Brad Cox will be the trainer of Kabirkhan (California Chrome), who was transported to the United States after winning his first three runs in Kazakhstan and the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge in Dubai.
Agent Nadir Khassanov paid $12,000 for Kabirkhan at the 2021 Keeneland September sale, and the horse was transferred to Kazakhstan, which has roughly 300 horses and one racetrack. After breaking slowly, he broke his maiden in a three-horse race at Almaty Hippodrome.
The chestnut, owned by Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev, won his next two races in Kazakhstan with such ease that it was obvious no horse in that nation could match him. He was true to his name. Khan is Kazakh meaning king, and Kabir is Arabic for powerful or magnificent. However, following those three races in Kazakhstan, his total profits came to $3,458.
With the intention of seeking larger rewards, the connections shipped the colt to Russia. There, he won five straight races before finishing second in the Russian Derby against Hero Mo (Mo Town), ending his winning run.
Doug Watson trained him in Dubai, his next destination. He beat the same Hero Mo who had beaten him in Russia in a handicap race on his debut there. He triumphed in the $1 million Al Maktoum Challenge after that.
“He might be the best mile and a quarter horse I've ever trained,” noted Watson. “We'll see what the owners want to do next, but I'm glad he's in our yard. I'm delighted for our team, [jockey] Pat [Dobbs] and of course everybody in Kazakhstan.”
When Kabirkhan placed a distant ninth in the G1 Dubai World Cup, the fairy story took a turn for the worse.
Kabirkhan was transported to WinStar Farm in the United States to adjust himself to American life after the World Cup. According to Cox, he arrived at his Churchill Downs barn on Sunday.
“I just got him,” he stated. “He's a big, good-looking horse. All we've done with him so far is to gallop him for a couple of days. I've had a couple of conversations with the owner, who seems like a nice fellow. I am looking forward to getting this horse up and going.”
Cox said he hasn't made up his mind about where or when to launch Kabirkhan's U.S. campaign.
“I just want to see how he moves forward over the next week or so,” the trainer remarked. “It's like a big puzzle. You're hoping you can put it together. Based on what we have in our barn in the division, I think we'll have a pretty good idea of what we have before we run him. Obviously, I have to get to know the horse and what his tendencies are and how he is as a work horse. We can work him with some of the better older horses we have and that will give us a good line on where he stacks up. It will be interesting.”