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Better Be The One was not able to reproduce his mighty third-placed effort at last year's Al Quoz Sprint (1000m) when he could only finish a battling ninth to Australian mare Ortensia in this year's renewal at Meydan on Saturday.
Upgraded to Group 1 status this year, the US$1 million sprint dash on turf saw a bunched-up group travel up to the halfway mark with Better Be The One in a precarious spot behind a bulwark of runners while the eventual winner Ortensia was coming off an almost identical situation but with a clearly superior head of steam to put the race away in a few bounds, scoring by 1 ¼ lengths from Sole Power (John Murtagh) with Hong Kong's and 2010 Al Quoz Sprint winner Joy And Fun (Brett Doyle) third, another quarter-length away.
The Paul Messara-trained Ortensia, a winner of the Group 1 The Galaxy back in Australia, had been one of the leading market movers in what was considered one of the most wide-open affairs among the nine races at this year's Dubai World Cup, but Kranji trainer Michael Freedman still went into the race, hopeful of a forward showing from Better Be The One.
But after jumping reasonably well, signs of distress started to surface when jockey Kieren Fallon dropped the J Man Stable-owned galloper further back than anticipated. Upfront Addictive Dream (Adrian Nicholls) and Monsieur Joe (Patrick Cosgrave) were staging the early speed battle, but once the former started to knock up, the swoopers did not take long to make their presence felt.
Monsieur Joe kept on gamely while some of the leading contenders like Margot Did (Hayley Turner) and War Artist (Kevin Shea) were clearly toiling away despite their jockeys' desperate urgings.
Better Be The One, who looked like he was getting a nice cart on the heels of Ortensia as she ducked and weaved around the field to find daylight on the outside, still looked half-a-chance at that juncture.
But it soon became evident it was the mare who was putting in the big bounds while the Singapore sprinter could not conceivably make ground on such a high-quality individual at the top of her game, eventually finishing in the midst of the second tier of the beaten brigade.
Disappointed, Freedman was however not trying to find excuses but did admit to being taken a little by surprise by the way his charge looked outpaced at the back after beginning reasonably well.
“The plan was to jump and follow something, but after he began so well, I was surprised to see him take a sit,” said Freedman after getting the post-race debrief from Fallon at the dismounting yard.
“That took him three to four lengths further back than we wanted. He's a horse that we should just let him roll.
“From then on, it was always going to be hard work from the halfway mark when you stand class horses four to five lengths.
“Still, to his credit, he ran on towards the end when he took him to the outside, but it wasn't good enough I guess."
Freedman said he would have a think about the next plans for Better Be The One, who will fly back to Singapore on Tuesday, together with Freedman's three runners The Comedian, Always Certain and Cash Luck, who also failed to fire in their Dubai races.
“He will go for the two-week quarantine, and we'll see how he pulls up,” said Freedman. “The Lion City Cup is the next target, but I really have to see how he is first.”
Besides giving Australia and its breeding their first victory in the Al Quoz Sprint, and another proof of their great sprinting tradition, Ortensia, a six-year-old mare by Testa Rossa, also continued the dream run of Australian jockey Craig Williams, who has been in unstoppable form scooping up Group 1 wins around the world, including the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Hong Kong Vase among others, not to mention a second aboard Tosen Jordan in the Japan Cup.
“I have had 20 rides on the mare for four wins – she has been unlucky in a few but she was brilliant today,” said Williams who returned to scale with the Australian flag draped over his shoulders and was celebrating the first Australian winner on World Cup night since Elvstroem in the 2005 Dubai Duty Free.
“We knew what her weaknesses were going but we also knew her strengths and the race panned out perfectly.
“I was able to get into clear running inside the last 300m and she had an explosive turn of foot.”
Messara, who is the son of leading Australian breeder John Messara of Arrowfield Stud fame, was among the most excited winners on Dubai World Cup night.
“I had my heart in my mouth. I can't believe she has won it. I jumped so high when she hit the line I lost my phone!” said Messara.
“At the 400m I was sweating bullets because I thought she would be a lot closer but Craig knew what he was doing.
“He knows her so well. She goes to England in seven days and she is going to run in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot over the same distance.”
