Zenden breaks down, is euthanized after Golden Shaheen win

The elation of victory turned to heartbreaking sorrow when 53-1 long shot Zenden broke down and was euthanized after a decisive gate-to-wire victory at Meydan on Saturday in the Grade 1 $1.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), a six-furlong dirt sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard.

Zenden was running out when his front left leg buckled 10 strides after the finish. Jockey Antonio Fresu was dismounted, but he got up and walked off the track on his own and did not miss any races.

Fresu and winning trainer Carlos David were not quoted in releases sent by the Dubai Racing Club after the race.

Red Le Zele (10-1) finished second, 3 1/4 lengths behind. Canvassed was another 2 3/4 lengths back in third, and then it was 2 1/2 more lengths to fourth-place American gelding Wildman Jack (5-1). Also from the U.S., Yaupon (9-5), the favorite, finished eighth, and Jalen Journey (25-1) was 10th.

The winning time of 1:09.01 without a run-up was a track record coming after early fractions of 23.82 and 45.38 seconds for the first quarter- and half-mile, according to Trakus.

“It was a good race for him,” Wildman Jack’s rider Fernando Jara said of Zenden. “The winner went really quick, and he never looked back. For us there was no chance to catch him.”

Stuck with the outside draw in the field of 14, Fresu not only hurried Zenden to the lead, he got an inside path before the first furlong was completed. From there Zenden just kept extending his lead all the way through the finish.

Zenden was a 5-year-old horse by Fed Biz and had been trained by Carlos David, a former assistant to Jason Servis. His career record was 15: 6-3-0 with $1,133,556 in earnings, according to Equibase. He had been 0-for-7 in graded and group stakes before Saturday.