Dettori delivers Dubai World Cup for banned Baffert on Country Grammer

Country Grammer provided Frankie Dettori with a fourth success in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan.

The winning horse over the dirt was trained by Bob Baffert, who himself collected a fourth World Cup success despite controversy back home in the United States, where he is fighting a series of legal battles over Medina Spirit’s positive post-race test for banned substances when winning last year’s Kentucky Derby.

Baffert has recently lost four Kentucky Derby hopefuls after owners moved them to new trainers to allow them to run in this year’s race on 7 May. The trainer of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify is banned from his horses competing at Churchill Downs, where the Derby is held.

He received that two-year ban last June but is still allowed to compete elsewhere and duly collected another World Cup to follow training the winners of the 1998, 2001 and 2017 winners on Silver Charm, Captain Steve and Arrogate respectively. Medina Spirit himself died of a heart attack while training in Santa Anita last December.

Dettori won his first Dubai showpiece event aboard the great Dubai Millennium in 2000 and on Moon Ballad in 2003 and Electrocutionist in 2006. Having earlier finished in a dead heat with Japanese runner Panthalassa for the Dubai Turf, the Italian’s mount was part of a formidable American World Cup contingent headed by red-hot favourite Life Is Good.

Todd Pletcher’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner had successfully stepped up to nine furlongs in the Pegasus World Cup in January. He got off to his usual fast start and led the field into the home turn, but it was obvious with a furlong to run that the petrol tank was emptying quickly and he faded into fourth.

Ascot 1.00 Fifty Ball 1.35 Chavez 2.10 Thyme White 2.45 Rewired 3.