International news related to KZN is that Arrogate, who share sire Unbridled’s Song with Noble Tune, amazed the racing world with an astounding last to first Gr1 Dubai World Cup victory, a win galloped in the same fashion as the way Gr2 & Gr3 winning Noble Tune won his races.

Securing a son of the mighty and sadly deceased Unbridled’s Song in South Africa, Noble Tune who hails from an extraordinary international family will have his first yearlings for sale this year, out of an impressive selection of hand picked mares for his book.

Unbridled’s Song is the current leading American sire and second leading international sire behind Deep Impact, having produced in addition amongst his many stakes winners the grey Liam’s Map – a dual Gr1 winner standing alongside Noble Tune’s half-brother and dual Gr1 winner Honor Code – as well as a champion broodmare sire, where he is currently 5th on America’s national log.

Juddmonte Farms’ Unbridled’s Song colt Arrogate, broke slowly out of the starting gate in the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), got squeezed between two horses early, raced behind a talented field, and still got home first by 2 1/4 lengths.

In winning his third straight “world” title, Arrogate was so dominant that jockey Mike Smith said he geared the gray down at the top of the stretch to avoid taking the lead too early.

After the slow start trainer Bob Baffert said he was hoping Smith would simply take care of the superstar colt. Instead, Arrogate started picking up horses, reached contention, and swept by Gun Runner.

“I missed the break completely,” Smith said. “I said, ‘I’m just going to ride him like Zenyatta. I had no choice but to just sit there and let him collect himself.”

Baffert, who scored his third Dubai World Cup victory, said the terrible break took the wind out of his sails and caused him to question his eleventh-hour decision to bring Arrogate to Dubai after his victories in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

“I was thinking, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him. Maybe he’s getting tired.’ … I thought, ‘If he can’t win, Mike will take care of him and not abuse him.'” But as Arrogate worked his way into contention, the Hall of Fame trainer’s mood shifted. “I thought then, ‘If he wins this race, he’s the most incredible horse I’ve ever seen,'” he said.

By that point, Smith had totally regained his confidence. “I actually kind of geared him down a little bit, because I didn’t want him to hit the lead at the quarter pole,” the jockey said. “Whatever happened, it happened for a reason. It might have been a boring race.”

The Dubai World Cup was run over a track officially labeled “muddy” after a torrential rainstorm Saturday morning capped a week of turbulent weather. Despite the off track, significant kickback, and his long trip from California, Arrogate finished the 2,000 meters—about 1 1/4 miles—in 2:02.23. Arrogate got $6 million and Neolithic, who also finished third in the Pegasus, collected $1 million.

Mubtaahij, who came in second behind California Chrome  in last year’s World Cup, finished fourth while a budding Japanese star, Awardee, finished fifth.

The win boosted Arrogate’s career bankroll to $17,084,600, making him the highest-earning North American-based Thoroughbred in history. He eclipsed California Chrome among runners with one start in North America. He ranks third among all earners worldwide behind Orfevre ($19,005,275) and Gentildonna ($18,468,392).

Out of the Distorted Humor mare Bubbler, Arrogate was bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms and was a $560,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase in 2014.

Baffert and Garrett O’Rourke, racing manager for Juddmonte, said Arrogate will get a long rest now with an effort to repeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is still the long-range goal for the year. Baffert said he was glad he brought Arrogate to the desert, even beyond the prestige and purse money.

“Everybody who was here tonight is going to say, ‘I’m glad I was here to see that,'” he said. “If anybody wasn’t super impressed with that, they just don’t like horse racing. I still can’t believe he won the race.”

Crusade’s half-sister defeated the bulk of the boys in the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic over 2400m to finish second, after coming from the back.

Seventh Heaven, a dual Gr1 Oaks winner who placed in the Breeders Cup, added another Gr1 place to her list and ran courageously to finish behind Jack Hobbs. In the process she defeated Highland Reel and Postponed.

Crusade has a number of yearlings available at Nationals, including a sibling to Gr1 Gold Cup winner, Wild One, and to Matador Man. His imposing son Calladdi finished second yesterday at Scottsville for the second time from both his starts for Greenstreet Bloodstock.

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Both Seventh Heaven and Arrogate are of particular interest to KZN Breeding, with Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner Crusade’s half-sister by Galileo, Seventh Heaven, contesting the Gr1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic where she will take on stable mate, Highland Reel (IRE) and look to capture her third Gr1 victory.

Rated 119, the dual Gr1 winning four year old filly will be ridden by Seamie Heffernan over the 2410m stretch. Seventh Heaven has a 6th draw.

Crusade has produced his first winner and over 12 have placed closely – look out for them in the week to come as many are due to enter the winners enclosure.

