Thunder Snow | Racingfotos.com

The eight Thoroughbred races of the 2019 Dubai World Cup meeting turned out one formful result after another.

There were four victories for Godolphin, including scores by last year’s Melbourne Cup and King’s Stand S. winners. Three trophies went to America, including two collected by popular young jockey Jose Ortiz, one by former Dubai resident and Irishman Brendan Walsh and another by Todd Pletcher, his first win in Dubai. Japanese superstar filly Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) validated all the hype with victory in the G1 Dubai Turf.

And, at twilight, history was made by Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}), who became the first dual victor of the G1 Dubai World Cup, a winner at this meeting for the third straight year, and showed once again that he just won’t lay down when the stakes are at their highest, getting up by a shade of a nostril to catch the inspired Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) in a thrilling finish that had to be decided by the judge.

It was the fourth Group 1 score for Thunder Snow, with one each thus far achieved during each season on the track. First came the G1 Criterium International at two, after which the bay wintered in Dubai and in the process collected the G2 UAE Derby. He then supplied quite possibly the most bizarre scene ever witnessed on a major racing stage when slamming on the brakes and bursting into a bucking fit just strides after the start of the 2017 GI Kentucky Derby, necessitating his removal from the race by Christophe Soumillon. Never again has he displayed such nefarious behavior, however, and connections have likely afforded him some amount of forgiveness off the back of further Group 1 wins in France’s Prix Jean Prat and this race last year, as well as placed efforts in the Irish 2000 Guineas, St. James’s Palace S., Prix Jacques le Marois, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Whereas last year Thunder Snow had plenty of seasoning behind him at the carnival, with three runs prior to his 5 3/4 length defeat of West Coast (Flatter), he had just a 9 1/2-length second to Capezzano (Bernardini) in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 on Super Saturday to his credit leading into this year’s renewal.

While trainer Saeed bin Suroor had expressed satisfaction after that effort that Thunder Snow would be bang-on for his title defense, some questioned whether that little seasoning was really enough. Not surprisingly, the trainer who has won the world’s richest race nine times out of 23 knew best.

Capezzano, the expected pacesetter, broke a step slow from the two hole and North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), one spot to his outside, attempted to capitalize, grabbing the lead approaching the finish line first time around. Thunder Snow, meanwhile, had broken sharply from gate 12 and crossed over to sit off that rival’s shoulder heading into the first bend. As they turned down the backstretch, Gronkowski worked his way up to pass Thunder Snow on the outside, and so the Godolphin colourbearer had two targets to keep an eye on through the middle stages of the race, while it is likely Soumillon also had his thoughts on the chasing pack of Americans-Pavel (Creative Cause), Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), Audible (Into Mischief), Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) and last of all Gunnevera (Dialed In)-watching him from behind. Gronkowski was the first of the leading pack to commit turning for home, overtaking a tiring North America at the top of the lane and looking for a few strides like a probable winner. Thunder Snow, however, soon loomed up to make a race of it, and with every stride of the final furlong he chipped into the 4-year-old’s short advantage. When Thunder Snow drew level inside the half-furlong marker Gronkowski refused to lay down, matching strides to the wire and it took a photo finish to separate the two bay noses. Gunnevera made up considerable ground to be third, with Pavel and Audible a half-length away and Yoshida next across the line. The front-running North America, a local favourite for trainer Satish Seemar, was seventh.

The win brings Thunder Snow’s bankroll to £12,275,245, and puts him within striking distance of Arrogate’s world record £13,671,322. For the purposes of the Dubai World Cup Thunder Snow is considered to be trained in the UAE, but as he is based most of the year at Saeed bin Suroor’s Newmarket stables, he could also be considered the richest-ever British-trained horse, having surpassed Enable’s £8,007,026.

“He is a such a brave horse,” said bin Suroor. “I wasn’t sure if he had won, but we had the best jockey in the world on board and he knows him so well. He has won the UAE Derby and now the Dubai World Cup twice on him from wide draws and they are a great team. I think this is my 191st Group 1 winner but it ranks very highly, probably along with Dubai Millennium in 2000 when he won this race.”

Bin Suroor sounded keen to avenge Thunder’s Snow narrow loss in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, and indicated an American summer campaign could be on the cards.

“I will have to speak with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, but I would like if he could run in America again. Maybe in New York, in Saratoga with the final plan being the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.”

