Stable star Gio Ponti ran an excellent fourth in the US$10,000,000 Dubai World Cup on Saturday March 27th at Meydan in Dubai. The new racetrack proclaimed by its designers to be the finest facility in the world of thoroughbred racing officially opened on the night with a dazzling array of fireworks in a spectacular and colorful show. The race itself was marred by a very slow early pace which led to a surprise result with Gloria De Campeao at 16/1 prevailing by a nose over Lizard’s Desire at 33/1 with Allybar at 16/1 odds a further short head away in third. Our own Gio Ponti was only beaten about 1 1/2 lengths at the finish as he led home the market fancies. Unusually for a Grade 1 race the World Cup was devoid of early pace and Ramon Dominguez on Gio Ponti had to sit and suffer towards the rear for much of the contest which developed into a two furlong sprint for the line. But with no early pace the frontrunners weren’t coming back at the field which had gone through pedestrian fractions for most of the race including 52 and change for the opening half mile. Gio Ponti had to swing wide in the straight away from the heavy traffic and was nudged wider again by the Japanese filly Red Desire, but he quickened in his ususal devastating fashion, however the finish line came too soon and connections had to settle for an unlucky fourth. Trainer Christophe Clement’s summary of the World Cup included the following quotes to the world media;
“We really didn’t have any racing luck, there wasn’t a lot of pace, but I thought he finished very well out in the middle of the track. It’s just a little annoying, because I still think he is good enough to have won the race. We’ll give him a break and point for the second half of the season. Maybe we’ll have him back for the Manhattan (Gr 1)”
