It wasn't the one they expected, but in the end, a horse earned a ticket to Louisville and the Kentucky Derby with a win halfway across the world in the Arabic nation of Dubai.

Blues and Royals, a son of Honour and Glory, captured the $2 million UAE Derby at Nad al Sheba Racecourse on Saturday night by an impressive and surprising 12 lengths. The win for the US-bred colt, owned by the ruling Maktoum family's Godolphin Stable, came at the expense of stablemate Shamardal, champion European 2-year-old last year and thought to be Godolphin's best prospect for the Kentucky Derby now less than 6 six weeks away.

Simon Crisford, stable manager for Godolphin, indicated Blues and Royals, a half-brother to American stakes winner Limehouse, would now be pointed for the Kentucky Derby and would likely not run again in between. Crisford, like trainer Saeed bin Suroor and the rest of the Godolphin camp, was obviously pleased with the result but disappointed in the poor performance of the previously undefeated Shamardal.

"We thought he had the breeding for the dirt," Suroor said after the race. "And that he deserved the chance to try, but the other horse had already proven his quality."

"I could just never get him to settle," said champion jockey Frankie Dettori who was aboard Shamardal. "I'm obviously disappointed."

Making his stakes debut, his first start of the year and his first try on the dirt and past seven furlongs, Blues and Royals was ridden to victory by 24-year-old Kerrin McEvoy, Godolphin's second-string rider behind Dettori. Previously, McEvoy had captured several major international events, including the Melbourne Cup. Blues and Royals settled off the pace early, which was set by Gypsy Johnny and Shamardal, then advanced at the top of the 3-furlong stretch to take command on the inside and win drawing away. He completed the about one and one-eighth mile distance in 1:50.05 on a night that did not yield many quick times and returned $103.80 to his US backers although gambling is not permitted in Dubai.

Marenostrum, a Brazilian-bred 4-year-old by North American standards, finished second in the UAE Derby for trainer Bobby Frankel, 1-1/2 lengths in front of another Maktoum-owned sophomore, Parole Board.

The win was one of three victories for horses bred in the United States on the seven-race program, a race card that offered six Thoroughbred events, over $16 million in purses and was contested at night, under the desert skies. Earlier in the program, Saratoga County ran his win streak to four straight with a triumph in the Dubai Golden Shaheen sprint for trainer George Weaver. The colt's win streak began last fall at Churchill Downs. The pinnacle of the dramatic evening came in the final and richest event, when Churchill Downs based Roses in May captured the $6 million Dubai World Cup for Kentuckians Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Dale Romans, a win both Romans and Ramsey described as the biggest and most meaningful in their careers and lives.

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