Cross Counter (Teofilo) made history last November when becoming the first British-trained horse, and the first to carry the Godolphin blue silks, to win the Melbourne Cup and on Saturday, 30 March, he made a winning return to the racecourse with victory in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
Never far from the pace under William Buick, Cross Counter was asked to quicken with two furlongs left to run and outbattled stablemate Ispolini (Dubawi) to win by a length and a quarter, with the pair well clear of the rest of the field.
Cross Counter, now four, won his only start at two. Last year, he ran out the dominant winner of the G3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood before finishing just a head behind Old Persian (Dubawi) in the G2 Great Voltigeur. His finest moment to date came in Australia’s most famous race, when he came with a devastating late run to win the Melbourne Cup.
Cross Counter is out of the Stakes-placed Kingmambo mare Waitress, herself a daughter of Group winner Do The Honours and from the family of Dubawi’s Group-winning son Brundtland.
Cross Counter is one of 16 G1 winners for Teofilo, who was also responsible for fellow top-flight victors Irishcorrespondent, Happy Clapper and Humidor in 2018.
Teofilo stands at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €40,000, Oct 1, SLF.
