Asiatic Boy, the 2007 UAE Triple Crown winner, is to get his first start since finishing a disappointing 12th in the Dubai World Cup when he contests the Group One Stephen Foster Handicap over 1,800m at Churchill Downs in Kentucky tonight. The former Mike de Kock charge, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, has been handed over to the US-based trainer, Kiaran McLoughlin.
The Argentine-bred six-year-old was said to be under par at the Dubai showpiece earlier this year. "Asiatic Boy pulled up coughing," said De Kock. "But this is racing and you can't win them all. It was not a surprising end to a disappointing day." The son of Not For Sale won a place in Dubai racing history with his 2007 Triple Crown win in the UAE 2000 Guineas, the Al Bastakiya and the UAE Derby. He faces Einstein, the Brazilian-bred seven-year-old trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi who is also seeking an entry in the record books.
A victory at Churchill Downs would make Einstein, son of the Kentucky Derby-winner Spend a Buck, the first horse to win three consecutive Group One races on different surfaces. stregoning@thenational.ae