Arrogate is a mighty grey son of Unbridled’s Song, who shares a sire with Rathmor Stud’s Noble Tune. Arrogate has been drawn ninth, and all eyes will be on the imposing grey as he attempts to become one of the worlds highest earning horses after winning the Gr1 Breeders Cup Classic, the Pegasus and possibly the Dubai World Cup.

Owned by Juddmonte Farms of Frankel fame and trained by Bob Baffert, Arrogate is odds on favourite at 5/1 to take the spoils of the Dubai World Cup. From his seven starts he has won six times, placing only on debut and having three colossal Gr1 wins under his belt.

Unbridled’s Song is a major loss to the breeding world, with his sons and daughters both in demand at stud. Liam’s Map is a dual Gr1 winner standing at Lane’s End, alongside Noble Tune’s half-brother Honor Code. Both have welcomed their first foals this season. Unbridled’s Song’s daughters at stud have shattered records in the last two years, with Unrivalled Belle knocked down for $3.8million in foal to Tapit.

Noble Tune’s first yearlings go on sale this year, and the first sold for R90 000 at the Cape Yearling Sale – the average per horse sold was R58 000. Noble Tune is represented by eight yearlings at the upcoming National Yearling Sale in May including out of mares such a Victory Garden, Dynasty mare Summer To Remember and Hidden Beauty.

Two of KZN’s exciting young stallion prospects were further boosted over the weekend with news that Flying The Flag’s full sister had taken the award for Ireland’s Champion 2YO Filly, whilst Arrogate, who shares a sire with Noble Tune in Unbridled’s Song, produced an earth shattering win in the Pegasus $12 million dollar race by over four lengths.

Flying The Flag’s Gr1 winning full sister Rhododendron (by Galileo) was part of the success that saw her trainer Aidan and Annemarie O’Brien inducted into the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s Hall Of Fame at the organisation’s 2016 Breeding and Racing Awards ceremony on 28 January.

Aidan O’Brien was the trainer of five of the evening’s equine award recipients and all progeny of Galileo – 2-year-old filly Rhododendron (Ire), 2-year-old colt Churchill (Ire), 3-year-old filly Minding (Ire), 3-year-old colt The Gurkha (Ire) and older horse Found (Ire).

Stephen Collins, Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association Chairman, said, “The ITBA National Awards is our opportunity to celebrate the outstanding successes of 2016–a year in which Irish Thoroughbred talent was displayed to an international audience. Yet again Irish horses were to the fore winning the vast majority of all the prizes that matter.”

Irish-bred international Group winner Flying The Flag stands at Bush Hill Stud and will have his first foals born in 2017.

Having previously knocked heads in what had been North America’s richest race last November, champions California Chrome  and Arrogate were lured to see if they could recreate that magic again with the world’s biggest purse on the line.

One of them more than delivered on his part of the bargain.

The two-horse showdown that was supposed to be in the inaugural running of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Gr1) at Gulfstream Park turned into a torch-passing, one-star show. Doubling down on his stirring triumph over California Chrome in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 5, Arrogate made a mockery of the showdown when he drew off handily under Hall of Famer Mike Smith to prevail by 4 3/4 lengths over Shaman Ghost.

Meanwhile, the two-time Horse of the Year faded badly to finish ninth and was later diagnosed with fluid in his right knee. The image of the lanky steel-colored colt sauntering his way into the winner’s circle was by no means a stunner, for the story of Juddmonte Farms’ Arrogate is one of meteoric brilliance that has yet reach its deepest depths.

Unraced at 2, the 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song has become a world-beater in his seven starts, winning the Travers Stakes (Gr1) in record-setting fashion in his first graded stakes last August and running down California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup to hand the son of Lucky Pulpit the lone defeat in a campaign that saw him crowned the 2016 Horse of the Year.

What few saw coming was the fact that Arrogate would be uncontested as he polished off his sixth victory, one that brings his earnings to $11,084,600. Though hung wide on the first turn after having to break from the outside post in the 12-horse field, California Chrome settled in fourth down the backstretch but had zero response when jockey Victor Espinoza began to nudge him for more.

Those big, gray strides of Arrogate’s have found no peers since he broke his maiden at Santa Anita Park June 5.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is notorious for not putting horses on a plane unless he feels they will represent him accordingly. So despite some chatter when Arrogate scratched out of the San Pasqual Stakes (Gr2) Jan. 1 and then had his workout schedule interrupted because of inclement weather in California, his mere presence at Gulfstream this week spoke volumes about his connections’ confidence.

“He just ran his race,” Baffert said. “I kept waiting for the matchup with Chrome, but he just didn’t bring his race today. It’s too bad. We expected to win, but he got a little tired at the end. He probably needed it badly.”

