Pillar To Post Win For Long River

Another surprise outcome with Long River gaining a pillar to post victory under Mickael Barzalona to record his first Group 1 victory at the age of seven. For Barzalona and trainer Salem bin Ghadayer it was a productive evening as an hour earlier they had teamed up with Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) for a facile win in the G3 Burj Nahaar. Barzalona had to work a bit harder on Long River but he had a willing partner and despite sustained challenges from last year's winner Special Fighter and Furia Cruzada the winner was not for passing and he ground out a length victory over Special Fighter who ran well after a long absence since running fourth in last year's G1 Dubai World Cup.

Despite being sent off the outsider of the field at 25/1 trainer Salem bin Ghadayer was quite hopeful of a good run and commented, “There was a small question mark about the 2000m but when we saw him last week we knew he was ready and he was asking us to take him for the race.” Bin Ghadayer is looking forward to Saturday Mar. 25 when he will hopefully saddle his charge for the feature event the G1 Dubai World Cup and he added, “It's a dream for any trainer to participate in that race [Dubai World Cup], he will be ready for that night and I hope we will take our chance.”

Supporters of Lani (Tapit) knew their fate early as the grey was sluggish out of the gates and was rousted along from an early stage by Ryan Moore. He could make little impression late on while Godolphin's Move Up (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) travelled well and briefly looked a threat early in the straight only for his effort to flatten out in the last furlong.

It would have been a brave call to say Long River would be a future Group 1 winner based on his form over the last twelve months. A four-time winner in America for Godolphin when trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, he posted a notable achievement when finishing third to Tonalist (Tapit) in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. at Belmont in Sept. 2014. Transferred to his current stable for the following spring he made no impression at pattern level in his first four starts at Meydan throughout 2015 and early 2016 before finally showing some spark when dropped to handicap company and also when finishing fourth to Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) in the G3 Burj Nahaar on the corresponding card last year. The 7-year-old entire made a fine return at this year's Carnival when chasing home Le Bernardin (Bernardini) in Round One of the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Jan. 5 before being beaten 47 lengths by Furia Cruzada in Round Two of the race Feb 2. It was a good training and riding performance by bin Ghadayer and Barzalona to claim this rather sub-standard Group 1 and there is every chance Long River will again lock horns with Special Fighter and Furia Cruzada in the World Cup in three weeks time where they will also have to deal with a certain Arrogate (Unbridled's Song).

Pedigree Notes…

A rare Group 1 winner these days for the brilliant A.P. Indy, Long River is certainly bred for the job being out of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and GI Acorn S. winner Round Pond (Awesome Again) who came close to breaking the $2m prize-money barrier. Long River is her first stakes winner from five foals with the only two to race so far both winning. She has also foaled a now 2-year-old colt by Tapit (Pulpit) and a 4-year-old unraced filly by Bernardini (A. P. Indy). Long River's great grand-dam Coral Dance (Fr) (Green Dancer) was a brilliant broodmare, producing two Classic winners in the shape of G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Black Minnaloushe (Storm Cat) and G1 2000 Guineas winner Pennekamp (Bering {GB}), among six other winners.

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R3 SPONSORED BY EMIRATES AIRLINE-G1, $400,000, MEY, 3-4, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 10f, 2:04.20, ft.
1–&@LONG RIVER, 126, h, 7, by A.P. Indy
1st Dam: Round Pond (MGISW-US, $1,998,700), by Awesome Again
2nd Dam: Gift of Dance, by Trempolino
3rd Dam: Coral Dance (Fr), by Green Dancer
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Darley (KY);
T-Salem bin Ghadayer; J-Mickael Barzalona. $240,000. Lifetime
Record: SW & GISP-US, 25-5-4-2, $757,847. Werk Nick Rating: Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Special Fighter (Ire), 126, h, 6, Teofilo (Ire)–Susu (GB), by
Machiavellian. O-Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed al
Maktoum; B-Darley (IRE); T-Maria Ritchie. $80,000.
3–Furia Cruzada (Chi), 121, m, 5, Newfoundland–Nuestra Machi
(Chi), by Hussonet. (180,000gns RNA HRA '16 TATNOV) O-Avaz
Ismoilov; B-Haras Dadinco (CHI); T-Ewan Charpy. $40,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 3/4.
Also Ran: Move Up (GB), Triple Nine (Kor), Lani, Second Summer, Mizbah (GB).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.