Hearts skipped a beat in the Singapore camp when Debt Collector started to improve in his customary style at the half-mile of the US$6 million Group 1 Dubai Turf (1800m) on Saturday, but the last 300m was the reality check they had long feared as it soon became clear he could not quite sustain the run as he does back home, eventually plodding on to ninth place just under 10 lengths off the winner Vivlos.
Trainer Cliff Brown was still pleased with the way the Singapore Horse of the Year ran. While he would rather review and dissect the race in the cold light of day to get a proper post-mortem assessment, he was still glad they have embarked onto the ambitious project.
After listening to jockey Michael Rodd’s post-race report, Brown was given the feedback all trainers want to hear, even after a defeat - that the Thorn Park four-year-old gave his all, but it was just that the global stage is quite a different kettle of fish.
Jockey Michael Rodd gives trainer Cliff Brown his first post-race reactions after dismounting (photo by
Michael Lee).
“It was all right, he ran his usual race. I’ve got to watch the race again, see it a few times, that sort of thing so I have a better idea,” said Brown who was at his first overseas raid.
“But after digesting everything with a lot more thought, I think he's run very well. I've learnt so much from this evening and going forward, I would do things differently merely from a training perspective.
“It was a tough group he was running in. These are big strong horses and my boy isn't there, physically or mentally, yet.
“So, we learned a lot and we’ll go home and regroup. We’ll get him right and look at the Four-Year-Old series.
“I won’t give up hope of travelling him again in the future.”
Debt Collector will have ample time to get over his Dubai run as the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge kicks off with the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) on May 28. The second Leg is the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1600m) on June 18 and the grand final is the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) on July 9.
Rodd, who has partnered the Barree Stable-owned galloper to seven of his eight wins, including his three domestic Group 1 successes, could not knock his horse for his effort and industry, but admitted it was simply not good enough.
“I’m really proud of him, he ran great,” said the Australian jockey. “I went along at a decent clip from the 1000m but just had to keep niggling at him.
“He let down super but was just not quite up to those guys.”
The mood among (from left) racing manager Chris Bock, Michael Rodd and Cliff Brown is still quite
good even after Debt Collector could only finish ninth in the Dubai Turf (photo by Michael Lee).
Singapore may not have made its presence felt in the Dubai Turf, but would still have felt a connection when one of its favourite sons, Joao Moreira, flashed past the post first aboard Japanese filly Vivlos.
The Hong Kong-based Brazilian star, a former four-time Singapore champion jockey, had never sat on the Yasuo Tomomichi-trained Deep Impact four-year-old until Thursday morning during a quiet spin around Meydan.
Moreira had then stuck his neck out by declaring the filly owned by a famous Japanese baseball player as one of his three best chances (he put Heartbreak City and Amazing Kids as his two best chances but both lost) from his five rides.
It was another spot-on judgement from the Brazilian, but it was his handling in the race that was the real award-winning feat, enabling him to secure his third win at the Dubai World Cup meeting since his double (Amber Sky in the Al Quoz Sprint and Sterling City in the Dubai Golden Shaheen) in 2014.
After settling in midfield, Vivlos came with a late rush to beat French horse Heshem (Gregory Benoist) by half-a-length. Ribchester (William Buick) ran third another half-a-length away while the much-hyped Zarak (Christophe Soumillon) could only run fourth another 1 ¾ lengths away. The Grade 1 Shuka Sho winner recorded the time of 1min 50.2secs for the 1800m trip on turf.
“She was brilliant. From the time that I sat on top of her on Friday, she gave me the feel that she was going to be very competitive,” said Moreira.
“She was probably the lightest horse in the race and so she wasn’t sinking down, she was able to let down strongly in that ground. She is quite compact but she is tall and she can really stretch out.
“She made the job very easy for me. She travelled comfortably and when I put her in daylight she was strong to the line and got it done.”
The night’s highight, the US$10 million Group 1 Dubai World Cup (2000m) on dirt was captured in spectacular fashion by the horse that had all week been the headline act of this year’s Dubai World Cup, US champion Arrogate for trainer Bob Baffert.
Raced by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, the Unbridled’s Song four-year-old grey roan entire missed the start and was settled at the rear by jockey Mike Smith, in a scenario that brought echoes of a famously controversial ride.
The American Hall of Fame jockey copped a lot of flak for an over-confident ride aboard another US champion, Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2010 when they dawdled at the back but left it too late for the mare’s first defeat (beaten a head by Blame) in 20 races, before retirement.
But there was a much happier ending this time as Smith started his move earlier when he brought Arrogate with a superb acceleration at the top of the straight to go and score by an impressive two-and-a-quarter lengths in a time of 2m 2.15secs.
It was an American trifecta with Gun Runner (Florent Geroux) running second and Neolithic (John Velazquez) in third another five lengths away.