Soumillon added, “Last year I won by five, six, even more lengths, and today Thunder had to fight hard. I really want to say a big thank you to Saeed bin Suroor, and also to HH Sheikh Mohammed, just before the race they said to me in the paddock you should have so much confidence and do everything right. Thanks to Thunder Snow, because without him I would not be able to do such things.

“It was very hard, I was more looking like a Cheltenham jump jockey in the end than an American style jockey but you need to get him going and sometimes you need to do something different. The thing is, I promised to Saeed that I will just have the trophy and he will have the money so I’ll have to come back next year!”

The connections of Gronkowski are already looking ahead to 2020, and owner Amer Abdulaziz of Phoenix Thoroughbreds said, “He’s run a great race, I can’t believe he was so close. When you come that far and you get beaten by such a narrow margin, it is so frustrating, but this is also a victory for us. In the end, we were beaten by a better horse but our horse is a great horse.

“We knew that he was going well, we tried to keep it hush-hush but he’s been working so well at home. [Trainer] Salem [bin Ghadayer] has done a tremendous job with him, the best of any trainer who has had him so far. When he came here, he had a lot of issues and we had to build him up from scratch. We had to clear his mind and he’s done it. I can guarantee you this horse will be back here next year–and hopefully, he can go one better.”

Pedigree Notes

Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination) has certainly lived up to her name as a member of Sheikh Mohammed’s broodmare band. First came Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal), who won the G2 May Hill S. and G2 Sweet Solera S. and was third in the G1 Fillies’ Mile before winning the G3 UAE Oaks and finishing third in the G1 1000 Guineas. She was followed by the listed winner and G1 Sun Chariot S., G1 Falmouth S. and G2 Duke of Cambridge S.-placed Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), but sadly that pair won’t have a chance to grow their own branch of the line, having died at four and five, respectively. Eastern Joy’s next produce, First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), however, joined the Godolphin broodmare band after a racing career in which she won the G3 Oh So Sharp S., and her first foal is a now yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire). Thunder Snow followed, and after him came the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas winner and G3 UAE Oaks and G3 Atalanta S. third Winter Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal), and so Eastern Joy’s five foals of racing age are all stakes winners. Big responsibility, then, sits on the shoulders of her 2-year-old Dubawi (Ire) colt Eastern World (Ire) and his yearling full-sister.
While nothing is ever assured in the world of Thoroughbred breeding, Eastern Joy’s ancestry provides plenty of clues as to why she’d be an excellent producer. She is herself a daughter of the G2 Sun Chariot S. winner Ruby Slippers (Nureyev), who also produced the G1 Prix de Diane victress West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian {GB}) and who is a half-sister to the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Irish Oaks winner Balanchine (Storm Bird).

Saturday, Meydan, Middle East
DUBAI WORLD CUP (SPONSORED BY EMIRATES AIRLINES)-G1, $12,000,000, Meydan, 3-30, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2000m, 2:03.87, ft.
1–THUNDER SNOW (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Helmet (Aus)
1st Dam: Eastern Joy (GB), by Dubai Destination
2nd Dam: Red Slippers, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed
O-Godolphin; B-Darley  (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor; J-Christophe
Soumillon. $7,200,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-UAE at 7-9
1/2f, Hwt. Older Horse-UAE at 9 1/2-11f, G1SP-Eng/Ire,
MGISP-US, MG1SW-Fr/UAE, 23-8-7-3, $16,391,476. *1/2 to
Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal), MGSW & MG1SP-Eng, GSW-UAE,
$554,857; Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), SW &
MG1SP-Eng, $217,288; First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}),
GSW-Eng; and Winter Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal), SW &
GSP-UAE, GSP-Eng, $249,076. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
   Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gronkowski, 126, c, 4, Lonhro (Aus)–Four Sugars, by Lookin At Lucky. ($75,000 Wlg ’15 KEENOV; 50,000gns Ylg ’16 TATOCT; 300,000gns 2yo ’17 TATAPR). O-Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd III; B-Epic Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); B-Salem bin Ghadayer. $2,400,000.
3–Gunnevera, 126, h, 5, Dialed In–Unbridled Rage, by Unbridled. ($16,000 Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-Salomon Del Valle; B-Brandywine Farm & Stephen Upchurch (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $1,200,000.
Margins: NO, 2 3/4, HF.
Also Ran: Pavel, Audible, Yoshida (Jpn), North America (GB), Seeking the Soul, Axelrod, New Trails, Dolkong, Capezzano. Scratched: K T Brave (Jpn).
Click for the Emirates Racing chart, the AM Wager PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Emirates Racing Video. (fonte : TDN)