Queen Azteca gets up just in time in UAE Oaks

Feb 21, 2025 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Queen Azteca nabs longtime leader Arigatou Gozaimasu in the UAE Oaks

Queen Azteca nabs longtime leader Arigatou Gozaimasu in the UAE Oaks (Photo by Dubai Racing Club)

An upset appeared to be brewing in Friday’s UAE Oaks (G3) when heavily favored Queen Azteca still had plenty of ground to make up down the stretch at Meydan. Then the 1-2 shot went into overdrive late, reeled in frontrunner Arigatou Gozaimasu in the final strides, and earned 50 points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Queen Azteca was bred in Kentucky, but you might say that she’s now the pride of Norway. Owned by Glaesner Racing APS and conditioned by top Norwegian trainer Niels Petersen, she could put Scandinavian racing on the mental map of U.S. fans if her connections decide to pursue the Kentucky Oaks.

“It’s a big racing scene here,” Petersen said of the Dubai Carnival, “and we come from little Norway, so to pull it off is a huge achievement. I think all of Scandinavia was cheering us on today.”

So were bettors all around the world. Queen Azteca’s bandwagon of supporters had grown substantially after her eight-length romp in the local prep, the Jan. 17 Cocoa Beach. The daughter of Sharp Azteca had routed nearly all of her Oaks rivals that day, and it took a leap of imagination to envision anyone improving enough to avenge such a comprehensive defeat.

But Arigatou Gozaimasu almost pulled off the massive form reversal. Usually headstrong on the pace, she had gone too fast early last time and wilted down the lane in third. While stepping up in distance to about 1 3/16 miles for the UAE Oaks seemed a bridge too far, Arigatou Gozaimasu did a much better job of controlling her early speed.

As Arigatou Gozaimasu again set up shop on the front end, Queen Azteca was reserved off the pace by regular rider Carlos Lopez. The favorite was within striking range much of the way, until Arigatou Gozaimasu gave them the slip turning for home.

Suddenly the longtime leader opened up a bigger lead in the stretch. Queen Azteca soon separated herself from the rest of the pack, but she still had quite a deficit to erase.

Just when time was running out, Arigatou Gozaimasu began to tire, and Queen Azteca started to close the gap. Gaining ground rapidly as they approached the wire, Queen Azteca swept past by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 2:00.43.

“It was a bit more stressful than I thought it would be!” Petersen said. “I didn’t think Arigatou would be the one to step up, after last time, but both fillies ran great races.

“From 50 meters out, I thought we had a good shot at it when Arigatou stopped a little, so maybe it looked easier than it was.”

Arigatou Gozaimasu banked 25 Oaks points in her gallant effort to stretch her stamina beyond its limit. She pulled 16 lengths clear of third-placer Taswaheen (15 points), who was followed by Salsabil Princess in fourth (10 points), Mistysea in fifth (five points), Ruby Hamilton, and Parisian Beauty. Reina Rosso was scratched.

Queen Azteca’s first black-type stakes victory advanced her record to 6-3-1-0. The bay started out in turf sprints, finishing fourth on debut at Norway’s Ovrevoll and sixth at Sweden’s Bro Park. She excelled on the switch to a metric mile on dirt at Jagersro, where she broke her maiden in a romp.

Wintering in Dubai, Queen Azteca rallied for second in an about seven-furlong conditions race on Dec. 10. She reiterated her preference for a route going back up to a metric mile in the Cocoa Beach and made it two in a row in the Oaks.

Bred by Three Chimneys Farm in the Bluegrass, Queen Azteca is out of Princesa Helena, a mare by the Curlin stallion Palace Malice. She traces to unbeaten Hall of Famer Personal Ensign via the multiple Grade 1-winning My Flag, heroine of the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Also at Meydan on Friday, UAE Derby (G2) candidates auditioned in the Al Bastakiya. Another dramatic finish ensued, but this time, the favorite couldn’t quite get up in time. Longshot Galactic Star just held off the even-money Heart of Honor by a head to spring a $46.20 upset.

Trained by Bhupat Seemar and ridden by Richard Mullen, Galactic Star ran more than a second faster than Queen Azteca when clocking the same about 1 3/16-mile distance in 1:59.33.

Galactic Star, from the first crop of late champion Improbable, was bred in Kentucky by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds. His dam (mother) is Stella’s Dream, by Pioneerof the Nile.

The Al Bastakiya serves as the main local stepping stone to the April 5 UAE Derby, the final stop on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. Other races this weekend will yield UAE Derby clues, especially the Saudi Derby (G3) on Saturday morning and the Hyacinth S. on the Japan Road late Saturday night.

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