Gladiator King

The Dubai World Cup Carnival continues at Meydan on Thursday, and the seven-race card is loaded with six stakes races-five at group level-a little over two weeks in advance of the Mar. 6 Super Saturday card. The G2 Zabeel Mile has been won the past two years by Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby. Per usual, the royal blue is well represented, and the 110-rated D'Bai (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) leads the foursome. The 2019 G2 Al Fahidi Fort victor was only three-quarters of a length back in second when defending his title...

The mighty Imperial Hint (Imperialism) will begin his 7-year-old campaign facing 12 rivals in the $1.5-million Saudia Sprint over 1200 meters at King Abdulaziz Racecourse Saturday. The speedster was last seen in the Middle East finishing third in the 2019 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. He returned stateside to win his second renewals of both the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and GI Vosburgh S. and will be making his first start since a third-place effort in the GIII Mr. Prospector S. at Gulfstream last December. "It's great the success Imperial...

Gladiator King (Curlin), winner of the 2019 GIII Hutcheson S. for trainer Jaime Mejia and his Thoroughbred Champions Training Center, was purchased privately and relocated to Dubai last summer. After scoring back-to-back group wins at Meydan in January for new owner Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi and trainer Satish Seemar, the 4-year-old ex-pat ships to Riyadh to face off against the speedy American Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in Saturday's Saudia Sprint. "Gladiator King arrived to us in July," Seemar, who will also send out Saudi Cup contender North America (GB)...

Gladiator King has proven a shrewd purchase by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the 4-year-old son of Curlin now two-for-two in Dubai, having added victory in Thursday's G3 Al Shindagha Sprint to his score in the G3 Dubawi S. on opening night of the carnival on Jan. 2. Gladiator King was previously trained by Jaime Mejia in the U.S., and he won a key U.S. 3-year-old sprinting contest, the GIII Hutcheson S., last winter before finishing a head second in the GIII Chick Lang S. on the Preakness undercard....

2019 GIII Hutcheson S. hero Gladiator King (Curlin) made his first appearance at Meydan a winning one, stalking the pace and grinding home to win the G3 Dubawi S. by a neck in Dubai on Thursday. He defeated MSW & MGSP Ibn Malik (Ire) (Raven's Pass), who was another 1 1/2 lengths in advance of last year's runner-up and dual Group 3 winner Drafted (Field Commission). Away in alert fashion, the chestnut stayed well off the inside and pressed the pace in fourth four deep on the backstretch as Lavaspin...

SARATOGA SPRINGS N.Y.--While Tapit ran the ring during Monday's session with the two top-priced yearlings, it was Curlin day at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale Tuesday with a trio of colts by the Hill 'n' Dale stallion reaching seven figures. Hips 174 and 153 topped the session and the sale at $1.5 million and Hip 159 tied Monday's Tapit topper, Hip 80, at a cool $1 million. "It's really pretty simple: quality sells," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "We had a remarkable group of horses on offer tonight and the...