USA Scores First In Dubai

Coal Front | Racingfotos.com

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First blood on Dubai Word Cup night went to America when the Todd Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Coal Front (Stay Thirsty) collared the gallant runner up Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) to win the G2 Godolphin Mile. It was a first World Cup night win for the absent Pletcher and it was a well-judged ride from Jose Ortiz who overcame being trapped wide for much of the contest. The field was reduced to 12 just before the off as the Simon Crisford trained African Ride (GB) (Candy Ride {Arg}) was withdrawn at the start and all the market principals broke smartly and were prominent as Heavy Metal cut out the running, being closely pursued by the hot favourite Muntazah (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The Turkish-trained Good Curry (Tur) (Sharp Humor) also tracked the pace with the winner on his outside girth.

Heavy Metal pressed on as they approached the home straight and the distress signals soon went out on Muntazah as Jim Crowley asked his mount for an effort but got little in response. For much of the straight it looked like Heavy Metal would record back to back wins in the race as he kicked three lengths clear, but he began to look vulnerable in the last 100 metres as Coal Front closed with every stride. The 5-year-old 'rig' proved a willing partner for Ortiz and swooped close home to prevail by three quarters of a length with a five-length gap back to Muntazah who just denied his stablemate Kimbear (Temple City) for third place.

Jockey Jose Ortiz was riding at Meydan for the first time and after the race he said, “The emotion right here is for my family back home and I just want to say that I love them all. The horse felt great for me and he broke well, which was important. I wanted to be on or near to the lead and it worked out perfectly. I knew I had to be patient to time my run for home. I had two horses in front of me which gave me a great lead, and I just sat and watched Jim Crowley and Muntazah as he is the main man around here. I followed him and my horse dug in for me late on and he has done it well.”

Owned by Robert La Penta and Head Of Plains Partners, Coal Front has been lightly campaigned since being purchased at the breeze ups in Ocala in 2016 for $575,000. He was unraced as a juvenile but broke his maiden at Keeneland just over two years ago and went up the ranks winning an allowance at Belmont two months later before successfully stepping up to stakes company to land the GII Amsterdam S. at Saratoga. The first of only two defeats in his career then came in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. before a drop in class saw him resume winning ways in the GIII Gallant Bob S. at Parx, his final 3-year-old start. Coal Front raced only twice last year, winning the GIII Mr. Prospector S. at Gulfstream Park in December and resumed in 2019 with a win in the GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn in February.

Pedigree Notes

Bred in Kentucky by Michael Connelly Coal Front is the fourth produce of the unraced Miner's Secret (Mineshaft) and the second stakes winner for the dam following his elder half-brother Conquest Titan (Birdstone). Miner's Secret herself is a half-sister to two stakes winners in Woodlander (Forestry) and Admiral Alex (Afleet Alex) and the family traces back to GI Meadowlands Cup H. winner and sire Twilight Agenda (Devil's Bag). Miner's Secret has been well mated in recent seasons and has a 2-year-old filly by Pioneerof the Nile, a yearling colt by American Pharoah and was covered in 2018 by Arrogate.

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
GODOLPHIN MILE SPONSORED BY MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM CITY-DISTRICT ONE-G2, $1,500,000, Meydan, 3-30, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1600m, 1:36.51, ft.
1–COAL FRONT, 126, r, 5, by Stay Thirsty
                1st Dam: Miner's Secret, by Mineshaft
                2nd Dam: Madam Lagonza, by Kingmambo
                3rd Dam: Hire a Brain, by Seattle Slew
'TDN Rising Star'. ($575,000 2yo '16 OBSAPR). O-Robert V
LaPenta & Head of Plains Partners LLC; B-Michael Edward
Connelly (KY); T-Todd Pletcher; J-Jose Ortiz. $900,000. Lifetime
Record: MGSW-US, 9-7-0-0, $1,677,280. *1/2 to Conquest
Titan (Birdstone), SW & GSP-NA, $241,344. Werk Nick Rating:
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Heavy Metal (GB), 126, g, 9, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Rock
Opera (SAf), by Lecture. O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al
Maktoum; B-Darley (GB); T-Salem bin Ghadayer. $300,000.
3–Muntazah (GB), 126, g, 6, Dubawi (Ire)–Rumoush, by Rahy.
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate
Co Ltd (GB); T-Doug Watson. $150,000.
Margins: 3/4, 5 3/4, SHD.
Also Ran: Kimbear, Secret Ambition (GB), Musawaat (GB), Logrado (Arg), Ibn Malik (Ire), True Timber, Nonkono Yume (Jpn), Major Partnership (Ire), Good Curry (Tur). Scratched: African Ride (GB).

Click for the Emirates Racing chart, the AM Wager PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Emirates Racing Video.

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