Mshawish, recently announced as Taylor Made’s newest stallion for 2017, drew post 2 of 12 for Saturday’s $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan Racecourse.
The draw suited trainer Todd Pletcher perfectly.
“The track is good on the inside and with our horse’s experience we know he doesn’t mind being inside,” said Pletcher. “We talked to (jockey) Frankie (Dettori) earlier and his choices were, in order, two, three, four, five, six and one, so why not go with his first choice? Hopefully we’ll be in a good stalking position–that would be ideal.”
Mshawish, who has bankrolled $2,219,826 for his owner Al Shaqab Racing, has flourished over the past two seasons, winning the Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) on the grass and the Donn H. (G1) on the main track. The 6-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro also has logged victories in the Fort Lauderdale S. (G2T) and Hal’s Hope S. (G3).
Mshawish will face an all-star field loaded with top American horses including Keen Ice (post 1), Frosted (post 9), Hoppertunity (post 10), and California Chrome (post 11).
California Chrome, like Mshawish, will join the Taylor Made stallion roster upon completion of his career.
The World Cup is race nine on Saturday’s card, with a scheduled post time of 1:00 p.m. ET