Breeders' Cup Winner Bentornato Heads to Dubai Golden Shaheen, Departing March 13

Trainer Jose D’Angelo said Bentornato, owned by Leon King Stable (Leon King Stable Corp.) alongside Michael and Jules (or Julia) Iavarone, is set to ship March 13 for the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse on March 28. The Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner has been breezing at Palm Meadows since mid-January and is being campaigned with an international target in mind; D’Angelo said, “Bentornato is doing great. I’m very happy with his [last] workout. We are planning to leave for Dubai on the 13th.”

Bentornato’s recent work pattern underlines the plan: a half-mile in 47.90 seconds on Feb. 14 that ranked second-fastest among 67 horses at Palm Meadows. The 47.90 effort follows a return to form that included a win in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes on Sep. 13 at Churchill Downs before his last-out Breeders’ Cup Sprint success. The colt is listed with the sire Valiant Minister in pedigree notation, and D’Angelo framed the Dubai campaign as part of a broader season push: “I’m very happy with them. I’m sure that they’re going to have a good year. Hopefully we can get the trophy here from Dubai.”

Stablemate Shisospicy presents a contrasting storyline of recovery and caution. The 4-year-old Mitole filly, campaigned by Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing and described as the South Florida-based champion female sprinter of 2025, recovered from an infection that forced connections to skip a planned trip to Saudi Arabia last weekend. D’Angelo reported, “Shisospicy, she’s perfect now,” while tempering expectations for immediate international travel: “I don't think that we have enough time to prepare in the way that we would like to go to Dubai, so we are on standby with her.” Shisospicy’s 2025 ledger includes five wins from seven starts, notably an allowance optional claiming at Gulfstream Park, the Limestone Stakes at Keeneland, the Mamzelle Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs, the Music City Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs, and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) against males at Del Mar on Nov. 1, 2025.

Logistics for the Golden Shaheen are now clear: Meydan Racecourse hosts the G1 1, with a $2 million purse and a March 28 race date, and D’Angelo’s March 13 departure plan sets an operational timeline for quarantine, travel and final entries. Connections have not confirmed which horses will travel on that flight, and Shisospicy remains a conditional addition while she completes her recovery.

Beyond the immediate campaign, Bentornato’s transatlantic tilt underscores commercial currents in sprinting - a Breeders’ Cup winner shipping for a $2 million race increases international visibility for owners Leon King Stable and the Iavarones, and gives Gulfstream-trained sprinters a global stage. For D’Angelo’s stable, the Meydan target is both a sporting test and a business opportunity; a strong showing would enhance Bentornato’s record and the stable’s profile on the worldwide sprint circuit.