By Christie DeBernardis
Starlight Racing's Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday) will ship to Dubai Mar. 14 for a start in the $10-million G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Mar. 25, Starlight principal Jack Wolf confirmed Tuesday.
Runner-up in the GIII Discovery S. last November, Neolithic romped by nine lengths next out in a Gulfstream allowance Dec. 14, giving his connections the confidence to point for the $12-million GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 28. The dark bay ran a game third that day behind another impressive performance from champion Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), who is also bound for Dubai.
“I think the horse performed well in the Pegasus,” Wolf commented. “[Trainer] Todd [Pletcher] has liked the horse from the get go and when he came back as a 3-year-old turned 4-year-old, the horse seemed to be doing very well. From the standpoint of whether to go to Dubai, first of all, it was nice to be invited. Once we were invited, it was basically a decision between there and the [GI] Big 'Cap [Mar. 11]. Although it is a hard sell to say that we can beat Arrogate, assuming Arrogate still goes [to Dubai], from an economic standpoint, it made more sense to take a shot over in Dubai.”
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