HH Sheikh Mohammed believed Dubai Millennium to be the best horse he had ever owned. The champion colt justified his judgment with a six-length thrashing of multiple grade I winner Behrens in the 2001 Dubai World Cup, setting a track record. Dubai Millennium was a son of Seeking the Gold, one of Mr. Prospector’s best sons on the racetrack and at stud. Produced from the Buckpasser mare Con Game (also the dam of grade I winner Fast Play and grade III winner Stacked Pack), Seeking the Gold won the 1988 Gr.1 Dwyer Stakes and Gr.1 Super Derby and ran Alysheba to a neck in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I). His bloodline is most prominent, as his son Dubawi carried on great successes on and off the track. Monterosso, African Story repeated their sire’s Dubai World Cup win. And Dubawi son North America (by Northern Mischief from Yankee Victor) will attempt to wrest the title yet again from world class contenders under Meydan flood lights on 31 March.
The first world cup winner, Cigar was foaled at Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Maryland. Interestingly Cigar retired as the leading money earner in Thoroughbred racing history. He was sired by a leading sire in North America, Palace Music (by The Minstrel). His dam, Solar Slew, was by the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. He was the only horse to win the American Triple Crown while undefeated. Cigar was a half-brother to Corridora Slew (ARG) by Corridor Key (USA), Mulca, and several other lesser performed horses.
Seattle Slew possessed devastating speed with the ability to carry it at least 12 furlongs. He was a champion every year he raced and went on to become a champion sire and broodmare sire, successfully passing on the male line of his great-grandsire Bold Ruler.Charming Lassie, a daughter of Seattle Slew, went on to produce Statue of Liberty, a colt which won the Coventry Stakes in 2002 who was mated with Kingmambo an American-bred horse producing Lemon Drop Kid who in-turn is the damsire to Forever Unbridled. She is the only mare running in the 2018 Dubai World Cup race. Forever Unbridled is best known for winning the 2017 Breeders' Cup Distaff at age five after winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap and Personal Ensign Stakes earlier that year.
And much more interestingly, 2017 Dubai World Cup winner Arrogate (Unbridled's Song out of a Distorted Humor mare) is half-brother to Forever Unbridled who competes for this year’s Dubai World Cup race. She goes up against another Unbridled progeny, Gunnevera who is noted for his courage, stamina and talent although the distaff side of his pedigree doesn't have much black type. Each of Gunnevera’s first four dams is a daughter of a top-class racehorse and sire, with some of them having links to Darby Dan’s glory days as a stallion station. Distorted Humor progeny Hopportunity also hopes to compete in the same race.
We see the continuing impact of Seattle Slew’s legacy via the brilliant West Coast, who is expected to steal away this year’s Dubai World Cup
Moving back into recent history, what was common in the pedigrees of the 2016 and 2017 Dubai World Cup winners you ask? It was because the mare Lucky Spell, who was present in both the pedigrees of California Chrome and Arrogate. Once the accomplished mare was retired, Lucky Spell had among her foals two daughters, born nine years apart. The first of the two, sired by Caro, was named Trolley Song and is the dam of Unbridled Song, one of the finest sires in the country before his death and the sire of Arrogate. The second daughter, named Lucky Soph, was sired by Cozzene, a son of Caro, and produced Lucky Pulpit, sire of California Chrome.
Candy Stripes features in the bloodlines of two Dubai World Cup winners – Invasor and Animal Kingdom. The son of Blushing Groom a descendant of the great Nearco. He was out of the mare Bubble Company, a granddaughter of the 20th Century's greatest sire of sires, Northern Dancer.
Dubai World Cup winner Singspiel (In the Wings-Glorious Song, by Halo) was a turf horse until he sent to the United Arab Emirates to train for the second running of the Dubai World Cup on 3 April. Racing on dirt for the first time, Sheikh Mohammed's horse was ridden by the American jockey Jerry Bailey who had won the inaugural running of the race on Cigar. After an eventful race, in which two horses fell, Singspiel claimed the £1.5 million prize, beating the Santa Anita Handicap winner Siphon by one and a quarter lengths. Dubawi crosses especially well with Singspiel mares, prime examples being Wuheida and So Mi Dar. With Singspiel final crop of 81 foals, we still have lots to look forward to for Singspiel.
Like Singspiel his progeny and Dubai World Cup 2018 contestant, Thunder Snow’s pedigree looks like that of a racehorse whose best surface would be grass.But now that Thunder Snow has shown twice that he is quite capable on a dirt main track. The bottom half of Thunder Snow’s pedigree provides a nice boost of both stamina and class.