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| Rowan Anderson |
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The Group Three Dubawi Stakes is all about legacy.
Run over 1200 metres this year’s edition will take place this Friday night at Meydan after first being contested at Group 3 level in 2018.
Dubai Millennium was a talented colt who finished his career with nine wins from ten starts and $4.4 million in race winnings.
His major wins included the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1999), Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 (2000) and the Dubai World Cup in the same year.
As a sire he produced several winners with his most notable progeny being Dubawi himself out of the great racing mare Zomaradah.
Dubawi was undefeated as a two-year-old winning the Group Three Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and the Group One National Stakes at the Curragh.
He has gone on to be a respected and successful sire for Sheikh Mohammed and the Godolphin powerhouse having produced some notable race winners.
These included Dubawi Heights (Gamely Stakes, Yellow Ribbon Stakes), Lucky Nine (Hong Kong Sprint, 2 x KrisFlyer International Sprint), Monterosso (Dubai World Cup), Postponed (King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Dubai Sheema Classic, International Stakes) and Modern Games (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Woodbine Mile, Breeders' Cup Mile).
This years running has 16 entries and three stand at the top as potential favourites to watch.
The first is the highest rated from the field being Switzerland (114) who is returning to the track for the season after winning the Group One Dubai Golden Shaheen last March and the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint.
In his win in the Sprint race, he thumped the other five competitors in the field winning by close to ten lengths with Tadhg O’Shea on board.
Prepared by Bhupat Seemar for owners RRR Racing the 9YO gelded son of Speightstown looks very fresh and ready to go.
“The old man is looking good. Hopefully he still has the spark, I can see it on the track and he is doing good,” Seemar told Racing Dubai.
“We had him for a year and got to know his habits and quirks and that really helped.”
“The plan will be to either send him to Saudi or keep him here – we will see after his run in the Dubawi Stakes.”
Former Australian trainer prepares the 5YO Mouheeb who backs up from winning the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint 25 days ago.
He will try to make it two straight wins and will line up against Tuz in the Stakes who ran second to him last start.
Mouheeb also won the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas in 2021.
Doug Watson trains the 8YO Canvassed, who ran fifth in the Al Garhoud Sprint with Mouheeb taking victory on that occasion but has a Group Three Mahab Al Shimaal to his name, winning in March 2021.
With this field, the pace is sure to be fast, which is guaranteed if this trio has their way.