Winchell Homebred Gunite Goes for Golden Shaheen Glory

After finishing second in a lucrative group 3 stakes in Saudi Arabia, United States-based Gunite  will try to improve on that effort when his Mideast trip continues with a start in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) at Meydan.

A homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds, Gunite won the 2021 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at 2 and added a grade 1- placing last year in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) as well as four stakes wins, including a score in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2). The son of record-breaking sire Gun Runner   opened his 4-year-old campaign with a victory in the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park before shipping to Saudi Arabia, where he finished second in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) Feb. 25.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Gunite picked up a $300,000 check in his most recent start and will aim for more riches—as well as a second top-level stakes win—Saturday. Asmussen assistant Amanda Olds said Gunite seems to prefer the surface at Meydan more than King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

"He's doing really well since arriving from Saudi Arabia," Olds said. "He's quieted down and the track plays a little faster, which he seems to really enjoy."

In order to secure victory Saturday, Gunite will have to top last year's winner, Switzerland , a former Asmussen trainee who is now campaigned by RRR Racing and trainer Bhupat Seemar. Racing for those connections last year, Switzerland posted a clear victory in the Golden Shaheen. He then was rested until Jan. 6, when he returned to capture the Dubawi Stakes (G3) at Meydan.

Regular rider Tadhg O'Shea liked how Switzerland has looked in the days ahead of this year's Golden Shaheen.

"He's moving like a gazelle out there," O'Shea said. "He's such a class horse. ... He is coming into this race equally as good as he went into last year."

U.S.-based runners have dominated the Golden Shaheen, a 1,200-meter (about six-furlong) dirt sprint. Switzerland's 2022 victory ended a four-race win streak for U.S. runners. Overall, U.S. runners have won 14 of the 26 editions of the race.

Besides Gunite, the other U.S.-trained runners looking to add to that total are two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) runner-up C Z Rocket , this year's Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) winner Hopkins , and grade 2-placed Super Ocho .

Golden Shaheen entries

PP Horse    Trainer    Jockey

1 Sibelius     J. O'Dwyer    Ryan Moore

2 Switzerland    B. Seemar    Tadhg O'Shea

3 Super Ocho   A. Sanchez    Hector Isaac Berrios

4 Tuz     B. Seemar    Jose da Silva 

5 Hopkins     B. Baffert    Lanfranco Dettori

6 Lemon Pop     H. Tanaka    Ryusei Sakai

7 Road Bloc     O. Refai    Oscar Chavez

8 Justin    Y. Yahagi    Bauyrzhan Murzabayev

9 Remake    K. Shintani    Yutaka Take

10 Red Le Zele  T. Yasuda    Yuga Kawada

11 Sound Money     B. Seemar    Mickael Barzalona

12 C Z Rocket    P. Miller    Antonio Fresu

13 Gunite    S. Asmussen    Tyler Gaffalione

14 Mouheeb     M. Costa    James Doyle