Gladiatorus decimates foes in Duty Free

Gladiatorus ran his rivals ragged, prompting a celebration from apprentice Ahmed Ajtebi (Dubai Racing Club) Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s GLADIATORUS (Silic [Fr]) had won both of his races at Nad al Sheba in commanding fashion, pummeling his rivals with supreme displays of front-running prowess, so it was no surprise when the bay sprinted right to the front in Saturday’s $5 million Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1). What was surprising, however, was that his opponents were content to let him bowl along on an uncontested lead, in vain hopes that he would come back to them in the end. Gladiatorus proceeded to turn a deep renewal of the Duty Free, featuring 10 Grade/Group 1 winners, into an utter rout. His victory was the first of two on World Cup night for rookie trainer Mubarak bin Shafya and apprentice rider Ahmed Ajtebi, crowning their sensational season and perhaps serving as a harbinger of the future at the Meydan complex. “I am so happy and so proud,” said Ajtebi, a 21-year-old native of the United Arab Emirates. “We were always going to attack from the front because that’s how he won last time. “This is a dream come true, and I am so grateful to everyone in helping me get where I am now. I always said I wanted the U.A.E. to be proud of me, and I hope the country is now.”

While Gladiatorus tore off to a daylight lead, carving out testing splits of
:23 3/5, :46 3/5 and 1:10 1/5, Japanese Horse of the Year
Vodka (Tanino Gimlet) settled into a clear second. Defending champion Jay Peg
(Camden Park) was unable to repeat his pacesetting heroics of one year ago,
winding up stalking instead from his outside post. Next came Hyperbaric (Sky
Classic) scraping the paint, while Archipenko (Kingmambo) loped to his outside,
and Kip Deville (Kipling) was a bit rank between horses.

Gladiatorus was determined to leave them all in his wake, though, as he
continued to widen his advantage. Approaching the far turn, swinging for home,
and even in midstretch, the imperious winner appeared to have taken as his motto
the time-honored phrase “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere.” Mocking the
established quality of the field, Gladiatorus enjoyed a massive margin until the
final furlong, when the late-running Presvis (Sakhee) made an eye-catching rally
to shave it down to 3 1/2 lengths. By then, the race had effectively been over
for a long time, and Gladiatorus was much the best while finishing nearly nine
furlongs in 1:46 4/5 on the good turf course.

“(Presvis) flew home, but the winner slipped the field and I could never get
near him in time,” said Ryan Moore, the rider of the runner-up.

Alexandros (Kingmambo) got up for third, another two lengths adrift, to hand
Godolphin yet another placing on the evening. Australian raider Niconero (Danzero)
was three lengths further back in fourth. Bankable (Medicean) and Archipenko
just outfinished the retreating Vodka. Paco Boy (Desert Style), Tuesday Joy
(Carnegie [Ire]), Kip Deville, Jay Peg, Charlie Farnsbarns (Cape Cross [Ire]),
Balius (Mujahid), Hyperbaric and the Godolphin duo of Creachadoir (King’s Best)
and Lady Marian (Nayef) completed the order of finish.

Gladiatorus is three-for-three this season (Dubai Racing Club) “What a great run,” Craig Williams said of fourth-place finisher Niconero. “He closed really well. It was a tremendous effort. For about 400 meters he was the ham, cheese and pineapple in the sandwich. They just didn’t stop, they just didn’t give him any room, he was hemmed between four horses where there was probably enough room for about two and a half. You’d go to war with him. He was fantastic.” “Mine (Bankable) ran well, but the winner is a monster,” Johnny Murtagh said. “It was a good run — the winner was too much.” “It wasn’t Archie’s day today,” Kevin Shea said of Archipenko. “He didn’t pick up. He just ran a bit flat.” “A very good trip, but my horse did not try today,” Cornelio Velasquez said of Kip Deville.

With this first Group 1 coup to his credit, Gladiatorus advanced his
scorecard to 12-9-2-0 with $3,521,048 in earnings. He was an accomplished
juvenile in Italy, taking the Criterium Partenopeo, Criterium Varesino, Premio
Toscana and Premio Rumon as well as finishing second in the Gran Criterium
(Ity-G1). Unraced for more than 15 months, Gladiatorus reappeared in a January
22 handicap at Nad al Sheba and rolled to a course record-setting victory. The
four-year-old meted out the same punishment next time out, landing the Al Fahidi
Fort (UAE-G2) by 5 3/4 lengths.

Bred by Az. Agricola Le Ferriere di Raponi Giampaolo in Kentucky, the winner
was an $8,000 bargain yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October. He is a
half-brother to Italian stakes victress My Sweet Baby (Minardi) and an unnamed
juvenile colt by Castledale (Ire). They are out of the unraced Kris mare Gmaasha
(Ire), who is herself a half-sister to English co-highweight Haafhd (Alhaarth),
hero of the 2004 Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Champion S. (Eng-G1).
Gladiatorus’ second dam is Irish champion Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom [Fr]),
queen of the 1985 Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) and Coronation S.
(Eng-G2).