MICHAEL Stoute enjoyed his finest hour as a trainer when lifting the Dubai World Cup for Britain with the globe-trotting Singspiel at Nad Al Sheba yesterday.
He completed an amazing run of big-race triumphs from around the world by adding the richest prize in racing, the $4 million desert spectacular in the colours of the event's creator Sheikh Mohammed.
Stoute's haul since last September has included the Canadian International, Breeders' Cup Turf and the Japan Cup, two of those achieved with Singspiel.
But he rose supremely to his latest challenge to convert the five-year-old from top-class turf horse to a world-beater on grass and dirt, establishing Singspiel as Europe's biggest ever money winner with a near £3.5 million haul.
Singspiel, brilliantly ridden by Cigar's jockey Jerry Bailey, was produced on the inside to strike the front over a furlong out and beat favourite Siphon by one and a quarter lengths, with Sandpit a length and a half back in third.
But half a mile back the Japanese mare Hokuta Vega lay prone on the track, having broken her near fore fetlock when she clipped heels. She was later destroyed.
Bijou d'Inde was brought down as he attempted to jump her, giving Jason Weaver a heavy fall. Weaver, believed to have broken some teeth, was taken to hospital for precautionary x-rays as well as Hokuta Vega's jockey Norihiro Yokoyama, but neither are thought to be seriously hurt.
Stoute, who sent Singspiel to acclimatise in Dubai in January, paid tribute to his backroom team as he savoured "one of the greatest thrills of my career
"This is a wonderful moment. I owe an awful lot to John Cork, Greville Starkey and Kevin Bradshaw who have looked after Singspiel out here and I must congratulate Singspiel for his versatility.
"We felt he was handling the surface and the kickback well in training. But you can't have a rehearsal for what happened out there tonight. But on his distaff side, he's all dirt."
Singspiel's victory was just reward for the Sheikh who had the courage to cancel Saturday's event when racing was washed out by torrential and re-stage it five days later.
But the weather was perfect for today's event, to which a massive local audience of 35,000 flocked.
"I've won some great races but to win the big race in my own country is a great thing and I am very happy to win the Dubai World Cup," said a delighted Sheikh Mohammed.
"I hope this proves to the Europeans that even grass horses can do it on dirt. It is always hard to beat the Americans and this is a great surprise, a pleasant surprise.
Singspiel's victory now opens up a host of options with the top mile and a quarter to mile and a half prizes at his mercy.
Yet he could so easily have been running for Godolphin but when Sheikh Mohammed came to view the colt in Newmarket he chose Annus Mirabilis in preference.
"This is never a moment to consider what to do next but we will get him home now and give him a break," Stoute added. "The Sheikh did pick Annus Mirabilis but I am always a diplomat in those situations.
Amencan Jerry Bailey who rode Cigar to victory last year and rode two other winners on the card, was selected for Singspiel because both Gary Stevens and Frankie Dettori had other commitments.
