Dubai World Cup: Shea Shea beats track record in Al Quoz Sprint

Dubai: South African raider Shea Shea scorched down the Meydan turf track to set a new course record en route to winning the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1) on Saturday.

The six-year-old son of National Emblem swooped late under big-race jockey Christophe Soumillon to deny Hong Kong’s 2010 winner Joy And Fun by three-quarters of a length, while Eagle Regiment ran a big race for Olivier Doleuze to finish third, a further three-quarters of a length back.

Shea Shea blitzed his rivals three weeks ago in the Meydan Sprint over the same trip of 1,000m with a tremendous display of sprinting and he went even better yesterday to break his own track record of 57.02 seconds, when he stopped the clock in 56.41s.

Soumillon, who won the race for the first time, was full of praise for the horse, saying: “I was confident that he would end up as the best ride. I went into the race knowing that he is a champion in South Africa and so that gave me a bit of confidence as well.

“Our only concern was that the horse stayed sound and he did.

Unreal feeling

“I hope his next stop will be Royal Ascot, but one never knows what can come up. I think we have a great champion on our hands — bring Black Caviar to Dubai and we’ll beat him.”

Trainer Mike de Kock, who won the Al Quoz in 2009 with JJ The Jet Plane, was delighted with his second win of the night after Soft Falling Rain won the UAE Derby.

He said: “This is such an unreal feeling. We’ve got two so far and I think we need the money for sure.

“He had a fantastic run. We knew he was capable and he did not let us down. I didn’t have to tell the jockey much as he pretty much knows what to do. Maybe we will take him to the King’s Stakes [G1, Royal Ascot].”

Myron C Berzack, who owns Shea Shea in partnership with Bryan Joffe, was philosophical when he said: “I think such wins all boil down to the hard work put in by the trainer.

“We’ve had a couple of small wins and one big one in Singapore, but this one is the best. And this is what this night is all about.

Joffe added “This win means everything to me. I am not a very big horse owner. I have a few horses and this is just one of the good ones.

“The others are not good as they have not yet won. It is an unbelievable feeling to win on such a night.

“It has been such an unbelievable night so far.”

— With inputs from Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter