By Howard Wright
This week’s turf trivia question: When was the last time an international, 14 runner, Group One race was won by a horse who would have taken a great deal more out of himself in a morning track work out? Answer: At around 4.03pm local time at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, when Equinox and Christophe Lemaire strolled to a barely believably easy victory in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic over 2410m on the turf.
Hardly anyone, I imagine, among the racecourse crowd or the vast millions watching live around the world on television would argue with on track presenter Nick Lightfoot when he exclaimed: “A monster performance” to describe what had just happened. Had the race been run on paper, using the latest ratings produced by the panel of international handicappers, the finishing order would have been roughly the same.
After all, Equinox, with his official rating curiously shaved by a point to 125 on the day of the race, compared with figures published earlier, had the highest rating of all those contesting the eight Thoroughbred races. After that, the Irish Derby winner Westover (119), the runaway Saudi winner Mostahdaf (121) and the 2022 race winner Shahryar (120) finished second, fourth and fifth respectively, matching their rankings to within a pound or two.
The chief exceptions at either end of the spectrum in this mathematical exercise were Zagrey, from France, the lowest rated of all on 113 going into the race, who ran out of his skin to finish third, and Rebel’s Romance, who shared a rating of 121 with Mostahdaf, after racking up five wins in a row including three consecutive Group One events, but seemed to typify a below par evening for Godolphin by finishing only seventh.
These two apart, the result is entirely believable, on paper at least. What was scarcely credible and will not really be tested until Equinox turns out again, was the impression created by Japan’s Horse of the Year for 2022, having just his sixth race within a couple of days of having celebrated his actual fourth birthday.
Beaten connections put some of those impressions into words. Mostahdaf’s rider Jim Crowley: “He's the best Japanese horse we have seen over here in many years.” Shahryar’s rider Cristian Demuro: “Equinox is very special.” Zagrey’s trainer Yann Barberot: “He’s just a phenomenon.” Westover’s rider Ryan Moore, who knows a thing or two about Japanese horses: “Equinox will be a threat wherever he goes,” and the horse’s trainer trainer Ralph Beckett: “He’s a very good horse.”
As for the men closest to the action, they were suitably impressed. Trainer Tetsuya Kimura, who had ‘a sighter’ in the 2022 Sheema with Authority who finished third, in the Silk Racing colours carried by Equinox, said: “It was a tough field with some very strong horses but he’s a champion and he was just the best.”
And from jockey Lemaire, who let his mount stride on after breaking quickly from a middle draw: “I knew he was the best horse and so I was happy to make the pace. Race after race, he's going up the rankings of the horses I have ridden. It was a great, great performance.” Lemaire’s mastery of the pace contributed to his setting a record time for the 2410m distance of 2:25.65 in beating Westover by three and a half lengths.
On a night when six of the eight Thoroughbred races produced times faster than the Racing Post standard, the Sheema came out easily the fastest, at :1.65 below standard, adding to the impression of vast superiority that Lemaire oozed as he kept both hands on the reins, barely moving a muscle, throughout the run down the Meydan Racecourse straight.
Exactly what the international handicappers make of this performance will be revealed on 13 April, when the next edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings is published. It’s a reasonable guess that Equinox will be judged the world’s best, for the moment. The latest list, based on races run this year before 5 March, which ruled out Equinox as he last ran on Christmas Day, is dominated by Hong Kong sprinters.
The highest ranked runner in the Sheema was Mostahdaf on 121. So, given that he almost certainly showed his true form in finishing fourth, beaten seven lengths, there would be no surprise if Equinox was elevated to at least 128. Meantime, every commentator will have a view as to where Equinox should run next. Royal Ascot, the Arc, the Japan Cup, Hong Kong, a repeat bid in the Arima Kinen: the world is his oyster. For the moment, though, let’s simply relish what he did at Meydan.
RESULTS
1. Equinox (Kimura/Lemaire)
2. Westover (Beckett/Moore)
3. Zagrey (Barberot/Soumillon)