When Smith tipped Arrogate out and asked him to roll past Neolithic and a fading Noble Bird approaching the final turn, he proved he was more than worthy of his recent designation as the Longines World’s Best Racehorse. As California Chrome uncharacteristically began backing up, Arrogate opened up as he pleased in the lane. Smith said he geared him down in the final 100 yards as they hit wire in 1:47.61 for the 1 1/8 miles over a fast track.

“Once I got out going into the far turn, I knew we were going to be very tough to beat,” Smith said. “He had a lot of run today and I was very happy. As far as winning the world’s richest race, I’m absolutely numb.”

Noble Tune, the first son of super American sire, sire of sires and champion broodmare sire Unbridled’s Song to stand on the African continent will have his first yearlings on offer at the National Yearling Sale in May. Noble Tune is a half brother to Honor Code and stands for a fee of R25 000 at Rathmor Stud.

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Young upstart Arrogate ran by California Chrome  in the shadow of the wire at Santa Anita Park, handing the 5-year-old runner his first defeat of 2016 in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr1) and answering the question an entire sport—even his Hall of Fame trainer—was asking. Arrogate shares a sire with Rathmor Stud’s Gr1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf-placed Noble Tune, who is covering his third season at stud in South Africa.

“Deep down, I really wasn’t sure if we could beat California Chrome, because I still have total respect for the horse. He’s a great horse,” Bob Baffert said. “Turning for home, I thought I was going to run second, but there’s nothing wrong with that, because Chrome is a really good horse, and running second to him is no bad thing … I never thought he would be able to catch Chrome.”

When Arrogate set his sights on the chestnut beast at the top of the lane—a force countless runners tried to run down this season to no avail—the colt’s record-setting Travers (Gr1) victory was proven no fluke. A lethal grey streak to California Chrome’s perfect season, 3-year-old Arrogate closed a 1 1/2-length gap with powerful strides, and blurred under the wire for a half-length score before a Santa Anita Breeders’ Cup record crowd of 72,811.

California Chrome, who went winging his way out on the front end under Victor Espinoza for all but the final strides of the 1 1/4-mile Classic, and Arrogate, facing elders for the first time under all-time leading Breeders’ Cup rider Mike Smith, separated themselves 10 3/4 lengths from the rest of the field after Arrogate made his move from third and shifted outside for the drive. The final time was 2:00.11.

“This was incredible today,” said Smith, who picked up his 25th Breeders’ Cup win. “You just don’t see things like this from a young 3-year-old. He literally was prancing after the race was over. … He’s so talented. He’s got amazing stamina. He doesn’t quit. He could have gone around again. He’s incredible.”

Back in the second tier, Keen Ice edged Baffert-trained Hoppertunity by a neck for third. The order of finish was completed by Melatonin, Frosted, Effinex, and War Story. Win the Space did not finish; he was eased but returned to the barn in fine order according to trainer George Papaprodromou, who said he “just inhaled too much dirt and stopped.”

Three straight years now, Baffert has won the Classic with a 3-year-old. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, whose Stall 33 on the Santa Anita backside is now Arrogate’s home, was the pinnacle after Bayern‘s 2014 score—a race in which California Chrome ran third by a neck en route to Horse of the Year honors after taking the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Baffert delivered a masterful training job of his own with Arrogate, bringing the son of Unbridled’s Song in ready to rumble off a 10-week layoff. Arrogate won the Travers by 13 1/2 lengths, blazed the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.36, and won a Gr1 in his first try against stakes company in just his fifth start. He has now won five in a row.

“To come back and sit on him for two months, it was something I used to do in the Quarter Horse business, and I wasn’t worried about it,” said Baffert, who has now won 14 Breeders’ Cup races overall.

The win was a first in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and fifth Breeders’ Cup victory overall for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, whose operation bolstered its West Coast presence after the death of Bobby Frankel by purchasing horses for Baffert to train. Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms out of the Distorted Humor mare Bubbler and a $560,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase from the consignment of his breeder, Arrogate showed his promise early on for Baffert.

“I remember calling (Juddmonte manager) Garrett (O’Rourke) around October,” the trainer recalled. “I said, ‘Garrett, I think I’ve found one that’s going to pay for all of them.’ I said, ‘I think we’ve stumbled onto a really good horse.’

“He always showed run, but we never let him go in the mornings. We never let him run. He’s a big horse. He came around on his own.”

Arrogate’s future, while bright, remains to be determined. His connections plan to race him next year, but which races remain to be seen.

Noble Tune at Rathmor Stud is the only son of Unbridled’s Song at stud in South Africa, standing for R25 000. His eagerly anticipated first crop will be sold in 2017.

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