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March 1, 2005


BECRUX RECEIVES INVITATION TO $2-MILLION UAE DERBY,
COLT’S HANDICAP RATING RETURNS TO HIGH LEVEL IN DUBAI


Becrux led all the way and was
coasting in the final furlong.
The Becrux juggernaut, temporarily derailed when he was beaten 23 lengths in his desert debut, is back on track, as the Emirates Racing Association has extended an invitation for the Italian Champion to participate in the March 26 renewal of the $2-million UAE Derby in Dubai.

Trainer Mike de Kock has won the last two renewals of the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 event with Victory Moon and Lundy’s Liability.

Now best in 5 of 7 career outings, Becrux is owned by Team Valor, Scuderia Siba and Gary Barber. He arrived in Dubai as a winner of 4 races in a row, followed by a poor effort in the Group 1 Gran Criterium, in which he failed to handle the deep going.

First time out in Dubai, he was favored to win the Group 3 UAE Two Thousand Guineas. After leading for a half-mile, he stopped suddenly and fell back.

Last Friday he returned against substantially similar opposition, went right to the front, opened up a couple lengths after a quarter mile, stretched it to 4 lengths around the turn and found himself 7 lengths on top as he coasted to the wire.

Emirates Racing Association uses its official ratings on each horse to pre-qualify them for certain races during the season. Becrux began the campaign at 102 based on his grass races. After his initial race, he was assigned a 95 for the dirt.

Following his victory last week, the son of Glen Jordan was elevated to 102, placing him 2 pounds below Stagelight, who had won the Grade 3 UAE Two Thousand Guineas in a romp by 3 lengths, leaving Becrux languishing down the track.


Lisa-Jane Moeran, representing Team Valor
leads Becrux to the Winners' Circle.
As of this morning, Becrux is rated by Timeform at 104, with Stagelight 105, confirming what Mike de Kock said after the conditions victory by Becrux last Friday, when the saddler of the last two winners of the race said "He's a big galloping horse who has been working well at home. We have him in the Derby and that form suggests he would have a chance.”

To give readers an example of how impressed the Dubai racing officials were with the victory of Becrux, one can note that Sheik Rashid bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s Parole Board, who had been beaten less than a length by Stage light at the start of the Dubai Racing Carnival and came back on Thursday to win handily by 4 ½ lengths, is rated at 98.

Becrux will not race again prior to the UAE Derby, whereas Saturday several Derby hopefuls will prep in the $150,000 Al Bastakiya in Dubai.

Team Valor is convinced the difference between the first and second race for Becrux was the colt’s ability to handle the course. “You know, he never even breezed on it when he ran the first time, because Mike de Kock took him over to a different track, as the Nad al Sheba course was playing too deep and slow.

“Well, if one thing has emerged from this year’s meeting it is that a race over the track is crucial.

“When that colt of ours got into his rhythm around the turn, you could tell he was long gone.”

Team Valor acquired Becrux because it believed he had a chance to transfer his class to the dirt, as his pedigree has several influences of horses that have excelled or sired horses that have excelled on dirt.

Sires in the third generation of his pedigree are Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew and Persian Bold. The last named never ran on dirt, but he hails from the sire line of 8-time North American list leader Bold Ruler and this Irish-based stallion was noted for his production in the United States on dirt.

Becrux hails from a family developed in Kentucky by the late C. V. Whitney. The colt's third dam, Bag of Tunes, won the Kentucky Oaks and was a half-sister to Court Recess, winner of the Gulfstream Park Handicap.


Becrux distorts the finish-line photo despite slowing down near the wire.