East Meets West- This is the Dubai World Cup.
March 26, 2011
The east meets west with Dubai in the middle. This is a Dubai World Cup to saviour. Twice Over will start favourite on the back of an impressive prep at Meyden and an easy Champion Stakes win last October. He’s a real quality horse but today he is only one in field of such.
If you go back to before October of last year the horse dripping in quality over 10f was Cape Blanco. A Dante win over Workforce was cemented with a really impressive performance in the Irish Champion Stakes where he had Twice Over five lengths behind. The time the race was quick at Lepardstown and would have put him within a short head of Sea The Stars run in 2009.
Last August in Chicago Gio Ponti could only manage second to Debussy in the Million. Again it was quick considering the deluge the course took in the twenty four hours before the race. After what only could be described as pilot error in the Million Gio went back to mile in Woodbine where he put in a smashing performance before going down to Goldikova in the Breeders Cup Mile.
Out east it was all about one filly, Buena Vista. She was beaten by Victoire Pisa in the Arima Kinen and before that she was controversially disqualified in the Japan Cup but if she reproduces the run of the Tenno Sho she will be bang right there. Getting five pounds from the boys will help and she proved last year she can handle the heat.
Tapeta may ultimately decide but if she handles the surface and tracks Twice Over from her wide berth outside him she may well be the one in a cracker.
In the Duty Free the ground will be against Debussy while Presvis will be all out to catch Tazeez on the line.
