Heart's Cry steals the Sheema show

Japanese star HEART'S CRY (Sunday Silence) solidified his status as a

world-class performer with a decisive 4 1/4-length victory in the $5 million

Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) at Nad al Sheba on Saturday. Under a clever ride

by Christophe Lemaire, the five-year-old bay took the early lead that no one

else wanted. Once allowed to saunter through splits of :27 1/5, :53 and 1:19,

Heart's Cry had plenty left in the stretch and powered clear to finish the about

1 1/2-mile event in 2:31 4/5 on good to firm turf.

The forwardly placed Collier Hill (Dr. Devious) delivered a futile challenge

to the winner in the upper lane but kept on stoutly for the place, 1 1/4 lengths

ahead of the closing Falstaff (Montjeu [Ire]). Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross

[Ire]) and Alexander Goldrun (Gold Away [Ire]) also closed mildly from well back

for fourth and fifth, respectively. Alayan (Sri Pekan), Layman (Sunday Silence),

Norse Dancer (Halling), the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Mustanfar (Unbridled),

Punch Punch (Aksar), Oracle West (Western Winter), the Christophe

Clement-trained Relaxed Gesture (Ire) (Indian Ridge), Greys Inn (Zabeel) and

Shanty Star (Hector Protector) rounded out the order of finish.

"I am really excited," winning trainer Kojiro Hashiguchi said. "Heart's Cry

was very good, so I brought him to Dubai. If I had no confidence, I would not

have come here. In last year's Arima Kinen (Jpn-G1), one of the biggest races in

Japan, he was very strong (referring to his defeating the previously unbeaten

Triple Crown winner Deep Impact [Sunday Silence]). But now, he is stronger than

then."

Heart's Cry improved his scorecard to 17-5-4-2 with a bankroll of $7,903,691.

Although the Shadai Race Horse Company colorbearer took a while to break through at Group 1 level, he came close

several times with runner-up efforts. As a three-year-old, he was second in the

Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (Jpn-G1), and last year at four, he lost two

narrowly, going down by a neck in the Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-G1) and then losing

a nailbiting photo-finish in the Japan Cup (Jpn-G1). Heart's Cry finally scored

at the highest level in the Arima Kinen.

Out of multiple Japanese stakes victress Irish Dance (Tony Bin), Heart's Cry

comes from the family of four-time American Grade 1 queen Stella Madrid (Alydar),

who is herself the dam of Diamond Biko (Sunday Silence), Japan's champion older

mare in 2002.