Racing: Curlin confirmed his reputation as the best racehorse on the planet with a scintillating performance in the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, the four-year-old won the Breeders' Cup Classic last October and has now proved to the rest of the world he is the real deal.
Given a confident ride by Robby Albarado, the 4-11 favourite never appeared in any trouble as he cruised to a seven-and-three-quarter-length victory over Mike De Kock's Asiatic Boy.
Albarado settled his mount just off the pace-setting Well Armed but when he set the Smart Strike colt alight in the home straight, the response was immediate.
Jalil never threatened to land a blow under Frankie Dettori, which compounded a miserable evening for the Godolphin team, who left Dubai World Cup night without a winner for a second consecutive year.
Asmussen said: "It's very exciting — he is a good horse. We had a great amount of faith in our animal. We had a lot of concerns about the draw, there are always concerns with everything.
"But as they say in racing, 'they (the bookmakers) are so sure of the outcome, they let you bet on it!"'
Winning rider Albarado admitted he enjoyed an armchair ride on board the mighty Curlin.
"He's such an amazing horse and I'm proud to be around him," enthused Albarado. "It went as well as expected — I was just a passenger, I just get all the glory. This is an unbelievable experience and I can't explain it.
"This is at the very top of the list."
Mike De Kock was gracious in defeat and accepted Asiatic Boy was always likely to be bested by Curlin.
"The best horse won," said the South African handler. "I was always honestly aiming for second but dreaming that we might win. Curlin would have had to have had an off-day for us to win.
"Second is as much as I could have expected, I knew we could finish in the top three."
Aaron Gryder, rider of third-placed Well Armed (66-1), said: "He ran fantastic and he broke well. He had horses on him the whole way and he rarely got a big breather, but at the same time he was relaxed throughout.
"He has such an efficient gallop, his stride is so efficient, he covers so much ground. When we turned for home, we were able to streak away a little. I saw Curlin on the outside of us and we were forced to settle for third. He is just a very good horse."