Twice Over boosts World Cup stock with emphatic Maktoum Challenge score

Twice Over boosts World Cup stock with emphatic Maktoum
Challenge score

Twice Over made light of a four-month layoff to win with his ears pricked (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) Trainer Henry Cecil believed that TWICE OVER (GB) (Observatory) was currently in better nick than during his fruitless visit to Dubai a year ago, and the Juddmonte Farms homebred ratified that judgment with a decisive 2 3/4-length victory in the $300,000 Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (UAE-G2), the highlight of the Super Thursday card at Meydan. By convincing in this course-and-distance prep for the March 26 Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), Twice Over signaled his intention to do much better than his 10th-place performance in last year’s edition, and he catapulted himself into favoritism for the world’s richest race.  “This is a quality horse — we know that, and hopefully there is plenty of improvement to come as he will have needed the run,” regular rider Tom Queally noted. “He struggled in last year’s World Cup, but we have come out earlier this year, and the plan has worked so far.”  As a three-time Group 1 winner, Twice Over brought the highest international rating into the Maktoum Challenge Round 3. Despite not having raced since October 16, when he defended his Champion S. (Eng-G1) crown at Newmarket, Twice Over duly translated that numerical superiority onto the track.

Queally worked to overcome his disadvantageous post 13, and managed to drop
Twice Over into a slot roughly in midpoint of the 14-horse field. Up front, the Godolphin pair of Debussy (Ire) (Diesis [GB]) and Etched
(Forestry) matched strides early, but Etched abruptly gave way straightening
down the backstretch. Debussy continued to show the way, tracked by fellow
Godolphin runner Prince Bishop (Dubawi) on the rail and Irish Flame (Dynasty) on
the outside. Musir (Redoute’s Choice) was striding comfortably a bit farther
back on the inside, while Gitano Hernando (GB) (Hernando [Fr]) eventually crept
up just to the outside of Twice Over for a time.

Turning for home, Debussy began to weaken, and Mufarrh (Marju) was the first
to pounce. But Twice Over was traveling
ominously well for Queally, cruised up on the outside without
being asked a real question, and rolled to the front. At the same time, Musir
was splitting foes and making eye-catching progress. As soon as Musir
emerged as a potential threat, however, Twice Over already had him covered.
Responding to a few reminders from Queally, Twice Over pulled away to complete
about 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta in 2:05 2/5.

Gitano Hernando, who had been staying on in Twice Over’s wake down the
stretch, came within a nose of catching Musir for second. Another 1 3/4 lengths
back in fourth came Win for Sure (Stravinsky), followed by Prince Bishop,
Rajsaman (Linamix), Mufarrh, Eavesdropper (Singspiel [Ire]), Irish
Flame, Richard’s Kid (Lemon Drop Kid), Haatheq (Seeking the Gold), Hot Six (Burooj),
Debussy and a tailed-off Etched.

Twice Over now boasts $3,105,078 in earnings from his 23-10-3-6 record. In
addition to his consecutive trophies in the historic Champion S., the
six-year-old has captured the 2010 Eclipse S. (Eng-G1), 2009 Foundation S. and
2008 Prix Eugene Adam (Fr-G2) and Craven S. (Eng-G3), just edging future
Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Raven’s Pass in the latter. Twice Over has
also placed in nine stakes, including the 2008 St James’s Palace S. (Eng-G1) and
Champion, 2009 Lockinge S. (Eng-G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic, and 2010 Prince
of Wales’s S. (Eng-G1), Juddmonte International S. (Eng-G1) and Irish Champion
S. (Ire-G1).

Bred in Great Britain, Twice Over is out of English stakes heroine Double
Crossed (Caerleon), and he hails from the immediate family of French Group 1
victress Passage of Time (GB) (Dansili [GB]), English Group 2 victor Father Time
(GB) (Dansili [GB]) and current multiple English stakes diva Timepiece (Zamindar).
Further back, this is the female line of champion and $2.7 million-earner
Banshee Breeze (Unbridled), French Group 1 queen and stakes producer All at Sea
(Riverman) and Hall of Famer Damascus (Sword Dancer).