Dubai Sky rises above Spiral foes

Never before having raced on anything other than turf, Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stable’s Dubai Sky took to Turfway Park’s Polytrack like a duck to water, winning today’s $550,000 Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes by an emphatic 2 ¼-lengths.

A bay son of Candy Ride, out of the Chester House mare, House of Danzig, making him a full brother to Grade 1 winner Twirling Candy, Dubai Sky was sent off as the 7-1 fourth choice, on the strength of a stakes win last out in the Kitten’s Joy on Gulfstream Park’s turf course in January. On the far outside of the eleven-horse Spiral field, rider Jose Lezcano, who had already won two races on the card, including the Bourbonette Oaks one race earlier, was able to move Dubai Sky away smoothly from the gate, and by the time the large field hit the first turn, the pair had found a good stalking position in fourth.

Eager to roll, Dubai Sky dragged a chilly Lezcano even closer to the front on the backstretch, as Watchyourownbobber and Wireless Future carved out solid early fractions :22.99 and :47.57. As second choice Royal Son applied the pressure to the leader from second, Dubai Sky always looked strong from his outside position in third. As the field hit the stretch Lezcano asked the Bill Mott-trainee for his run, and Dubai Sky responded in kind.

Running strongly down the lane, Dubai Sky was easily able to keep the horse-splitting move of Conquest Typhoon and Mike Smith well at bay, and coasted to the Turfway Park finish line an easy winner. Longshot Firespike ran on well to just miss second behind the third betting choice, Conquest Typhoon. Metaboss, who was sent off as the 9-5 betting favorite, did not care for the Polytrack kickback, according to his rider, Alex Solis, and finished a non-threatening sixth. Final time for the nine furlongs, over a track playing relatively slow all afternoon, was a very respectable 1:50.26.

Dubai Sky ran with Lasix for the first time in the Spiral. He raised his lifetime record to 5-4-0-1, with today’s very impressive victory, which now includes a four-race winning streak beginning in September at Belmont Park.

Dubai Sky was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown, so he will need to be a late supplement, with the second closing nomination deadline coming this Monday, the 23rd for a cost of $6,000, if he will be pointed for the Kentucky Derby six weeks from today.

No decision on the Kentucky Derby has been made yet, and trainer Bill Mott was not in attendance for today's victory, but as powerful a race as Dubai Sky ran in winning Turfway's signature race, it would be easy to imagine that the bay colt will be pointed to the Run for the Roses. And with 50 qualifying points earned, he now will certainly make the cut if his connections decide to go for the gusto.