DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Pleasantly Perfect won a stirring duel in the desert with Medaglia d'Oro and captured Saturday's $6 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race.

As expected, racing's top two older horses hooked up in the stretch, with Pleasantly Perfect giving trainer Richard Mandella his first World Cup win after three runner-up finishes.

Medaglia d'Oro, gallant in defeat, finished second yet again to Pleasantly Perfect. The last time was five months ago, when Pleasantly Perfect won the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic -- America's richest race.

"I didn't shut my eyes, but I did a lot of praying,'' Mandella said. "I'd just as soon it was a lot easier.''

Pleasantly Perfect earned even more money for Gerald J. Ford's Diamond A Racing Corp., in winning the 2,000-meter (nearly 1 1/4-miles) race at the Nad al Sheba track. First prize was $3.6 million, boosting the 6-year-old horse's earnings to $6.7 million.

Fleetstreet Dancer set the early pace, with Medaglia d'Oro at his flank and Pleasantly Perfect in close pursuit heading into the turn.

In the stretch, Medaglia d'Oro, with Jerry Bailey aboard, moved into the lead. But Alex Solis urged on Pleasantly Perfect, and the two went stride-for-stride until Mandella's horse pulled ahead in the final yards and won by three-quarters of a length.

"It was a dogfight all the way down the stretch,'' Solis said. "I wanted to make sure Medaglia d'Oro didn't get away from me, he tried to come back but luckily I had enough in my hand. When I cracked him 100 meters to the post he took off again ... he looks so beautiful, he's shiny and happy.''

Victory Moon, winner of last year's UAE Derby, was third. Grand Hombre, the hometown favorite owned by Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin Racing, was fourth in the 12-horse field.

Bailey had nothing but praise for Medaglia d'Oro.

"It was a great race ... he ran his heart out tonight and you got to tip your head to the other horse,'' Bailey said.

Mandella is riding the most successful run of his Hall of Fame career. At the Breeders' Cup in Santa Anita on Oct. 25, he set a record with four winners, including a sweep of the 2-year-old races with Action This Day and Halfbridled. And now he's training the world's best older horse.

The trainer wasn't sure he'd make it to Dubai after having to scratch Pleasantly Perfect from the Santa Anita Handicap earlier this month due to a slight fever that passed within hours.

"I held my breath and I prayed I wasn't doing the wrong thing by pushing to get here, and here we are,'' Mandella said.

Mandella's runner-up finishes in the World Cup came with Soul of the Matter in 1996, Siphon in 1997 and Malek in 1999.

The World Cup was the highlight of a six-race program totaling $15.25 million in purses.