The Dispatch Box: Flintshire comes to US; Solow, Duramente bound for Dubai

Flintshire photo courtesy of NYRA/Coglianese Photography/Susie Raisher.

Before getting into the victorious comebacks of Dubai World Cup night threats Duramente and Solow, I’ve got to comment on the international bombshell that was lobbed to US fans this week: the transfer of globetrotting Flintshire to the Chad Brown barn.

This is a masterstroke on the part of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, on two counts. First, Flintshire is poised to dominate a weak North American turf division, with only a setback likely to prevent him from an Eclipse Award. Second, the Juddmonte brain trust already has another ace up their sleeves for Europe’s prestigious Group 1 prizes over 1 1/2 miles in the form of New Bay, also trained by Andre Fabre.

The two Juddmonte stablemates would have been colliding in most of the same races, unless Flintshire was forced to scratch due to soft going. It’s perfectly logical to split them up. Send Flintshire to the continent where he’ll get his prerequisite firm turf, keep New Bay with Fabre and give him every chance to pad his classic-winning resume.

My one curiosity is the timing of this announcement. As I tweeted, at this precise week last year, he was prepping for Dubai at Chantilly (see more on that race below). But Flintshire didn’t compete Thursday. Judging by Teddy Grimthorpe’s remarks in his news-breaking interview in Thoroughbred Commentary, and subsequently, Flintshire is swerving another tilt at the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) as well. Since the Sheema meets his distance and going requirements for a hefty $6 million, that begs the question of why he’s sitting it out.

The other obvious question is, why not Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who has been handling Juddmonte’s US squad? My first thought was that Mott is based at Payson Park, currently undergoing the quarantine due to EHV-1. (An idea also offered by the TDN’s Alan Carasso.)

Flintshire will be brought along slowly by Brown. His first US target won’t be until the United Nations (G1) in July. If you’re missing Dubai, it makes sense to focus on the Breeders’ Cup (G1) and accordingly concentrate on the second half of the season. But this is the second-longest layoff of his career, exceeded by the October-June hiatus of 2013-14.

Solow makes it 10 in a row: Solow signaled that he’s ready for a Dubai Turf (G1) title defense by winning the same metric mile prep over Chantilly’s Polytrack.

His 10th straight victory offered an instant of suspense, but he soon shrugged off the trouble. Despite having to alter course, only to find the door slammed on the rail, and end up coming out again and re-gathering momentum, the Freddie Head star easily drew off under wraps. When you watch the replay, note that the runner-up is Fabre’s well-regarded Group 2 winner Vadamos.

 

Head actually said that Solow might even be better than he was last year.

In the next race (that Flintshire would have been in), Head sent out another Wertheimer homebred, Queen’s Jewel, to finish a good fourth in her tune-up for the Sheema Classic. Last seen as a fast-finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), she was making her first start versus males. Fabre ran one-two with Elliptique (who’s penciled in for the March 20 Prix Exbury [G3]) and Manatee. Fellow Sheema contender Gailo Chop was a close third.