March 28, 2021 
On the 2021 silver anniversary night of the Dubai World Cup, Godolphin’s favored Mystic Guide was all gold.
The four-year-old son of Ghostzapper (out of Music Note by A.P. Indy) earned his first G1 score guided by Luis Saez to the win in a swift 2:01.61 on a fast dirt track on a hot, muggy night.
On a World Cup day when Japanese horses were often the bridesmaids, Chuwa Wizard never threatened to be the bride, five lengths back in second. Magny Cours ran third for America and French trainer Andre Fabre.
The American winner had a late start to his COVID-interrupted three-year-old season for trainer Michael Stidham, who gained his first international victory.
Mystic Guide showed great promise winning last year’s Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga and finished third in the Peter Pan (G3) on the same course. Remaining in New York, he added a furlong in distance as the runner-up in the Jockey Club Gold at Belmont. Trainer Stidham then moved back in distance to capture the 8 1/2 furlong Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn.
“I’m very proud to be here on the 25th Anniversary [of the Dubai World Cup],” noted Stidham in the post-race press conference. “To have a performance like that was just icing on the cake.”
Responding to whether he felt pressured coming into the race against a lineup of international champions, Stidham said: “I really felt it was my turn to step up to the big time. I really wanted it to happen…and it has.”
The World Cup finish may have lacked real drama, but that was more than accounted for by its delayed start as several horses were unsettled while being mounted and loaded into their gates.
“[Mystic Guide] was getting pretty antsy,” explained Stidham. “In the different holding areas, he was getting little bit tough, giving us a hard time. I was concerned when he got into the parade ring with all the people that it would get a little worse and it did. Multiple loose horses…loading…unloading. He was with the pony and was starting to kick out. There were comments about maybe he was running his race before the race and I was concerned, I really was. But in the end, his class and ability came through.”
As the race developed, Mystic Guide settled comfortably into third position in the backstretch. Then “down the lane [stretch], it was amazing,” remarked the trainer.
Jockey Saez commented to Stidham immediately after the race “What a horse, just a tremendous horse. So much talent.”
Discussing his first international win, Stidham said “Everything that goes on here [in Dubai] is polar opposite [of America]. In America, sometimes we have a 30-foot walk to the track and back to their stall. Here, it’s almost an hour walking back and forth to the barn. I was concerned about that…that it was a little too much for him. We schooled him, a two-hour process. Next day I said ‘I’m going to give him a day off’ and walked him instead of training him. Everyone was asking ‘Why is he walking?’ Well, he was walking because I didn’t want him to be flat on race night. It worked out.”
Commenting on his aborted Triple Crown campaign last year, Stidham explained: “We always felt he was one step behind where he needed to campaign in the Belmont, the Preakness and the (Kentucky) Derby. We felt like: ‘Let’s give him time, let’s let him develop.’ [The ownership] was always 100 percent behind me, which makes my job easier. And we did it.”
The trainer had no immediate comment on Mystic Guide’s next challenge, mentioning Saratoga and, of course, the Breeders’ Cup. Stidham also left open a possible return to next year’s Dubai World Cup. “The sky’s the limit for him.”
Jockey Saez said the race went according to plan. “Get into position and be right there. He’s a professional horse. When we came to the stretch, he did it. In the stretch, I could feel how powerful he was and how much horse I had. It was magnificent.”
Regarding winning on the silver anniversary of the race, Saez summed up: “We have that dream to be here one day, and we won a race.”
A frequent rider for Godolphin in the U.S., Saez is also the jockey for Godolphin runner and early favorite, undefeated Essential Quality. So we may be hearing more expressions of gratitude May 1 from this year’s winning Dubai World Cup jockey.
While the World Cup was the signature race on the card, most observers felt the signature field was in the $5 million Sheema Classic, the race preceding the World Cup.
The pre-race raves did not disappoint.
Mishriff, winner of the Saudi Cup a mere 35 days before and tackling a longer distance while switching back to turf from the Saudi dirt, locked into a stretch battle on the far outside with two Japanese runners, the highly regarded Chrono Genesis and Loves Only You.
