Captain Steve Hits Jackpot for Baffert

Jerry Bailey capped a big evening for U.S. jockeys when he won the $6-million Dubai World Cup aboard 8-5 favorite Captain Steve on Saturday at Nad Al Sheba Race Course in the United Arab Emirates.

Giving trainer Bob Baffert his second win in the World Cup, the world’s richest race, Captain Steve was always close to the pace while in the clear on the outside, then overhauled pacesetter To The Victory with about a sixteenth of a mile to run and went on to win by a little more than four lengths.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Captain Steve, a 4-year-old son of Fly So Free, more than doubled his career earnings with his ninth win in 21 starts. The chestnut colt made $3.6 million Saturday and increased his total bankroll to $6,527,156.

This was the second victory in as many starts this year for Captain Steve, who had defeated Albert The Great and five others in the Donn Handicap on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park.

Against a field that did not rank with the finest in the six-year history of the Grade I race, Captain Steve won for the first time at 1 1/4 miles. The best he had done in three previous tries at the distance was a third in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

For Bailey, it was his third win in the World Cup. He won the inaugural running with Cigar in 1996, then came back the following year with Singspiel.

To The Victory, a 5-year-old mare who had been raced exclusively in Japan, looked home free at the top of the long stretch. Jockey Yutaka Take hadn’t yet asked the daughter of Sunday Silence, but she weakened late and had to settle for second in only her second start on dirt. Hightori, a French-bred, was third, just in front of State Shinto.

Earlier in the program, Santa Anita-based riders David Flores and Corey Nakatani combined to win three races.

Riding Festival Of Light for Godolphin, Flores won the $1-million Godolphin Mile. He also took the $2 million U.A.E. Derby with Express Tour, another colt owned by Godolphin.

Nakatani, meanwhile, rode favored Caller One to an easy victory in the $2-million Golden Shaheen for trainer Jim Chapman. A 4-year-old son of Phone Trick, Caller One ran the six furlongs in 1:08 1/5, breaking the track record by a full second.

Notes

Balto Star, a 6-1 shot, led every step of the way en route to a victory in the $600,000 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. Ridden by Mark Guidry for the Antsu Stables and trained by Todd Pletcher, the 3-year-old Glitterman gelding completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47 1/5 for his third win in seven starts. In two earlier stakes at Turfway, Percy Hope ($6) won the $100,000 Rushaway and heavily favored Sweet Nanette ($3) remained unbeaten in four starts with a victory in the $150,000 Bourbonette Breeders’ Cup. . . . Favored Road To Slew won the $150,000 Crystal Water Handicap for the second consecutive year at Santa Anita, outfinishing Native Desert to win in a stakes-record 1:33 4/5 for the mile on turf. This was the seventh win in 22 starts for the 6-year-old Slewpy gelding, owned by Nick Cafarchia and trained by Craig Dollase. Laffit Pincay Jr. was the rider. . . . Both of the turf stakes run in Dubai featured extremely close finishes. Stay Gold ($33) edged defending champion Fantastic Light in the $2-million Dubai Sheema Classic and Jim And Tonic ($11.80) beat Fairy King Prawn by a nose in the $2-million Dubai Duty Free. . . . Favored Dream Supreme ($3.60) won the $181,600 Distaff Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old filly is owned by George Steinbrenner and trained by Bill Mott. . . . Crafty Shaw, a 10-1 shot, rallied along the rail to win the $100,000 Rebel, a prep for next month’s Arkansas Derby, at Oaklawn Park. The 3-year-old son of Crafty Prospector is owned by Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Peter Vestal. Joe Johnson was aboard.