ROSES IN MAY
©Bill Selwyn
2005 - ROSES IN MAY
Roses In May, the favourite, won the 10th running of the world's richest race, the US$6-million Dubai World Cup which was sponsored by Emirates Airline, in terrific style at Nad Al Sheba on Saturday, March 26, 2005.
The five-year-old horse, one of the American challengers for the mile and a quarter test on dirt, beat an international field of 11 rivals by at least three lengths.
Ridden by John Velazquez and trained by Dale Romans, Roses In May was always going well and took the lead before turning for home and went clear in the straight.
Dynever, another American-trained raider, finished well but was never going to get to grips with the winner who had finished an excellent second to America's 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park, Texas, the previous October.
Choctaw Nation, another American, came third with the British-trained Jack Sullivan, who had done so well earlier during the 2005 Dubai International Racing Carnival, in fourth.
Roses In May's owner, a delighted Kenneth Ramsey, said: "This is the biggest moment I've had in racing so far, absolutely - I feel like I'm king of the mountain. Dubai is a wonderful country and we have been looked after very well."
Dale Romans commented: "I thought the only way we could get beat was if we had some bad luck. I wanted to take the race to them, I knew he had the stamina and that no one else could catch him. I hope I can bring him back here next year. Roses In May is a special horse and he loves to win."
The winning jockey, the American champion, declared: "Roses In May didn't break well from the gate. I had to get him to a point where he was comfortable. I put him into a fast gear and I didn't look back. He was fantastic and is getting better and better."
Roses in May was the fifth American-trained winner of the Dubai World Cup. Paul Curtis, the chief Flat handicapper of Britain's Racing Post newspaper, was impressed.
He said: "Roses In May is right up to scratch. I've put him on a rating of 128, which is the same as that achieved by Pleasantly Perfect last year and Silver Charm when he won the race in 1998.
"Only three winners, Dubai Millennium (139 in 2000), Cigar (132 in 1996) and Moon Ballad (131 in 2003) were rated higher, so although it didn't appear the strongest of races at the time, the Breeders' Cup Classic form of last year, where Roses In May finished second to Ghostzapper, now looks good."