Krypton Factor upsets Rocket Man in Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan
Rocket Man’s dominance scattered in the air at Meydan, outpaced by Krypton Factor in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on Saturday, March 31st.
Rocket Man stepped out in the middle as the 3-1 hot favourite.
No one was expecting him to be poised by any serious or concerning challenge, but Krypton Factor did it in style.
F. Nass’s trainee tracked the leaders in the early hours, and even though he was not thought to be a threat earlier, in the last few moments, he perked up his speed significantly, and as a result, gained a decent lead inside the final 100 yards.
He finished well to grab an easy 2¼ lengths' victory over the most preferred runner, Rocket Man.
A cash prize of £774,193.55 was given to him for his amazing performance, winning the race.
The rider, Kieren Fallon, was delighted to see Krypton Factor upsetting his senior rival.
Fallon said after the race:
"Fawzi [Nass, trainer] has just got him to improve and improve since he came from Sir Mark Prescott's. He gets better and is tough and wants to win for you. He was equal on figures to Rocket Man and I knew there was more in the tank. This is the biggest meeting in the world and it's been a few years since I had a winner here so I'm delighted."
It was definitely an embarrassing outcome for Rocket Man's fans, that came to Meydan pursuing a classy success in early March. In the hands of F. Coetzee, the Patrick Shaw-trained at one stage was in great position to grab the glory.
However, he could not maintain high standards inside the final few furlongs and was surpassed by the champion. Although he was unable to resist against Krypton Factor’s fire, he managed to secure second slot by a couple of lengths. He was given £258,064.52, the cash prize allocated for the runner-up.
Lucky Nine ended up third, whereas Hitchens and Giant Ryan respectively finished fourth and fifth on the chart. Bob Baffert’s trainee, The Factor, missed fifth spot by a head distance.
Expressing disappointment over his colt’s not-so-impressive show, Bob Baffert tweeted:
"Poor Factor ran so flat tonight. Pretty tired. Wasn't his day. They put on a great show here."
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