Medaglia d’Oro Is the Slight Favorite

When they met last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pleasantly Perfect ran over a Santa Anita track that was a few dozen steps from the barn where he was staying while Medaglia d’Oro was vanned about 40 miles across town from his quarters at Hollywood Park.

Now for the rematch, they will be in a distant desert, almost 9,000 miles from Los Angeles. Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d’Oro head a 12-horse field in the world’s richest race, the $6-million Dubai World Cup, on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates.

Pleasantly Perfect upset favored Medaglia d’Oro, beating him by 1 1/2 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup, but William Hill, the British bookmaking concern, has made Medaglia d’Oro a slight 7-4 favorite over Pleasantly Perfect, who is listed at 2-1 for the 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Breeders’ Cup. From there, the odds jump to Victory Moon, from South Africa, at 4-1, and Admire Don, from Japan, at 9-1. Others running are Fleetstreet Dancer, Grand Hombre, Domestic Dispute, Silent Deal, Dinyeper, Regent Bluff, King’s Boy and State Shinto.

Victory Moon won last year’s United Arab Emirates Derby, which was run over Dubai’s Nad al Sheba course, then ran poorly during the summer in England before winning his last two starts this year in Dubai. Since finishing fifth in last year’s World Cup, State Shinto has made no impact in five U.S. starts. This year, he has won one of four starts in Dubai and is considered a longshot.

Besides Medaglia d’Oro and Pleasantly Perfect, the other U.S. contenders are Domestic Dispute, who won the Strub at Santa Anita last month, and Fleetstreet Dancer, whose only win in 2003-04 was at the Japan Cup Dirt in November.

“I don’t think it’s a two-horse race,” said Gary Stevens, who rides Domestic Dispute. “Victory Moon is a very nice horse, and don’t forget my horse. If some of the front-runners collapse at the end, my horse will be there to pick up the pieces.”

Richard Mandella, who trains Pleasantly Perfect, has run six horses who have earned $3.5 million in five previous World Cups, but has never won the race. Three times Mandella’s been second -- with Soul Of The Matter in 1996, Siphon in 1997 and Malek in 1999. In 1996, Soul Of The Matter almost beat Cigar, before losing by half a length in the first World Cup. That was Cigar’s 14th straight win in a streak that reached 16. Mandella took his revenge that summer at Del Mar, where he saddled Dare And Go for an upset of Cigar in the Pacific Classic.

In his only start since the Breeders’ Cup, Pleasantly Perfect won the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita on Jan. 31. Mandella had planned to run the 6-year-old in both the Santa Anita Handicap and in Dubai, but he missed the Big ‘Cap because of a high temperature. For Saturday, Pleasantly Perfect drew the No. 7 post.

“I don’t think the post positions make any difference,” Mandella said. “Racing luck will play a bigger part.”

Medaglia d’Oro drew No. 11, one horse from the outside. His trainer, Bobby Frankel, is not going to Dubai. But on Thursday at his base at Hollywood Park, he discussed the race.

“I think the post should be all right,” Frankel said. “He should still be able to get position.”

To do that, Medaglia d’Oro, who runs on the lead or close to the pace, will need to break alertly. His jockey, Jerry Bailey, has won four of the previous nine runnings. Two of the three winning U.S. horses -- Cigar and Captain Steve -- were ridden by Bailey. Stevens rode the other U.S. winner, Silver Charm, in 1998.

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The Dubai World Cup card totals seven races worth $15.25 million. Post time for the World Cup is 9:20 a.m. in Los Angeles.... The Bob Baffert-trained During is the 5-2 favorite in the Godolphin Mile, and Cajun Beat, the Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, is the 3-2 favorite in the Golden Shaheen Stakes.... Baffert, who will saddle the favorite, Wimbledon, in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3, also plans to run Totally Platinum, who has won one of eight starts.... Mike Smith, who’ll ride Lion Heart in the Santa Anita race, will miss the mount on Azeri, who is running in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on the same day. Smith has ridden Azeri, the 2002 horse of the year, in all 10 of her starts, nine of them victories.