Platinum Warrior Aims to Come Up Golden at Meydan

Southern California-based Platinum Warrior could become the first United States-based horse to win the $1.5 million Dubai Gold Cup Presented by Al Tayer Motors (G2) when he lines up against some of the world's top distance horses March 30 at Meydan Racecourse.

In fact, since the 3,200-meter (about two-mile) turf race was added to the Dubai World Cup card in 2018, only one U.S.-based runner has even started: Run Time, who finished 13th last year for trainer Mike Maker.

Yuesheng Zhang's Platinum Warrior will enter Saturday night's test in good form after posting a three-quarter-length victory in the Feb. 9 San Marcos Stakes (G2T) on the Santa Anita Park turf. The San Marcos is contested at 1 1/4 miles, the same distance of the other stakes win for the son of Galileo that came in last year's Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes (G3) at the Curragh.

Michael Donohoe, who manages the racing stable for Zhang, noted the laid-back personality of Platinum Warrior helps him handle travel and should benefit him in the two-mile test, the longest effort of his career. He said after this race Platinum Warrior will return to John Sadler at Santa Anita with a long-term goal of the 1 1/2-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) this fall at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

"He loves it at Santa Anita, and with the Breeders' Cup in our own backyard, it makes sense," Donohoe said.

Zhang is from China, and he's begun to campaign some horses in the U.S. His worldwide operation includes some 20 horses in training in Australia, where he also has a pair of farms and about 40 broodmares; 25 horses training in Ireland, where he also has broodmares; and horses in France, Singapore, and South Korea.

Platinum Warrior is Zhang's first U.S. graded stakes winner. He also won last year's Getaway Day Stakes at Emerald Downs with Yulong Warrior, a colt trained in the U.S. by Doug O'Neill. Before being moved to the U.S., Yulong Warrior won last year's Al Bastakiya Sponsored by Emirates.com at Meydan and finished off the board in the UAE Derby Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2).

As for Zhang adding more horses in the U.S., Donohoe noted: "He's dipped his toe there and has had some success, so hopefully we'll have a couple more."