Geldings Battle to Wire in Dubai Duty Free

The older geldings Jim and Tonic and Fairy King Prawn ran by the great New Zealand mare Sunline and fought to the finish in the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-II) on the World Cup card at Nad al Sheba racecourse. At the end, it was Jim and Tonic on top as the 7-year-old French-bred posted his 11th victory in his 30th career start. Previous to the Duty Free, the gelding trained by Francois Doumen was third in the Hong Kong Cup (HK-I) in December.

Sunline, a globe-trotting mare who could have become the first Australasian runner to reach the AUS$10-million earnings mark, took the lead down the backstretch and appeared headed to victory before being overtaken by the top two. She held on for third.

"Being 7 years old, he doesn't need as much work as before," Doumen said. "He's a real professional and runs like a professional."

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