When the gate opened, jockey Jon Court sent Fleetstreet Dancer straight to the front, and he set initial fractions of 25.58, 48.38, and 1:11.85 for the first six furlongs, as favorite Medaglia d'Oro kept in close contact. Turning for home, Jerry Bailey sent Medaglia d'Oro to the front as the pacesetter faded out of contention, getting the mile in 1:35.89 and 1 1/8 in 1:47.81. However, Pleasantly Perfect, who had stalked the pace in fourth early on under Alex Solis, came on strong around the turn and dueled with his nemesis over the last 2 1/2 furlongs. With about 1/16 of a mile to go, Pleasantly Perfect poked his nose ahead of Medaglia d'Oro and inched away to win by 3/4 of a length in a time of 2:00.24 for the 2000 meters over a fast track. South African-bred Victory Moon was about five lengths back in third. Pacesetter Fleetstreet Dancer faded through the stretch to an eventual fifth place finish. Pleasantly Perfect became the second Breeders' Cup Classic winner to also win the Dubai World Cup. Cigar was the first in 1996 when he won the inaugural running of the Dubai World Cup.
Jockey Alex Solis, winning his second race on the card, said "It is incredible to have won this race, it is a dream come true and we are going to celebrate on the way home and for the rest of the year. It was a dogfight all the way down the stretch. I wanted to make sure Medaglia D'Oro didn't get away from me, he tried to come back but luckily I had enough in my hand. When I cracked him 100 meters to the post he took off again. He looks so beautiful he's shiny and happy."
Winning trainer Richard Mandella said, "It was very satisfying. It's nice to get the job done. We would like to come back here because they make it worth your while. Pleasantly Perfect had a tough time in the beginning, we held our breath, I assumed it would be a lot easier. He will now get a nice long rest and the long term aim is the Breeders' Cup in October." Mandella dedicated the win to trainer and mentor Victor Jethro "Lefty" Nickerson, who passed away Friday after a lengthy illness. Mandella referred to him as "probably the best friend in my life".
Jerry Bailey, aboard second place finisher Medaglia d'Oro, said "It was a great race, he ran his heart out tonight and you got to tip your head to the other horse. He set up comfortably he was very positive, he kicked once and kicked again when I asked him to do so."
Weichong Marwing, aboard third place finisher Victory Moon, said "The other ones were just too good. He travelled well. He's a very good and still a young horse and we are not disappointed."
Jon Court, aboard pacesetter Fleetstreet Dancer, said "He broke alertly. He took the lead ran on gamely we just missed the money."
Dubai World Cup Links:
- Results Charts for the card from Emirates Racing Association
- Free Past Performances for the entire card from the Fair Grounds
- Free Past Performances for the World Cup from DRF.
- Current Odds from William Hill for all the races plus props like Dettori winners and USA winners.
- Current Odds for the World Cup from Ladbrokes
- Official Site
- 2003 Dubai World Cup results and photos
- 2002 Dubai World Cup results and photos
- Past Year's Results
