Lines of Battle stamped his ticket to the Kentucky Derby when he took the lead at the top of the Meydan homestretch and held off late challenges from Elleval and Secret Number to win the $2,000,000 UAE Derby (UAE-II) by 1 1/2 lengths.
With Ryan Moore aboard, Lines of Battle broke well and soon settled into second place, right on the outside of Law Enforcement. Shuruq and Snowboarder were also close to the pace, while the American hopefuls He's Had Enough and Dice Flavor were toward the rear of the field. Favored Secret Number was dead last after being forced to steady early in the race.
As the horses made their way around the final turn, Snowboarder made a strong move to take command of the lead, but Lines of Battle quickly re-passed him and opened up a bit of an advantage. However, he began to drift out entering the final two hundred meters, allowing Elleval to rally through on the inside to challenge for the win. In the meantime, Secret Number was rallying rapidly on the extreme outside after finally securing racing room at the top of the stretch. However, neither colt could surpass Lines of Battle, who stayed on strongly in the final hundred meters to win the race by 1 1/2 lengths. The final time for 1,900 meters was 2:02.05 seconds.
Elleval held second by a half-length over Secret Number, while Snowboarder rounded out the superfecta. Dice Flavor and He's Had Enough never threatened, finishing eighth and eleventh, respectively.
Aidan O'Brien, the trainer of Lines of Battle, confirmed after the race that Lines of Battle would be pointed toward a start in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs: http://www.drf.com/news/uae-derby-kentucky-derby-likely-next-victorious-lines-battle
-Keelerman
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