Silver Charm Wins Dubai World Cup
In a dramatic finish, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm nosed out Dubai's Swain to win the $4 million Dubai World Cup Saturday and double his career earnings.
Ridden by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, the 4-year-old earned the $2.4 million first prize with a courageous rally. Silver Charm's previous earnings had totaled $2.2 million.
Silver Charm, the prohibitive favorite, first repulsed strong challenges from France's Loup Sauvage and Malek, surprise winner of the Santa Anita Handicap.
Then, Swain came up and briefly grabbed the lead in the stretch. As the two pounded toward the finish line, Silver Charm fought back and barely edged in front.
"I knew it was going to be a competitive race. I knew it was going to be close," said Stevens, who rode Silver Charm shortly after guiding Dubai's Annus Mirablis to victory in the $500,000 Dubai Duty Free race.
"He's the greatest horse I've ridden."
"I knew I had a great chance, but I knew they weren't going to give it away," Bob Baffert, Silver Charm's trainer, said.
"To run a race like this is an unbelievable experience. I feel like $2.4 million."
Bob Lewis, who owns Silver Charm along with his wife Beverly, said the experience of the race was"a half-hour that's worth a lifetime."
He said the race reminded him of Silver Charm's Preakness victory, where he narrowly beat Free House.
"He's always involved in finishes like that, that's why I've got white hair," Baffert said.
"In the last 100 yards he was all heart, that's what he does. He has so much courage that it makes up for my training."
Silver Charm broke second from the gate and stayed behind another U.S. horse, Behrens, until the top of the stretch. He then took the lead, only to be challenged by Loup Sauvage and Malek.
After putting them away, he faced the challenge of the hard-charging Swain. But Silver Charm prevailed in 2:09 2-5 for 1 1/4 miles. Loup Sauvage finished third, with Malek fourth.
Malek's trainer, Richard Mandella, said he wasn't happy with the way his horse broke.
"He missed the break a little, but I am not using that as an excuse. He ran well but not quite good enough," said Mandella, whose Soul of the Matter was second in the inaugural '96 race, won by the great Cigar, and his entry of Siphon and Sandpit finished 2-3 in last year's World Cup, behind Songspiel.
Behrens' trainer, Jim Bond, was happy with the way his horse ran, although he finished fifth.
"Behrens ran well. I was very pleased, but we were beaten by a better horse," said Bond, whose L'Carriere was third in 1996.
Behrens's jockey, Jerry Bailey, rode the first two Dubai World Cup winners.
Completing the order of finish after Behrens were Kyoto City, Luso, Borgia and Predappio.
Germany's Oxalagu was a late scratch because of a foot injury.
Baffert said he would give his winner some time off.
"We're gointo take it easy," Baffert said."I'm going to give him a month off, maybe more."
Baffert said he was happy racing in the United States, ruling out another meeting with Swain at Ascot.
"I'll take him on again but only in the U.S., because my passport is only good for a year," said Baffert, on his first trip outside North America.
Baffert took the solid gold World Cup from Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and owner of Predappio, and jokingly tried to balance it on his head.
When he did the same at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, he was criticized for reducing the sport to a circus.
But Saturday, Lewis and Sheik Mohammed helped Baffert lift the cup to his head for his unusual balancing act.
"The sheik is a real sport," Baffert said
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