Calumet Farm-Bred Tuz Powers Clear in Golden Shaheen

Even before March 30, Kentucky-bred Tuz had more than returned the initial $7,000 investment made when he sold at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

That is even more true after the son of Oxbow , who is now based in Dubai, won the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) at Meydan Racecourse as part of the Dubai World Cup undercard. The winner’s share of the purse—$1,160,000—is nearly triple his career earnings entering the night ($419,235).

While Tuz battled at the front with Don Frankie and American Nakatomi for superiority, dropping back to third for a stretch bid proved needed tactics.

Riding along the rail with roughly 1 1/2 furlongs until the finish, Tuz battled through what space was between Don Frankie and the rail, taking control with less than a furlong to go.

“He’s very fast. We had a great gate number (2) but we were getting pressured a long way out. He had to be good and tough,” said jockey Tadhg O’Shea. “There wasn’t much room to maneuver 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 (Don Frankie) on the home turn. I gave (Tuz) a squeeze and the response was immediate.

O’Shea called Meydan Tuz’s “playground.” With most of his starts at Meydan—he began his career in Russia racing at Pyatigorsk Hippodrome—the 7-year-old sprinter showed his comfort level to close out the race.

Not satisfied with the mid-stretch lead, Tuz saw open dirt ahead of him and clicked into another gear. Pulling away for a 6 1/2-length triumph, Tuz hit the wire with 1,200 meters on dirt in 1:10.19. His margin of victory is also the largest in Golden Shaheen history.

Bred by Calumet Farm, Tuz is owned by Dakki Stable and trained by Bhupat Seemar.

“We came in confident. … This horse has so much natural speed, his weapon is his speed. He’s very fast,” Seemar said.

It was also a chance to make a statement with the world watching.

“We don’t get many opportunities as opposed to Australia or Europe where there’s group 1s every other weekend,” O’Shea said of the Dubai racing scene. “We only have a chance to ride 10, 15 group 1s in a season and that’s Super Saturday and Dubai World Cup night. To win one of them is very special.”

The Golden Shaheen was Tuz’s fourth time running on World Cup night. He ran seventh in this race last year, 12th in the Godolphin Mile (G2) in 2022, and 10th in the Godolphin Mile in 2021.

Don Frankie finished second with Nakatomi third.

Besides Nakatomi, other American-trained runners finished in the middle or rear of the pack. Run Classic was seventh, Bold Journey 10th, Sibelius 11th, Hopkins 12th, and Freedom Fighter 13th.