Honour and privilege to race at Dubai World Cup: Baffert

Bob Baffert is the second most successful trainer at the Dubai World Cup with three wins.

Legendary American trainer Bob Baffert termed it as an honour and a privilege to race his horses in Dubai and said that he always has been bringing horses befitting the stature of the Dubai World Cup.
Baffert, the second most successful trainer at the Dubai World Cup with three wins, after Emirati Saeed bin Suroor, will be making his eighth appearance in the main race at the Meydan Racecourse this weekend.
And the 65-year-old veteran, who has saddled three winners, said that the vision shown by the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, has made the Dubai World Cup the 'Breeders' Cup of the Middle East.'
"I bring good horses here and I think it is a privilege to be here because the Al Maktoum brothers (His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum), their vision was to have this, like the Breeders' Cup in the Middle East," Baffert said at the Meydan Racecourse on Tuesday morning.
"So, I think if you have a good horse, I think it is very important that you bring your good horses here. We need this in our game. It is good for our sport, it is good for the breeding in America. So, it is very important that you bring your good horses here because that's what makes the history of the Dubai World Cup. You've got the Classics, Breeders' Cup and the Dubai World Cup. Those are the three major races we all dream about winning. It is an honour and a privilege to be able to come here and the challenge to run a horse here," he added.
Baffert, who has an impressive CV which boasts of the American Triple Crown with American Pharoah, four Kentucky Derbies, six Preakness Stakes, two Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks, has won the Dubai World Cup with Silver Charm (1998), Captain Steve (2001) and quite sensationally, with Arrogate, last year.
Silver Charm couldn't defend his title and finished sixth in 1999. His other runners were Richard's Kid, who finished seventh in 2010, Game on Dude, 12th in 2012, Hoppertunity, who finished third and sixth in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Baffert had also saddled Secret Circle to victory in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2015.
Baffert, who also won the Pegasus World Cup last year, is eyeing a fourth win and second on the trot. He has shipped West Coast and Mubtaahij for the big prize this year and will be tussling with eight others in the 10-horse field.
West Coast is one of the favourites, having won the Travers Stakes, Pennsylvania Derby and the Los Alamitos Derby last year, under Mike Smith. The colt from Flatter, had also finished third in Breeders' Cup Classic and second in the Pegasus World Cup. West Coast is the mount of Javier Castellano, who rode him at the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Meanwhile, Mubtaahij will be making his third appearance here and his first under Baffert and the trainer felt that the six-year-old son of Dubawi was competitive enough to make the trip again.
"They said bring him if you think he can be competitive. Victor Espinoza worked the other day for me and he came out of that race really well. And we know he's a good shipper and he's a picture of health right now, if you look at him. We know he likes this track, he's been always competitive wherever he goes and you need that. You need a horse, a hard trying horse like that even though he's getting a little longer in the tooth, he's getting older. But he's still very professional and he's really easy to work with," explained Baffert.
Mubtaahij had finished second and fourth in 2016 and 2017 respectively, when saddled by Mike de Kock.
james@khaleejtimes.com