Finally Feelin’ Some Love (Or is that Pity) for Love Dubai

It’s never pleasing to see a horse plummeting through conditions, so it is with no pleasure that I happened upon the current state of Love Dubai. Who, you may ask?

As a three-year-old last year, his then-owners Equirace.com—in a pathetic attempt to quickly acquire enough earnings towards making the Kentucky Derby field—ran him in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes, exactly one week after he had finished dead last (way, way, WAY back) in the G2 Illinois Derby. He trailed the entire way again in the Blue Grass. They subsequently switched him to turf, but he failed again to place in the G3 Colonial Turf Cup, G2 Virginia Derby, and G3 Hawthorne Derby.

The E Dubai colt has bounced from turf to artificial surfaces over the past year, dropping from graded stakes company (where he was horribly outclassed) to allowance optional claiming (non-winners of 3 lifetime) to outright claiming where, on December 3, he won his first race in well over a year. On Thursday at Turfway Park (race 4), Love Dubai is in for a $5,000 tag again, running for Leemington Stable. Let’s hope now that he has hit near bottom he can string together some wins, gain confidence, and maybe move up once more.

UPDATE (12/18): As the even-money favorite, Love Dubai finished second, 3-1/4 lengths behind the 6-1 third choice Kite Falcon. Earned: $1,600. Unclaimed.