HorseRacingNation.com

Wilson’s piece leaves the uninformed reader with a belief that Curlin was unimpressive on the track following his two Dubai victories.  Granted, in his first and only attempt over a synthetic surface, following a six-race 2008 campaign, Curlin finished a career-worst fourth in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic. 

Is there any specific proof that Curlin was not “the same horse” following his winning trip to Nad Al Sheba?  No.  I contacted Wilson and asked him to expound on his writing, to which he replied:  “as to why he wasn’t the same horse…well, who knows?” 

On the surface, I disagree with Wilson’s initial premise that Curlin was “not the same horse” or, to be more descriptive, lacking in some way following his trip to Dubai.  Wilson, on the other hand, does believe he was a lesser horse, but acknowledges that a Dubai trip, on its own, is not necessarily the reason for his opinion.

A host of horses have emerged from runs in the Dubai International Racing Carnival and the Dubai World Cup meetings and gone on to post some strong performances this year.  Below is a sampling from just Dubai World Cup night:

• Presvis won the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin
• Gloria De Campeao won the Singapore International Cup (G1)
• Informed has won the Californian (G2) and San Diego Handicap (G2)  
• Vodka landed the Victoria Mile (G1) and Yasuda Kinen (G1) in Japan
• Paco Boy took the Bet365 Mile (G2) at Sandown and the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot (G1)
• Spanish Moon made short work of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1)
• Kirklees won a listed race at Sandown before annexing the SkyBet York Stakes (G2)

In 2008, Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Benny The Bull turned in one of the most impressive performances in American racing when he made his first start following the Dubai trip, winning the True North Handicap (G2). 

This selection fails to account for the many starters from the ten-night Dubai International Racing Carnival who have raced on to success, predominantly, in Europe.  The DIRC and Dubai World Cup meetings have grown exponentially and there is every reason to expect that Meydan will result in greater growth, acceptance, and participation in Dubai racing. 

What needs to change, however, is the overwhelming negativity that several, if not many, of the American media members have lumped on Dubai racing for years.  Following Well Armed’s lackluster eighth place finish in last weekend’s San Diego Handicap, a race won by Godolphin Mile seventh Informed, San Diego Union Tribune racing writer Hank Wesch began his column as follows:

“There is this racetrack theory called the ‘Dubai bounce,’ which says that horses who make the trip to the Middle East emirate for the world’s richest race, the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March, aren’t the same when they come back from the trip.  Not even the race winner.”  Click HERE for the full story. 

Sounds as though Hank Wesch and Art Wilson have been sharing notes. 

When asked about Well Armed’s performance and whether he had suffered from the “bounce,” jockey Aaron Gryder vociferously denied and his retort was soon backed by an x-ray showing a small bone chip as the culprit.  The racing media attempts to explain everything away – as though there is a definitive explanation for every racing result.  As it is, the “Dubai Bounce” seems to creep into the nomenclature surrounding only the less-than-stellar performances for horses who have returned from the Emirates. 

Perhaps the writers are looking for an easy answer to a complex question and find Dubai an ample, and silent, whipping boy.  Perhaps they need to visit DubaiRaceNight.com more often for the rest of the story.