Although the $2,000,000 UAE Derby (UAE-II) at Meydan in Dubai has never been won by a U.S.-based runner, the 1,900-meter test offers a total of 170 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top four finishers, and those precious points are a big reason why 37 U.S.-based horses have been nominated to the March 30 event.
Trainer Todd Pletcher typically nominates a large contingent to the UAE Derby and leads the way this year with nine nominees, including the Bourbon Stakes (gr. III) winner Current and the stakes-placed Overdeliver. Meanwhile, Kenny McPeek has nominated seven horses, led by recent Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) winner Harvey Wallbanger, and trainer Steve Asmussen (who sent out last year’s UAE Derby third-place finisher Reride) is represented by four nominees.
The two-time Grade 1-winning filly Bellafina is the lone filly among the U.S. nominees, while Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) runner-up Knicks Go is among the classiest. The five-time Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner Bob Baffert did not nominate his juvenile champion Game Winner, but did make Los Alamitos Futurity (gr. I) winner Improbable and Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. III) winner Mucho Gusto eligible for the race.
In alphabetical order, the U.S.-based nominees for the 2019 UAE Derby are as follows:
Air Boss (John Sadler)
Alwaysmining (Kelly Rubley)
Bellafina (Simon Callaghan)
Cairo Cat (Kenny McPeek)
Classy John (Dallas Stewart)
Comedian (Steve Asmussen)
Current (Todd Pletcher)
Cutting Humor (Todd Pletcher)
Federal Case (Todd Pletcher)
Final Jeopardy (Jason Servis)
Five Star General (Arnaud Delacour)
For the Top (Steve Asmussen)
Global Campaign (Stanley Hough)
Grecko (Kenny McPeek)
Haikal (Kiaran McLaughlin)
Hartel (Peter Miller)
Harvey Wallbanger (Kenny McPeek)
Henley’s Joy (Mike Maker)
High Crimes (Darrin Miller)
Improbable (Bob Baffert
King Ford (Kenny McPeek)
Knicks Go (Ben Colebrook)
Last Judgment (Todd Pletcher)
Lemniscate (Kenny McPeek)
Liberty’s Pursuit (Kenny McPeek)
Moretti (Todd Pletcher)
Mucho Gusto (Bob Baffert)
Outshine (Todd Pletcher)
Overdeliver (Todd Pletcher)
Plus Que Parfait (Brendan Walsh)
Signalman (Kenny McPeek)
So Alive (Todd Pletcher)
Soldada (Todd Pletcher)
Still Dreaming (Graham Motion)
Sueno (Keith Desormeaux)
Tikhvin Flew (Steve Asmussen)
Tone Broke (Steve Asmussen)
The complete list of nominees for all the Dubai World Cup Day races can be viewed here.
