INVASOR
©Courtesy of Dubai Racing Club
2007 - INVASOR
Invasor reinforced his reputation as the world's best racehorse with a splendid success in the 12th running of the US$6-million Group One Dubai World Cup (Sponsored By Emirates Airline) on Saturday, March 31 at Nad Al Sheba.
The world's richest horserace, run over 10 furlongs on dirt, attracted a top class international field, featuring runners form the USA, Britain, Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who between them had won 19 Group or Grade One races.
However, it was the HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Invasor who extended his superb racing record to 11 wins from 12 starts with a battling length and three quarter victory over Premium Tap, with Hong Kong's Bullish Luck a further eight lengths away in third place.
Settled just behind the leaders by 19-year-old pilot Fernando Jara, Invasor made his move on the outside approaching the turn for home and, despite engaging in a sustained duel with the tough-as-teak Premium Tap, asserted his superiority inside the final furlong to eventually score decisively.
Invasor topped the 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings after beating Bernardini in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November and the powerful colt confirmed his reputation in Dubai, recording an excellent time of 1m 59.97s.
Winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who spent 10 years based in Dubai earlier in his career, said after the race: "Premium Tap got me a bit worried, the way he dug in. But I guess for $6 million you're supposed to race a bit and I never doubted that Invasor would win.
"Sheikh Hamdan, has been a father figure to me from the time I started training. But what do you give a man who has done so much for you, and who has everything in the world? The best is this: victory in the world's richest race, in his own city."
The successful jockey was equally delighted: "To win this race is very special. It was a little tough in the end, but I had a good horse that exploded."
Sheikh Hamdan, on hand to welcome back his triumphant superstar, commented: "Invasor is a special horse, a winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic, but to win this race is a great feeling. For the horses it's best to win in the United Sates, but for me it's best to win here in Dubai."
The major disappointment of the race was the Godolphin contender Discreet Cat, who came into the Dubai World Cup defending a six-race unbeaten record but put up a lacklustre display to finish last of the seven runners.
An examination of Discreet Cat's respiratory tract the following day revealed an obstructive granulomatous mass, in addition to significant swelling underlying the throat wall.
Invasor reinforced his reputation as the world's best racehorse with a splendid success in the 12th running of the US$6-million Group One Dubai World Cup (Sponsored By Emirates Airline) on Saturday, March 31 at Nad Al Sheba.
The world's richest horserace, run over 10 furlongs on dirt, attracted a top class international field, featuring runners form the USA, Britain, Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who between them had won 19 Group or Grade One races.
However, it was the HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Invasor who extended his superb racing record to 11 wins from 12 starts with a battling length and three quarter victory over Premium Tap, with Hong Kong's Bullish Luck a further eight lengths away in third place.
Settled just behind the leaders by 19-year-old pilot Fernando Jara, Invasor made his move on the outside approaching the turn for home and, despite engaging in a sustained duel with the tough-as-teak Premium Tap, asserted his superiority inside the final furlong to eventually score decisively.
Invasor topped the 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings after beating Bernardini in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November and the powerful colt confirmed his reputation in Dubai, recording an excellent time of 1m 59.97s.
Winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who spent 10 years based in Dubai earlier in his career, said after the race: "Premium Tap got me a bit worried, the way he dug in. But I guess for $6 million you're supposed to race a bit and I never doubted that Invasor would win.
"Sheikh Hamdan, has been a father figure to me from the time I started training. But what do you give a man who has done so much for you, and who has everything in the world? The best is this: victory in the world's richest race, in his own city."
The successful jockey was equally delighted: "To win this race is very special. It was a little tough in the end, but I had a good horse that exploded."
Sheikh Hamdan, on hand to welcome back his triumphant superstar, commented: "Invasor is a special horse, a winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic, but to win this race is a great feeling. For the horses it's best to win in the United Sates, but for me it's best to win here in Dubai."
The major disappointment of the race was the Godolphin contender Discreet Cat, who came into the Dubai World Cup defending a six-race unbeaten record but put up a lacklustre display to finish last of the seven runners.
An examination of Discreet Cat's respiratory tract the following day revealed an obstructive granulomatous mass, in addition to significant swelling underlying the throat wall.