Monterosso won the world’s richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup, on Saturday with former Australian champion and hot favourite So You Think a disappointing fourth.
The result also gave victory to the brainchild behind the race, Monterosso’s owner Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Godolphin Operation.
The winner – third last year – came home clear under Mikael Barzalona ahead of another Godolphin runner Capponi while Planteur was third in the $US10 million ($A9.65 million) race in the United Arab Emirates.
Barzalona, who rode Pour Moi to victory in last year’s Epsom Derby, produced his much-criticised trademark celebration of standing up in the saddle 60 metres before the finish on the 20/1 Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained winner.
There was to be no fairytale finish to the week for American trainer Bob Baffert, who suffered a heart attack last Monday.
His Game On Dude, ridden by the first woman jockey in the race Chantal Sutherland, finished among the also-rans.
AF