Pegasus-winning Arrogate nominated for Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March

Arrogate crosses the finish line to win the $12 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on January 28, 2017 in Hallandale, Florida. Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Arrogate, officially the world’s best horse, has been nominated for the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 25.

The Breeders’ Cup and Pegasus World Cup winner was among 168 entries for the US$10 million (Dh37m) race when the Dubai Racing Club released on Tuesday a total of 779 horses put up for the nine races across World Cup night.

Arrogate remains an unlikely runner, but with his name in the hat at least when owner Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia makes his decision in the next few weeks the trip will be harder to turn down.

Trainer Bob Baffert said a few weeks ago that Arrogate was not going to run in the World Cup, but since the four-year-old colt’s victory in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park 10 days ago the silver-haired handler has been making the right noises.

On the face of it, Arrogate has little to lose and almost everything to gain from a trip to Dubai. He would prove to the world that he can race without Lasix, the anti-bleeding drug, that he can travel and victory would propel him to become North America’s highest-earning horse over old rival California Chrome.

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Read more

■ Pegasus World Cup: Arrogate wins as Dubai World Cup winner California Chrome fades

■ Dubai World Cup: Arrogate owner Prince Khalid Abdullah to make decision on Dubai trip

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Baffert, who has already stated that last season’s Dubai World Cup third, Hoppertunity, and Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Drefong will travel, has underlined several times that a repeat victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, staged in November near his home at Del Mar, remains the ultimate objective however. No reigning Dubai World Cup winner has gone on to land the Breeders’ Cup in the same season.

California Chrome tried valiantly to add the Breeders’ Cup to the World Cup against Arrogate at Santa Anita in November, and Art Sherman, the 79-year-old trainer of the dual US Horse of the Year, is set to return to Dubai with California Chrome’s old sparring partner Dortmund.

Dortmund, who previously won the 2015 Santa Anita Derby when trained by Baffert, could be joined by Songbird, Jerry Hollendorfer’s filly who was edged out by Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Songbird would bid to become the first filly to win the World Cup. Other key entries include Lani, the Japanese colt who won last season’s UAE Derby, and Mubtaahij, the 2015 UAE Derby winner who was second in the World Cup last season. No horse has won both races previously, either.

One horse who definitely will not be coming is Solow, the 2015 Dubai Turf winner. Freddie Head confirmed on Tuesday that he has run out of time to prepare the grey gelding for a trip to Meydan.

Solow has not raced since prepping for last season’s $6m race in Chantilly last March and suffered a minor knock on the gallops soon afterwards.

The seven-year-old gelding tore a ligament over his knee, which took an unusual amount of time to heal. He was packed off to Haras Du Quesnay stud to recuperate and only returned to Head’s Chantilly base three weeks ago.

"There is no way I can get him ready for a race like that in time," Head told The National via telephone. "We are not coming to Dubai. He is back in training and I am very happy with him and it is all going well.

“I am looking at racing him for the first time probably at the end of April or the beginning of May and his intended target is the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.”

Solow is the second high-profile horse to be ruled out of the Dubai Turf in as many days after Tepin faces a race against time to travel to Dubai after the US champion mare suffered a bout of colic.

Tepin, who has a nomination to the Dubai Turf, contracted the abdominal pain usually caused by problems in the gastrointestinal tract after exercise at Palm Meadows in Florida on Sunday.

The colic was so serious that trainer Mark Casse consulted with owner Robert Masterson about possibly retiring her, and although she misses the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday she is set to race on this year in some capacity.

“She’s fine now, and she’ll get back to the track in the next few days, I imagine,” Casse said.

"This hurts the chances of us going over there [Dubai], but we're not even going to worry about it," Casse added in an interview with the Daily Racing Form.

“Everything had to go kind of perfect for us to make Dubai, and it hasn’t. Her work schedule got messed up with the weather and her kicking the back of her stall a couple weeks ago, and now this. Regardless, there are plenty of other races for her this year.”

Defending Dubai Turf champion Real Steel is set to undergo his prep for the Dubai Turf in the Nakayama Kinen on February 26, before spearheading a strong Japanese raiding party next month.

2017 Dubai World Cup nominations by numbers:

Total Horses: 779

Total Nominations: 1,549

■ $10m Dubai World Cup, Group 1 2000m (dirt): 168

■ $6m Dubai Sheema Classic, Group 1, 2410m (turf): 181

■ $6m Dubai Turf, Group 1 1800m (turf): 248

■ $2m Dubai Golden Shaheen Group 1 1200m (dirt): 167

■ $1m Al Quoz Sprint, Group 1, 1200m (turf): 192

■ $2m UAE Derby, Group 2, 1900m (dirt): 155

■ $1m Dubai Gold Cup, Group 2, 3200m (turf): 115

■ $1m Godolphin Mile, Group 2, 1600m (dirt): 264

■ $1m Dubai Kahayla Classic, Group 1 (PA) 2000m (dirt): 59

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