Amanda Duckworth 9y

A long way from home

Horse Racing

As the horses made their way to the track for the $10 million Dubai World Cup, the gentleman next to me whispered, "Look at that hat! He must be part of the American contingent."

The "he" in question was Steve Coburn, co-owner of American Horse of the Year California Chrome. A few minutes later the race was over, and while it is hard to feel bad for a horse who just earned $2 million in a single race when that is the paycheck for finishing second, in some ways you do.

On Saturday night in Dubai, California Chrome put in yet another valiant effort at the track, but it wasn't enough to defeat the winner, Prince Bishop, who won one for the home team. Last year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness stakes hero was second, while fellow American raider Lea was third.

"I am very proud," said Coburn after the race. "To send our horse halfway around the world to train on a track that he's not familiar with and to run that good, I'm very pleased. These horses over here are tough. They get to train on this track all the time. Sheikh Mohammed invited us to come over because he loves and believes in our horse. To run second behind one of his is a pretty good day."

Sending an American runner to the Dubai World Cup is always a big ask. At the same time, the purse is the richest in the world, so the incentive is more than there.

All week eyes were on California Chrome. Track gossip being what it is, some said he looked amazing and would win by 10 lengths, while others thought he looked like he hadn't settled in well and would run up the track.

Instead, California Chrome did what California Chrome does: He ran a solid race. Sometimes, that just isn't enough.

"Second money is not bad at all," said trainer Art Sherman. "He ran his eyeballs out. He was right there in contention all the way. He lost a little bit of ground, but no excuses. Turning for home he had an equal chance. Just was second best today. That's what happens in this game. The horse you think is going to win doesn't always."

On the day, $30 million worth of purses were distributed, and while the World Cup was not won by an American runner, the Bob Baffert-trained Secret Circle did take the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen. In fact, Coburn went into the winner's circle to congratulate Secret Circle after the race.

Sending our horses overseas is always a debated topic. Depending on who you ask it is a wonderful idea or a foolish one. Some horses are none the worse for wear after their travels, while some never seem to bounce back quite the same. Incidentally, though, the inaugural Dubai World Cup was run 20 years ago, and it was America's Cigar who won the prize and helped legitimize the race. This morning, he graced the front pages of the paper as the anniversary was celebrated.

Leading up to this year's contest, California Chrome would go to the track before dawn, and so did many of the international horsemen and media. Everyone wanted to see the Horse of the Year in the flesh.

Although his story was told around the globe after his Kentucky Derby victory, that was almost 11 months ago, and there is a Derby winner every year. This time around, he wasn't the story because he was the winner of a race; he was the story simply because he was there.

For an American audience, Prince Bishop's win is not a very satisfying one. But one race that Americans will now pay more attention to than they probably would have otherwise is the UAE Derby. The race was not won by an American runner, but Mubtaahij is definitely Kentucky Derby-bound after his impressive score. Mubtaahij earned 100 points for the victory, and South African trainer Mike de Kock has made it very clear the horse's connections are eyeing the first Saturday in May.

The world is growing smaller by the day, and so is racing. While California Chrome couldn't bring home the big prize, showing up and putting in a good run was certainly not a bad thing. Not to mention he earned more money in losing the Dubai World Cup than he did when he won the Kentucky Derby.

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