You can likely add another Godolphin-owned horse to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) lineup after Mawj held off several challenges and won the $501,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland on Saturday.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed’s operation has won the past two editions of the BC Mile with favorites Modern Games in 2022 and Space Blues in 2021.
With Godolphin-owned Master of the Seas, Woodbine Mile (G1) winner and second by a nose to Up to the Mark in the Coolmore Mile Turf (G1), headed to the Mile, Mawj’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor said the Mile looks to be next for the 3-year-old filly.
“It looks to me she has plenty of speed as a miler and she made it today 9 furlongs,’’ bin Suroor said of the 1 1/8-mile QE II Challenge Cup on the turf. “But we’ll see. The mile might be the best for her, sure, but I want to decide closer to the race.” (The BC Filly & Mare Turf also is a possibility).
We won’t know for sure until the BC draw on Oct. 30, but Godolphin will have a strong presence at the Breeders’ Cup, including Proxy in the Classic, Pretty Mischievous and Wet Paint in the Distaff, and Cody’s Wish in the Dirt Mile.
Mawj, a half-sister to Modern Games, ran her record to 4-for-4 in 2023 with the win in her American debut, holding off Lindy by a half-length in the turf race for 3-year-old fillies. She had previously won a pair of Group 1 and Group 2 races in England and improved her career record to 9-6-1-1. Mawj returned $4.62 for a $2 win bet. She was ridden by Oisin Murphy, who, like bin Suroor, won his first Keeneland stakes race.
Dettori, Echo Zulu, Ace Impact, Larry Collmus, and more:
— Never mind, says international star jockey Frankie Dettori! He’s not going to retire after all and plans to move his tack to California in 2024 – and perhaps beyond.
— Champion Echo Zulu broke two sesamoid bones in her left front foot and was to undergo surgery in an effort save her life. The 4-year-old filly was 3-for-3 in 2023 and the likely favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
— Undefeated Ace Impact, decisive winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), was retired. The 3-year-old Ireland-bred colt is rated the co-No. 2 horse in the world in the most recent Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Japan-based Equinox is No. 1.
— Nutella Fella, winner of the Hopeful (G1), is sidelined until 2024 with a fracture ankle in his left hind leg.
— Larry Collmus, the race-caller for the Triple Crown, returns to Del Mar for the fourth year in a row to be the track announcer for the 13-day fall meet beginning Nov. 10.
Think about this: A $20 million turf race in Australia
Think About It ($4.40) won the world’s richest turf race on Saturday, with a long neck victory over second-betting choice I Wish I Win in the $20 million The Everest at Randwick Racecourse in Australia. Think About It raced behind the leaders before making his winning stretch run under jockey Sam Clipperton. The 5-year-old, trained by Joe Pride, extended his winning streak to nine in a row and is 11-for-12 overall.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
