The Dubai World Cup meeting celebrates its historic 25th anniversary on March 27, with six Group 1 races and three Group 2s, including one of the world’s premier races, the $12 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.
Over the next three weeks, we will pay tribute to each of the previous Dubai World Cup winners. Today, we rewind to 2001 when Captain Steve gave American trainer Bob Baffert his second Dubai World Cup title.
Three years after Silver Charm won Bob Baffert his first Dubai World Cup, the American trainer returned with Captain Steve, a horse that had shown good form during a busy campaign as a three-year-old, running on 11 occasions. He ran well in all of the major three-year-old events of that year, finishing third in the Santa Anita Derby, fourth in the Preakness before winning the Grade 1 Swaps Handicap (defeating the highly regarded Tiznow, who would go on to win two Breeders’ Cup Classic titles), and the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic. Despite the 11-run campaign as a three-year-old, Captain Steve was back early in his four-year-old season and showed that the previous year had taken nothing out of him with an easy defeat of Albert The Great and Gander in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, the race Cigar used as his final prep prior to coming to Dubai. He continued on that path successfully, securing Jerry Bailey his third and Bob Baffert his second Dubai World Cup.
Bailey’s ride was perfect on the horse, Captain Steve settling back in about fifth position a little off the fence to avoid kickback behind the early leader To The Victory. Godolphin’s main hope Best Of The Bests trailed Captain Steve while State Shinto and Hightori settled at the rear in what was a compact field. Captain Steve caught up with the pace-setter To The Victory and established a break, to win easily by three lengths. To The Victory held on to finish second while Hightori secured third narrowly from a very brave State Shinto.
Captain Steve returned to America to finish second in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, but in three subsequent runs couldn’t recapture his winning form and he was subsequently purchased by Japanese interests for stud. With 19 podium finishes in 25 starts, including nine wins, Captain Steve leaves behind an impressive legacy.
WATCH CAPTAIN STEVE’S 2001 DUBAI WORLD CUP WIN
Dubai Racing Club Press Release
Photo: Captain Steve, (Dubai Racing Club)
