Neolithic Confirmed For Dubai World Cup Bid

Jack Wolf is realistic, but he is also a sportsman. And the founder and co-managing partner of Starlight Racing knows there is no taking down Goliath if one doesn't at least show up to the fight.

Wolf confirmed March 7 that Starlight Racing's Neolithic, third last time out in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), will take another crack at Juddmonte Farms' champion Arrogate in the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) March 25.

Neolithic earned an invitation to headline event at Meydan Racecourse when he put in an admirable show effort behind Arrogate in the Jan. 28 Pegasus. The 4-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday was stepping into grade 1 company for the first time and forced the pace early in the 1 1/8-mile test before being bested by Shaman Ghost for runner-up honors.

How any horse goes about dethroning Arrogate if the son of Unbridled's Song is on his form is not a riddle Wolf claims to have an answer to. What he does have is an improving colt who bounced out of his Pegasus run in sharp order—one who possesses the kind of early speed that has been playing most favorably of late over the main track at Meydan.

"We're going for it," Wolf said of the Dubai decision. "I don't know how we beat Arrogate and a couple of the other horses but we're going to give it the college try and see what happens. The horse is doing very well, so that's the number one thing. And number two, our other thought process was the (grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap March 11) and from a purely economical standpoint, it makes more sense to go to Dubai than it does the Big 'Cap and just getting a piece of it.

"And who knows? That's the way we're looking at it. I'm just tickled our horse got invited."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Neolithic is slated to ship to Dubai March 14, according to Wolf, and becomes the latest member of an exceptionally strong American-based contingent expected to be World Cup-bound. In addition to Arrogate, grade 1 winners Gun Runner and Hoppertunity are also confirmed for the 1 1/4 mile test.

The Pegasus World Cup marked the seasonal bow for Neolithic and his first start since capturing a 1 1/16-mile allowance race in gate-to-wire fashion by nine lengths at Gulfstream Park last Dec. 14. In his only other try against graded stakes competition, the dark bay colt ran second in the Discovery Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack Nov. 12.

"(The Pegasus) was a salty field but our horse was doing very well," Wolf said. "At the time, you didn't think he'd be able to beat Arrogate or (two-time Horse of the Year) California Chrome   but, for whatever reason, California Chrome didn't run his race. But I was not surprised our horse ran well. 

"You look at Hoppertunity and he's run well over in Dubai, Gun Runner is going over there. You would think those two would also be favored ahead of us. But you never know what can happen."

Bred by Edwin Anthony and purchased by Starlight for $460,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale, Neolithic has won two of eight starts with $1,109,028 in earnings.