Reynaldothewizard Wins Third Straight Dubawi Stakes

Reynaldothewizard might be an 11-year-old (by some calculations that's 37 1/2 human years), but he doesn't know it and his races sure don't show it.

Half a world away in Dubai Jan. 12, Zabeel Racing International's venerable son of Speightstown   won the listed Dubawi Stakes Sponsored By DP World over six furlongs on Meydan's dirt surface for the third consecutive year. 

Although Reynaldothewizard was making his first start since finishing fourth to Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Muarrab in the 2016 Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) on Dubai World Cup day in March, trainer Satish Seemar had his charge prepared. 

Facing six younger upstarts, the old boy broke from post 6 under jockey Richard Mullen and settled mid-pack while Golden Shaheen nemesis Muarrab (Oasis Dream) and Desert Force (Equiano) set the pace. Muarrab increased his advantage as the field swept through the turn. As Desert Force faded, Reynaldothewizard worked his magic. Collected and confident with the self-assurance nine years of racing experience brings, the bay gelding narrowed Muarrab's advantage stride by stride and passed him near the wire to win by a half-length in 1:10.66 on a fast track.

Muarrab finished second, with Florida-bred Wild Dude (Wildcat Heir), winner of the 2015 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) and Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G1), third 4 1/4 lengths behind. 

In the 2015 Dubawi Stakes, Reynaldothewizard defeated Muarrab and in 2016 bettered Cool Cowboy to earn his photo op in the winner's circle. In 2015 he also took the Al Shindagha Sprint (G3).

Bred in Kentucky by Gibraltar Group, Reynaldothewizard sold for $400,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale to Hartley/De Renzo, who pinhooked him at the Fasig-Tipton February 2-year-old sale, where Omar Trevino purchased him for $775,000. 

For Zabeel Racing and trainer Eoin Harty, Reynaldothewizard won once from six starts in the U.S. at 2 and 3, and showed some promise with a second in the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2). Since being sent to Dubai at 4, he has carved out 10 wins in 21 starts with earnings of more than $2 million. In 2013 he won the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) to culminate his perfect three-for-three season.

Reynaldothewizard's dam, Holiday Runner (Meadowlake) won the Three Chimneys Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Fashion Stakes at Belmont Park in a 14-race career that spanned three seasons, in which she earned $232,073. She has produced one other stakes winner, multiple grade 1 winner Seventh Street (Street Cry), who was a $1 million 2-year-old purchase by John Ferguson for Godolphin.

The versatile Speightstown, a son of Gone West, seems a stallion for all seasons, all surfaces, and all distances. His 79 stakes winners represent 9% of his foals of racing age. His 14 grade/group 1 winners include Haynesfield   (10 furlongs dirt), Tamarkuz   (eight furlongs dirt), and Mona de Momma (seven furlongs dirt), to Lord Shankill (eight furlongs turf), Seek Again, and Force the Pass (10 furlongs turf).