Al Quoz Sprint

Duke Wai (NZ) (Per Incanto)'s victory in the Devon H. at Sha Tin Sunday could trigger a start in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard, trainer Pierre Ng confirmed following the race. "If we get an invitation from Dubai, we'll go to Dubai. I would love to see him run in a straight 1200m race because, in the past, he's run very well in straight 1000m races here, but there's no straight 1200m races here," Ng said of the 7-year-old, who took his career earnings...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- In the spring of 2018, Bucchero (Kantharos) took the Ironhorse Racing Stable on the ride of a lifetime. Having burst onto the scene with an upset victory in Keeneland's GII Woodford S. the previous fall, the popular Indiana-bred finished fourth, beaten just one length, in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Behind him that afternoon were the likes of Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) and Marsha (Ire), both world-class turf sprinters, and it got IHR managing partner Harlan Malter's wheel's spinning. If Bucchero could mix it...

Godolphin's progressive 5-year-old gelding Man Of Promise (Into Mischief) made a favourable impression when winning the Listed Dubai Sprint by 2 1/2 lengths off a 10-month break on Jan. 28, and he built on that promise in a big way on Saturday when running away with the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, the local prep for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup night. Man Of Promise raced prominently on the stands' side rail as the field broke into three groups up the Meydan straight. William Buick was...

Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid--Pretty Extravagant, by With Distinction), winner of the 2021 G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, has been retired from racing at the age of nine. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the gelding retires with $1,704,683 in earnings from 56 starts, which includes 15 wins, 18 runner-up finishes and seven thirds. David Ross, racing under the banner of DARRS, Inc., claimed the horse four years ago. "We had him scanned and it looked like he was starting to get the beginning of a bone spur," Ross said. "We...

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg's speedy sophomore Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) will face off with 8-year-old Group 1 winning Extravagant Kid in Saturday's 5 1/2-furlong GII Woodford S. at Keeneland. A close-up second in last season's G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, Golden Pal subsequently reeled off three consecutive stakes wins, including the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over this turf course last November followed by a confident victory in Saratoga's Quick Call S. July 15. Trained by Wesley Ward, Golden Pal finished seventh in...

G1 Al Quoz Sprint winner and G1 King's Stand S. third Extravagant Kid (Kiss The Kid) has stayed on in Newmarket following his Ascot exploits, and the American raider will target the G1 July Cup on July 10. After placing in three stakes races in America earlier this year, the 8-year-old gelding Extravagant Kid hit a new level of form when winning the Al Quoz Sprint over six furlongs at Meydan under Ryan Moore, and put in an admirable performance at Royal Ascot under Frankie Dettori when dropped down to...

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), winner of last Saturday's G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, is scheduled to return home this week, according to trainer Brendan Walsh. "He will quarantine in Chicago for 48 hours and then should be down [at Keeneland] Sunday or Monday," Walsh confirmed Thursday morning. An astute $75,000 claim by the current connections in January 2018, the 8-year-old gelding landed his first graded stakes score of his career in Dubai, as Walsh looked on flying from Miami to New Orleans. "I was trying to...

Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid) broke his group duck and became the first American-trained winner of the $1-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Saturday. As soon as the gates flew, the field split into two groups--one in the centre of the course and one against the far rail--as favoured Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) got squeezed out of the back of the latter bunch. Under Ryan Moore, Extravagant Kid enjoyed clear sailing and shifted back toward the centre of the course with several rivals to make it three...

Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup may lack the star power of past renewals, but with 14 runners signed on from six countries for the race's 25th renewal it is nonetheless a fascinating event that has the potential to crown a new headliner, the most obvious being Godolphin's American shipper Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper). Trained by Michael Stidham, Mystic Guide broke his maiden by five lengths at second asking last March, and despite the American Triple Crown being re-arranged by the Covid-19 pandemic connections took a patient approach. Mystic Guide picked...

Expected fields have been released for Meydan's $26.5-million Dubai World Cup card on Mar. 27, with 14 Group 1 winners set to line up on the night. The featured $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup is as ever an international affair. Godolphin brings three runners trained in three different countries, headed by homebred Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), winner last time of the GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 27 for trainer Mike Stidham. Saeed bin Suroor sends out Gifts Of Gold (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who won the Red Sea...

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid), who recently passed the $1-million mark in career earnings, will make his next start in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200 meters on the straight) on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 27, trainer Brendan Walsh confirmed Wednesday. A six-time stakes winner and second in the GI Highlander S. in 2019, the 8-year-old ran home gamely to be a close fourth off a very wide trip in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and has since rounded out the...

The Nigel Tinkler-trained 3-year-old Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) will stay in Dubai and target the key five-furlong sprints at the end of the carnival after finishing second to the elder Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in the G2 Meydan Sprint last week. Acklam Express could resurface in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Super Saturday Mar. 6, or wait for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night on Mar. 27. "He ran a marvellous race," Tinkler said. "He's very well, came out of the race...