Moonwalk in Paris gamely charged through a gap and up the rail for a convincing two-length win in the $200,000 Firebreak Stakes Presented by Range Rover (UAE-II) Feb. 14 at Meydan.
Making his first start in Dubai for Godolphin and trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni, the former French-owned and trained runner took charge from front-runner Elderly Paradise to lead at the 300-meter mark and outfinished stablemate Fulbright in a one-two finish for Godolphin. Barbecue Eddie, winner of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (UAE-II) last month, finished third.
Ridden by Ahmed Ajtebi, Moonwalk in Paris covered 1,600 meters (about one mile) in 1:36.39 for his first victory since capturing the Prix Edmund Blanc (Fr-III) last April at Saint Cloud for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. He was sent off at 7-to-1 odds in North American pools hosted by Kentucky-based AmWest Entertainment.
The 5-year-old Oratorio gelding was ready to fire after following up his half-length win in the Edmund Blanc with three placings in group stakes. He began with a runner-up finish in the Prix du Chemin de fur du Nord (Fr-III) in June at Chantilly, followed by a third in the Prix Messidor (Fr-III) in June at Chantilly, and entered the Firebreak off a runner-up effort in the Prix Quincey (Fr-III) in August at Deauville. He easily held back Fulbright, who came in off a dead heat for third in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 behind Barbecue Eddie and Out of Bounds.
Barbecue Eddie, the 4-to-1 co-second choice with Daddy Long Legs, finished a neck back in third in the 14-horse field while Out of Bounds, the 5-to-2 favorite, had no rally in a 10th-place finish.
Coolmore's Daddy Long Legs, last year's United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-II) winner and a hopeful for the 2013 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), could not improve on his early position in mid-division and finished 13th.
English-bred Moonwalk in Paris, who is out of the Singspiel mare Shining Glory, has five wins, five seconds, and a third from 12 career starts.
