NEWS
Gloria de Campeao grabs glory in Meydan opener
Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010 3:35 PM
GLORIA DE CAMPEAO
Andrew Watkins / Dubai Racing Club
by Jeff Lowe
Gloria de Campeao (Brz), a turf Group 1 winner who finished second in the Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on the dirt, starred on the synthetic Tapeta Footings surface on Thursday in the opening card at the new Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
The seven-year-old Impression horse scored by a half-length in the $200,000 Al Maktoum Challenge-Round 1 (UAE-G3) (video), a traditional World Cup prep that was his first start since a seventh-place finish to Gio Ponti in the Arlington Million Stakes (G1).
The 1,600-meter (7.95-furlong) Al Maktoum Challenge-Round 1 was the feature event of the inaugural card at Meydan, an extravagant facility that was the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and cost approximately $1.25-billion.
Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing had both Midshipman, the champion two-year-old male of 2008, and defending winner My Indy in the Maktoum Challenge Round 1, but neither hit the board.
Midshipman faded after taking the lead into the stretch and finished fourth, beaten 5½ lengths under jockey Frankie Dettori. My Indy finished last in the full field of 14.
Gloria de Campeao contested the pace and kicked in along the rail to grab command in mid-stretch for jockey Tiago Pereira. He held off closing Forgotten Voice in the final strides and stopped the clock in 1:38.43.
“This horse loves Dubai and never runs a bad race,” trainer Pascal Bary said. “We will be aiming him for the World Cup, in which he was an excellent second last year."
Consul General finished third, another 2 ¾-lengths behind Forgotten Voice.
French-based Bary oversees Gloria de Campeao for owner Stefan Friborg. The Brazilian-bred horse raced on the old dirt course at Nad al Sheba racecourse last winter, finishing fifth in the Challenge Round 1 last January and fourth in the Derrinstown Stud Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (UAE-G3), before following 14 lengths behind runaway winner Well Armed in the World Cup.
Pereira teamed with Gloria de Campeao for the first time in a neck triumph in the $2,028,009 Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-G1) on May 17, which was his only start between the World Cup and Arlington Million.
Godolphin got off the mark at Meydan with a victory by Whispering Gallery in a $175,000 handicap that immediately preceded the feature race (video).
"This place is fantastic and going to be awesome,” Dettori said. “It is a big relief to get that first winner on the board."
Trainer Michael de Kock, jockey Christophe Soumillon, and owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum swept the first two Thoroughbred races on the card with Raihana in a $50,000 trial for the United Arab Emirates One Thousand Guineas and with Lizard’s Desire in a $110,000 handicap.
For full results, click here.
For video of the entire card, click here.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
