By Ed McNamara
In the days leading up to the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 27, usracing.com will profile the contenders in the 2,000-meter (about 1 1.4-miles) race. The profiles will be updated with odds, post positions and jockeys following the post-position draw scheduled for Wednesday (March 24).
Volcanic Sky, trainer S bin Suroor ridden by Frankie Dettori on 25th Feb, 2021 (Credit Erika RasmussenDRC)
He didn’t come close to winning, but this 5-year-old gelding picked the right time to run the race of his life. By finishing third, 7 1/2 lengths behind upset winner Mishriff, Great Scot collected $2 million Feb. 20 in the world’s richest race, the $20 million Saudi Cup. In less than two minutes, he made almost 10 times as much as he did in his first 15 starts.
The 99-1 shot shocked handicappers by finishing a length ahead of fourth-place Knicks Go, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the Eclipse Award for older male. Not what you would expect from a horse who sold for just 2,500 pounds (about $3,500) as a yearling.
Saudi Arabian trainer Abdullah Mishrif has done a remarkable job transforming a Group 3 turf winner into a solid dirt horse. Great Scot was 3-for-11 in England before being sold so he could run in last year’s Saudi Cup. He finished 12th behind Maximum Security in his main-track debut but rebounded with three consecutive victories after a long layoff.
Handicapping insight: He paid $27.60 to show, a lot more than most winners, in the Saudi Cup. Can he run big going a furlong farther on an unfamiliar surface? This field has no one with the credentials of Mishriff and runner-up Charlatan, but Great Scot’s morning-line odds won’t be 50-1 this time. If you’re among the few who cashed on him, hats off to you, and maybe you should invest some of the profits in an across-the-board play. I won’t be wagering on Great Scot, but I respect him far more than I did last time.
Dubai World Cup Entries 2021: Great Scot
Post position: TBD
Odds: TBD
Trainer: Abdullah Mishrif
Jockey: Adel Alfouraidi
Owner: Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz
Age: 5
Career record: 16-7-1-2
Career earnings: $2,280,036
Best Equibase speed rating: N/A
Pedigree: Requinto-La Rosiere, by Mr Greeley
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker/closer
Notes: After last year’s Saudi Cup, Mishrif gave Great Scot eight months off before bringing him back in an allowance race, which he won at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. Six weeks later, he won another allowance, then prepped for this year’s Saudi Cup by taking a Saudi Group 1 … He won a Group 3 on grass in England on Sept. 7, 2019, a few days before being bought by Prince Faisal and shipped to the Middle East.
2021 Dubai World Cup Entries
MYSTIC GUIDE (USA) USA Michael Stidham
CHUWA WIZARD (JPN) Japan Ryuji Okubo
MAGNY COURS (USA) France Andre Fabre
SALUTE THE SOLDIER (GER) Bahrain Fawzi Nass
JESUS’ TEAM (USA) USA Jose Francisco D’Angelo
SLEEPY EYES TODD (USA) USA Miguel Angel Silva
GIFTS OF GOLD (IRE) UAE Saeed bin Suroor
HYPOTHETICAL (IRE) UAE Salem bin Ghadayer
MILITARY LAW (IRE) UAE Musabbeh Al Mheiri
GREAT SCOT (GB) Saudi Arabia Abdullah Moshrif
THEGREATCOLLECTION (USA) UAE Douglas Watson
TITLE READY (USA) USA Dallas Stewart
AJUSTE FISCAL (URU) Uruguay Antonio Cintra
CAPEZZANO(USA) UAE Salem bin Ghadayer
Ed McNamara is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about thoroughbred racing for 35 years. He has handicapped races for ESPN.com, Newsday and The Record of New Jersey. He is the author of “Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown” and co-author of “The Most Glorious Crown,” a chronicle of the first 12 Triple Crown champions.
