I guess I just don't agree with the thought that because this particular result was somewhat inscrutable should make us say, "oh gosh, look what Sheikh Mo did, he ruined the World Cup."
This World Cup had no star appeal. At all. Gitano Hernando is far from an international superstar, so too Gio Ponti, Richard's Kid, and most others from the field. If in coming years we have a number of classic American handicap horses go there and fail then we can re-visit this discussion and say that the altered surface has changed what was once a place for greatness to be exemplified. Sure, Cigar, Silver Charm, Dubai Millennium, even horses like Roses in May and Pleasantly Perfect in their day, Invasor, and Curlin went to Dubai to take the ultimate international test.
It's understandable that Sheikh Mohammed saw an opportunity to turn his prized event into something that would be truly international. Did he do it at the expense of hurting American involvement in the race? Absolutely. Would it have been a more interesting race at Nad Al Sheba if Quality Road showed up? Probably, but the rest of the world would beg to differ.
NT
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