Monterosso led home a Godolphin one-two in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on Saturday when he swept past his stablemate, Capponi, to win the world’s richest race.
The five-year-old, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, advanced from a prominent position to win Saturday’s US10 million ($A9.6 million) race in which he finished third last year.
Former Australian and favourite So You Think finished fourth under trainer Aidan O’Brien’s son Joseph who said the surface was not to his liking.
The contested early pace helped to bring Monterosso’s stamina into play as Capponi finally gave way after challenging for the lead throughout. The first two home are trained for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin stable by Mahmood Al-Zarooni.
“Monterosso needs a fast pace and Capponi did the job well,” Al Zarooni said.
“It is a great feeling to win it. Sometimes I imagined to myself that I had won the race and now it has happened.”
It was the perfect end to the nine-race, $US27.25 million extravaganza for the Ruler of Dubai who owns both Monterosso and Capponi.
The outcome brought some consolation to the sheikh whose Fox Hunt had to be humanely destroyed after breaking a leg in a race three hours earlier.
For Barzalona, meanwhile, it was the perfect start to his new position as Frankie Dettori’s understudy at Godolphin. Dettori himself finished down the field aboard Prince Bishop.
“This is a dream,” Barzalona said after celebrating from the saddle every bit as extravagant as he had in winning the Derby at Epsom in June.
“I just had to (do that). It was natural. I couldn’t believe it when no-one came after me (down the straight).”
Monterosso banked the winner’s purse of $6 million.
He won by three lengths from Capponi after a brief tussle halfway down the home straight with Planteur a half length back in third.
Monterosso only returned to the fray earlier this month after an 11-month absence enforced by a minor ailment.
He is shortly expected to travel to England, where his first port of call is likely to be the Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup at Epsom in June.
Monterosso was compromised by the slow early gallop 12 months ago but that was never likely to be a problem with so many front-runners gathered among the 13-strong field.
And so it proved.
Transcend, runner-up from an easy lead last year, was driven hard by Shinji Fujita to reach the front after two furlongs (400m).
He was chased throughout by Capponi and So You Think with Monterosso following closely in their wake.
The American challenger, Game On Dude, was brought into contention by Chantal Sutherland who was bidding to become the first female jockey to win the World Cup.
But his bid proved short-lived and he beat only one horse home in the 13-runner field.
With Transcend weakening, Capponi struck for home off the final bend and made a bold bid.
The five-year-old fought valiantly to retain his advantage under his Dubai jockey, Ahmed Ajtebi, but Barzalona had him covered from the 400-metre mark.
From there, the French-born jockey simply chose his moment and the prize was his.
Japan’s three-strong challenge came to nothing after horses from that country filled the first two places last year.
