Horsefeathers
January 6th, 2006by Jude T. Feld
United States citizens are usually guilty of thinking that the “world” extends from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty and from Mount Rushmore to Bourbon Street. It always amazed me that Major League Baseball got away with calling their championship, “The World Series,” when the most international they got was having two teams in Canada.
Virtually every championship team in major American sports has called themselves “World Champions.” But it looks as though that is about to change. Arguably, the United States has fielded the best baseball teams for many years. Mediocre major leaguers would often sign contracts in Japan, becoming huge stars there, hinting at the supremacy of MLB. After the results of the World Baseball Classic, more of a true “World Series,” we had better think twice about dubbing the best U.S. baseball team, “World Champions.”
So it is with racing. We are all very provincial when it comes to our horses.
“The best horses in the world are bred in Kentucky,” we say.
“The Keeneland September Sale is the best yearling market anywhere in the world.”
“The Kentucky Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports.”
We want to do our best on Breeders’ Cup day, “When the whole world is watching.”
Racing analyst Todd Schrupp, watching Utopia win the $1 million Godolphin Mile (G2) in the first TVG televised race at Nad al Sheba on Dubai World Cup day, said the victory “served notice that Japan’s program has arrived.”
I guess Todd forgot about Cesario coming over here to kick some major international booty in the American Oaks (G1) at Hollywood Park last summer. She is not the Lone Ranger. French horses, British horses, Irish horses, German horses, Italian horses, Australian horses and horses from New Zealand have all come to the United States with heralded success in their native lands and proved formidable foes to the local steeds.
It is only fair to mention that if Saturday’s Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) is any indication, the California Republic still houses the best sprinters on the globe. Showing more domination than any other group of American runners, Cal-breds Proud Tower Too, Thor’s Echo and Jet West garnered the first three placings in that order. Maybe Sheik Mohammed should rename the race the Dubai Golden State Shaheen.
Now we come to Discreet Cat. A son of the red-hot sire Forestry, whose The Green Monkey brought $16,000,000 at auction in Florida earlier this year, Discreet Cat waltzed home in front of a solid UAE Derby (G2) field on World Cup Day, including several top Southern Hemisphere four-year-olds. He might be in this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1).
At least he is a Kentucky-bred.
I have actually heard pundits and hard boots and patriots say, “No horse trained in Dubai will ever win the Kentucky Derby.”
“T’aint possible.”
“Different climate.”
“Bad feed.”
“They train at night.”
“Track’s too sandy.”
“Never happen.”
“If he wants to do that, Sheik Mo better hire Lukas or Baffert or Zito.”
“Bad water.”
“No grass.”
“Not in my lifetime.”
My answer is, “Horsefeathers.”
Godolphin’s program has always been great and like Rothschild ’66, it is getting better with age. If a Derby winner can come from the pasteboards of California, the PolyTrack of Kentucky, the sandy loam of Florida or the red clay of Arkansas, he can come from Nad al Sheba too. Maybe not this year, maybe not next, but soon.
Few in the U.S. would have bet on Japan to win the World Baseball Classic and few in the world would have gone online or headed to Las Vegas to back Cuba versus the Dominican Republic.
Wake up and smell the roses. Eventually, the greatest two minutes in sports is gonna turn Godolphin blue. Where will your money be?
