Cat gets the cream in Dubai
Discreet Cat defied the bad vibes from the Godolphin camp to restore the smile to Frankie Dettori’s face as he ran out a six-length winner of the UAE Derby in Nad Al Sheba.
The high-profile American purchase could now return to his native land for a tilt at the Kentucky Derby, for which bookmakers cut his odds to as low as 5-1 (7-1 best with Ladbrokes and Cashmans).
Godolphin supremo Sheikh Mohammed has long harboured ambitions to win the most famous race in the United States and he confirmed that very serious consideration would have to be given to a tilt at the prize.
All the talk of Discreet Cat’s possible stamina issues and his definite lack of experience were forgotten at the top of the home straight when Dettori unleashed a fearsome burst of speed that quickly saw him go clear of his rivals.
And the winner simply kept on galloping, with stablemate Testimony eventually taking second place, well behind the eased-down winner, who recorded the second-fastest time in the history of the race. Japanese-trained runner Flamme De Passion was third.
“I was happy to stay off the pace but when I asked him to quicken, he went away,” Dettori said.
“For a horse with no experience he has really done the job. Whether he goes to Kentucky or not is another matter but it was an impressive performance all the same.
“I must say for a horse who has only run twice before it was amazing.”
Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford added: “He lacks experience and that was one of the reasons why we needed the horse to do the talking himself.
“Electrocutionist is the present but this horse is the future – he is going places.
“We have to decide which way to go now. He might not be a horse to backup too quickly and we need to decide if he is ready for Kentucky.
“He is still quite an immature colt but I think this race will have done him a lot of good.”
One thing for certain is that the son of Forestry, who was bought after winning just a lowly maiden at Saratoga, will now definitely head back to the States to continue his career.
But among the options open to Godolphin include giving him a prep-run in the Blue Grass Stakes – for which he has been given an entry – at Keeneland on April 15, or missing Kentucky altogether and aiming at the Preakness on May 20.
Japanese raider Utopia (13-2) had made all to lift the Godolphin Mile, the opening event on the card.
Yutake Take had the six-year-old smartly out of the stalls and after setting the early pace, he accelerated away down the straight to notch an easy win over Win River Win.
British runner Jack Sullivan was settled in the pack early on and he came with a late run to claim third place for trainer Gerard Butler and jockey Eddie Ahern.
“He’s run well and I’m trying not to be too disappointed with him,” said Butler. “He nearly got up for second and the winner has some good form in Japan.
“With hindsight, next year I would probably bring him out nearer to the race. He looked so well a couple of weeks ago and the shine had just started to go from his coat in the last few days.
“It takes an awful lot out of them coming out to this heat and he will need a long break now before we look for something in the summer for him.”
The United States managed a predictable domination in the six-furlong Dubai Golden Shaheen as they sent out the first five home, headed by Proud Tower Too and David Cohen.
