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Queen Azteca delivered a masterclass in determination to land the Gr.3 UAE Oaks at Meydan on Thursday evening, giving Norwegian handler Niels Petersen a landmark victory in the DP World-sponsored contest.
The 1900m dirt contest witnessed a thrilling finish as Carlos Lopez's mount found her stride late, reeling in pacesetter Arigatou Goziamasu in the closing stages to prevail by just under a length.
Petersen, a 13-time champion trainer in Norway, said: "It was a bit more stressful than I thought it would be! I didn't think Arigatou would be the one to step up, after last time, but both fillies ran great races.
"From 50 metres out, I thought we had a good shot at it when Arigatou stopped a little, so maybe it looked easier than it was."
The official feature saw Choisya maintain her excellent form in the Gr.2 Balanchine Stakes, outpointing hot favourite Cinderella's Dream from the Charlie Appleby yard in a quality renewal. Mickael Barzalona's mount, trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, added this prize to her earlier Gr.2 Cape Verdi success.
"Today there was much more pace early on," reported Barzalona. "I was happy to sit in just behind the leaders. When we hit the straight, I asked her to pick up and she did so very well."
The Crisfords doubled up when Magnum Opus landed the DP World Logistics Handicap under a perfectly-timed Pat Dobbs ride, denying Folk Festival in the 1800m turf contest.
9YO Dubai Future rolled back the years in spectacular fashion, providing Saeed bin Suroor with a welcome return to the Meydan winner's enclosure in the Gr.3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy. Silvestre De Sousa's mount swept past rivals for a commanding four-and-a-half-length success.
"He had a little bit of a setback last year which is why he didn't run," explained bin Suroor. "I didn't want to lead with him today as it was his first time back after a break, so I told him to go in behind."
In the Listed Al Bastakiya, Galactic Star secured UAE Derby credentials when holding off British raider Heart Of Honor by a neck for trainer Bhupat Seemar and jockey Richie Mullen.
Classic City dominated the DP World GCC Handicap for trainer Ernst Oertel, giving Alexandre Da Silva his first Meydan success when powering clear by six and a quarter lengths from Elraaed.
Earlier, Expert Choice provided Julio Olascoaga with another winner in the Mina Rashid Handicap under Jim Crowley, while the concluding Jebel Ali Port Handicap went to progressive sprinter Smart System for Ali Al Badwawi and Connor Beasley.
Meydan returns next Saturday with the Emirates Super Saturday card, featuring key Dubai World Cup day trials.