The four-year-old John Gosden-trained son of Make Believe (out of Contradict by Raven’s Pass) held his neck lead through the finish, another neck separating Chrono Genesis from Loves Only You.
Many had wondered why Gosden would switch back to turf and extend Mishriff to 2410 meters (1 1/2 miles) from the 1 1/8-mile dirt Saudi Cup in a year when the World Cup looked so tempting. But no one could wonder about the trainer’s decision after the result.
The finish was reminiscent of another turf race stretch duel won by another Gosden horse, recently retired mare Enable as she provided an equally exciting finish in her Breeders’ Cup Turf victory over Irish rival Magical at Churchill Downs in 2018.
That race was won by older, wiser jockey, Frankie Dettori. This Sheema Classic belonged to 21-year-old David Egan, who added the win to his expanding big-race portfolio. The young Egan expressed the same thought speaking of Mishriff as did the older Dettori when he spoke of Enable.
“I think this is my horse of a lifetime,” said the ecstatic young jockey after the race. Egan also rode Mishriff to his victory in the Saudi Cup.
The victory brought Mishriff’s record to 7-1-1 from 11 starts and his earnings to $13,947,445.
Next up for the Irish bay colt will be a European campaign that may include Royal Ascot in June and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
So far, Mishriff’s only flaws have seemed evident on soft turf. The Arc turf at Paris’ Longchamp can be soggy in early fall as it has been for the past two runnings of Europe’s most prestigious race…but the Parisian autumn can also be brilliant.
Another significant race on the card was the $750,000 UAE Derby—significant because its winner gained 100 points and a near-automatic berth in the May 1 Kentucky Derby.
Running for Godolphin, Charlie Appleby-trained Rebel’s Romance got all the love and a likely trip to Kentucky as Godolphin owner Sheikh Mohammed seeks to overcome a final Thoroughbred racing obstacle, the Kentucky Derby. Godolphin could have three competitors in that race.
William Buick guided the son of Dubawi to a 5 1/2-lengths UAE Derby win over Panadol, perhaps in need of one after suffering defeat. It was an especially poignant loss since Panadol was owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who passed away last week at 75.
Trainer Gosden enjoyed a second big score in the $4 million Dubai Turf (G1) when Frankie Dettori guided Great Britain’s Lord North north over Japan’s Vin De Garde and fellow Briton, Felix.
Extravagant Kid and jockey Ryan Moore were extravagant by a half-length over Godolphin’s Final Song with Ackham Express a less-expressive third in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1).
The eight-year-old wonder set a track record and achieved a personal-best time of 1:09.26 in winning his first graded race.
The win gave Irish trainer Brendan Walsh a 2-for-2 record on World Cup day. He trained Plus Que Parfait to a 2019 UAE Derby win.
The biggest winner in the $750,000 Dubai Gold Cup may not have been track record-setting winner Subjectivist but instead Britain’s all-time winning trainer Mark Johnston, who won his first race on Dubai World Cup day in 22 years, having won the 1999 Sheema Classic with Fruits Of Love.
“Frankly,” said Johnston, “we hadn’t been bringing the right horses. [Subjectivist] didn’t have to improve—he just had to run up to his best.”
The $750,000 Godolphin Mile was a one-horse race as local trainer Satish Seemar’s Secret Ambition left no secret as to his ambition in a front-running, track record-setting, six-length victory.
The opening $750,000 Kayhala Classic for Purebred Arabians went to France’s Deryan by a 3/4-length margin, also in track record-setting time.
The evening’s triumphs were not without tragedy.
The usually crowded Meydan Grandstand was absent spectators save for few invited guests and horse connections. The relative quiet and solemnity of the day in this COVID-19-altered year seemed apropos of the tragedy that occurred in the $1.5 million G1 Golden Shaheen as America’s Zenden won the race in track-record time only to throw rider Antonio Fresu to the dirt track shortly after the finish and run into the infield in obvious distress.
Fresu walked away uninjured. But Zenden was found to have suffered a compound leg fracture and was humanely euthanized at the racecourse, a rare occurrence at Meydan.
Rest in peace, Zenden.
