Sharp Azteca One to Catch in Godolphin Mile

Among the main things on trainer Jorge Navarro's current wishlist is a challenge. 

If he could draw up a dream scenario for the $1 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Meydan Sobha (G2), it would feature some brave foe getting in Sharp Azteca's face and forcing his charge to get a little nasty. Because Navarro believes the more the son of Freud   gets pushed—the more he is engaged in a fight—the better the odds are that the 4-year-old colt is going to end up prevailing on the other side of the battle.

"We need that company, he needs a challenge. I don't think he likes to be out there by himself," Navarro said. "I don't want him to get too comfortable and be like 'OK, I'm going to win this race.' I want him to do what he does, go out there and put those fast times up. That is when he is at his best."

Judging his recent form and morning behavior, Navarro is declaring the current version of Sharp Azteca to be the best he has seen. It is a claim the dark bay runner will aim to back up when he breaks from post 6 in the 13-horse lineup for the March 25 Godolphin Mile at Meydan Racecourse.

Navarro's swagger with regards to Sharp Azteca has been building for the better part of a year. Purchased by owner Gelfenstein Farm for $220,000 at the 2015 OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale, Sharp Azteca had his conditioner in love with his looks and emboldened enough about his talent that he went about declaring the colt one of the nation's best 3-year-olds following his triumph in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3) last May.

Before the colt could further back up that claim, he ended up hindered by a quarter crack and finished a disappointing fourth in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) last June. It took some patience, along with Navarro's skillful blacksmith, to get Sharp Azteca fully right again. The payoff came in the Feb. 11 Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) when the colt dueled with Blofeld on the front end, then kicked the entire field in the teeth en route to a 4 1/2-length win.

"It took us a while to get him together, to figure him out," said Navarro, who just missed winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) last year with X Y Jet. "After the Pat Day, he kind of fell apart going from a mile back to seven-eighths. And that little injury he had was a setback, but I always thought he was that horse. 

"That last performance he did at Gulfstream Park, I dreamed of that performance forever. Because I've been talking about this horse for the longest, I'd been calling him one of the best 3-year-olds in the nation. We'll see Saturday night."

Sharp Azteca's tendency to wait on horses once he makes the lead is something Navarro believes cost him when he was caught late by Mind Your Biscuits in the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park. 

It is not a lapse he will be able to get away with given the likes of graded stakes winners North America and Heavy Metal in the Godolphin Mile. As he came out on the Meydan surface the morning of March 22, though, Navarro saw a horse he believes is more than ready to mix it up.

"You know, up until yesterday he was a gentleman on the track. Today he was on his toes, so I think he's ready," Navarro said. "I think he knows race day is coming. He did things today I didn't like—he tried to wheel there and was backing up coming out of the gate. He's like 'Let me go, I want to do things.' We're just going to let him go have fun."

Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Meydan Sobha (G2), March 25, 2017, Meydan, Race 1

About one mile, Dirt, $1,000,000                 

PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer              

1 Ross, A. Atzeni, P. Schiergen

2 Farrier, P. Cosgrave, S. Seemar

3 Le Bernardin, T. O’Shea, A. Rayhi

4 Gifted Master, R. Moore, H. Palmer

5 Second Summer, P. Dobbs, D. Watson

6 Sharp Azteca, E. Zayas, J. Navarro

7 North America, R. Mullen, S. Seemar

8 Heavy Metal, M. Barzalona, S. bin Ghadayer

9 Stormardal, A. De Vries, I. Mohammed

10 Etijaah, J. Crowley, D. Watson

11 Triple Nine, M. Rodd, Y. Kim

12 Fitzgerald, C. O’Donoghue, A. bin Harmash

13 Kafuji Take, Y. Fukunaga, S. Yukubo