Twelve months on after Switzerland was just touched off in defense of his title in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, Tuz provided trainer Bhupat Seemar some sweet revenge, storming home at the fence to defeat Japan’s Don Frankie by a record six and a half-length margin in the $2 million Gr1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Nakheel.
Another Dubai World Cup night runner to have begun his career in Russia – taking his first three career starts by wide margins at Pyatigorsk Hippodrome – the US$7,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September in 2018 was making his fourth straight appearance on the big night, having run unplaced in the Gr2 Godolphin Mile in 2021 and 2022 and seventh to Sibelius in last year’s Golden Shaheen.
Tadhg O’Shea has Tuz in control (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
His most recent start, a distant 10th to Remake in last month’s G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1200m), wasn’t exactly the lead-up connections wanted, but Saturday’s was a result that was never truly in doubt.
Quickly away from stall two, the hulking Tuz had company to his outside in the form of Japan’s 1305-pound (592-kilogram) monster Don Frankie, with Colour Up also close in tow. Appearing hesitant to take the run at the rail in the straight as Don Frankie set the pace one off the inside, Tuz finally acquiesced, pushing through to wrest command 200 metres from home before powering away for an impressive score.
Nakatomi, last into the straight, ran on late for third ahead of Remake in fourth. Sibelius looked to be making hard work of it a long way from home and finished 11th of the 14 runners.
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“He’s got so much natural speed; his weapon is his speed,” said winning trainer Bhupat Seemar. “He’s always been a fast horse and it’s like Switzerland – he ran poorly in Saudi and then won the Shaheen. Sprinters mature and they know what to do. I had some confidence.”
Winning jockey Tadhg O’Shea said: “He’s very fast. We had a great gate number [two] but we were getting pressured a long way out. He had to be good and tough. There wasn’t much room to manoeuvre down the inside, but I had a good, willing partner. He’s a big horse. When he straightened up, he went through the eye of a needle. I was a length down off Cristian [Demuro] on the home turn. I gave [Tuz] a squeeze and the response was immediate.
“He’s a high class horse and when he gets a rail to shoot at, he’s very, very, very good.”
