DUBAI, March 25: Japan struck the first blow on Dubai World Cup day at Nad Al Sheba racecourse on Saturday with Utopia winning the Godolphin Mile. Yutake Take, who rides Kane Hekili in the meeting’s showpiece, the six million dollar World Cup, made all in the Group Two to beat local hope Win River Win.

The result was a timely boost for Kane Hekili’s chances in the world’s richest race later on the card as Utopia had come in third to Take’s big race mount in Tokyo last month.

Later the United States dominated the first of the night’s Group Ones filling the first four places in the Golden Shaheen sprint.

Proud Tower Too led the quartet home under a cool performance from the inexperienced 21-year-old David Cohen, who only rode his first winner in 2004.

“He’s run great and got the money,” beamed Cohen after beating Thor’s Echo to claim the two million dollar first prize.

The Group Two UAE Derby was won by Frankie Dettori on Discreet Cat, who like Dettori’s big race ride Electrocutionist, is trained by Saeed Bin Suroor for the Godolphin stable.

The three-year-old showed a blistering turn of foot to win comfortably from fast-finishing stablemate Testimony—AFP