Knicks Go heads nominations for $12 million Dubai World Cup

Five-year-old completed four wins on the trot at $3m Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January

Knicks Go won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational race at the Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach in January. AP

The Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational winner Knicks Go heads the nominations for the silver jubilee running of the $12million Dubai World Cup, the Dubai Racing Club announced on Tuesday.

The Brad Cox-trained five-year-old son of Paynter completed four wins on the trot at the $3m Pegasus meet on January 23.

Among the global equine luminaries nominated across the eight thoroughbred races are American raider Charlatan, Godolphin’s Australia-based Bivouac, Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid UK-based Addeybb, Chrono Genesis from Japan and Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Mogul.

A total of 1,511 nominations were accepted from 762 horses trained in 19 countries for the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan on March 27.

The Dubai World Cup received 176 nominations led by Knicks Go and American trainer Bob Baffert’s Group 1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes-winner Charlatan.

Other nominations from the USA are multiple Group 1 winner Code Of Honor, Godolphin’s undefeated Maxfield, Group 2 winners Sleepy Eyes Todd and Tax.

Tacitus who finished fourth in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic returns, after being nominated last year as well. John Gosden’s Dubai Warrior, set to make his Dubai debut in next week’s Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2, also joined the list.

Musabah Al Muhairi’s Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 victor Military Law is among the local contenders along with Salem bin Ghadayer’s Capezzano and Matterhorn.

The William Haggas-trained multiple Group 1 winner Addeybb heads the nominations in the $5million Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic that includes Japan’s multiple Group 1-winning mare Chrono Genesis and the returning Glory Vase.

Bill Mott’s Channel Maker, David Smaga’s Nao Da Mais, and O’Brien’s Mogul are the other Group 1 winning nominees.

The Group 1 $4 million Dubai Turf has an impressive line-up of nominations with contestants looking to fill the rather large shoes of 2019 winner and the now retired Japanese superstar Almond Eye.

They include Gosden’s Lord North, winner of the Group 1 Prince Of Wales' Stakes, Bahrain International Trophy winner Simsir from the stables of Fawzi Nass and the American trainer Todd Pletcher’s pair Colonel Liam, the Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Champion, and the Group 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes winner Largent.

American winners account for 13 of 24 editions of the Group 1 $1.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen and this year the nominations from the USA include C Z Rocket, Yaupon, Wildman Jack, and Baffert’s Ax Man.

The Group 1 $1 million Al Quoz Sprint has attracted nominations from across the globe headed by Godolphin’s multiple Group 1 winner Bivouac, trained by James Cummings.

Challenging Bivouac are Oleksandra, who made her debut in Australia before moving to the stables of American trainer Neil Drysdale, British trainer Roger Teal’s Oxted who won the Group 1 Darley July Cup Stakes, and South African trainer Corne Spies’ Van Halen.