Second Summer Catches Sharp Azteca in Godolphin Mile

At the head of the Meydan Racecourse stretch March 25, trainer Jorge Navarro's emotions overtook him.

With Sharp Azteca at the head of the 13-horse field in the $1 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Meydan Sobha (G2) and his margin widening, Navarro's fists began pumping in time with his cheers in anticipation of the outcome many figured his dark bay charge would deliver.

In the final strides of the 1,600-meter test, Navarro's mood turned for the worse, as grade 2 winner Second Summer surged through on the inside to win by a neck over Ross while Sharp Azteca faded to third.

Second Summer was making his third start for trainer Doug Watson since being purchased privately by owner Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid al Nuaimi and transferred to the former's barn. Previously conditioned by Peter Eurton, the 5-year-old Summer Bird gelding was a mainstay on the California circuit, most notably capturing the Californian Stakes (G2) over Hard Aces last May prior to running seventh in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) last June in his last stateside start.

After running seventh in the March 4 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) over 2,000 meters, the decision was made to cut the chestnut gelding back in distance on the Dubai World Cup (G1) undercard. It was a call that looked genius in the stretch, as Second Summer—who was next to last in the field halfway through the mile—advanced in tandem with Ross to his outside, then angled inside under jockey Patrick Dobbs to catch a weakening Sharp Azteca, who chased wicked fractions over a rare muddy Meydan surface.

"You're limited here with the races and we weren't going to get into the Dubai World Cup," Watson said. "We were hoping we were going to win the third leg (of the Maktoum Challenge), but he just didn't run his race. Once he didn't win there, he had won over a mile before, so we thought we'd go ahead and turn him back and try the Godolphin Mile. He did it and he came home nicely."

Bred in Florida by Richard Shultz, Second Summer hit the wire in 1:35.76 and improved his record to five wins from 17 starts.

Sharp Azteca came into the Godolphin Mile strongly favored off his 4 1/2-length score in the Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) Feb. 11 and was unbeaten in four prior starts at the one-mile distance. 

After getting away a bit slow under jockey Edgard Zayas, the 4-year-old son of Freud   raced up to track in fourth in a four-wide path, while North American drilled fractions of :23.22 and :45.56 over the rain-drenched track. With about 600 meters to go, Zayas let Sharp Azteca roll to the lead and was a fistful of lengths clear past the quarter pole, though that advantage steadily shrunk a few hundred meters later. 

"(Zayas) moved way too early," a visibly upset Navarro said post-race. "That's what we talked about. That was the plan. Don't make a move too early. I knew I was in trouble ... but I got excited (in the stretch)."

Navarro narrowly missed winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) a year ago when X Y Jet fell a a nose short. The disappointment this time around had a different ring to it.

"I'm not broken-hearted at all. Last year I was broken-hearted," Navarro said. "This one—that (ride) cost me the race."

Irish-bred Stormardal suffered a fatal injury to his right front leg in the Godolphin Mile and had to be euthanized, according to the Emirates Racing Authority.