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| Staff Writer |
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The Listed Al Khail Trophy witnessed Siskany, a classy stayer, triumph for the third time at Meydan. The Dubawi 6YO had earlier won this race in 2022 and went on to win the 2023 Gr.3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy. In his only other course appearance, the stayer was beaten by a neck in the Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup Night last year.
Siskany started off by being held up in eighth by William Buick, and then began to make subtle progress after being switched out while passing the two-furlong pole. Approaching the final furlong, Al Nayyir took a clear lead and looked to be in a position to keep his rivals at bay, but Siskany made a late surge to win by a short-head verdict.
Winning trainer Charlie Appleby said, “Siskany’s track record at Meydan speaks for itself. It was a race where they went a bit slow and it turned into a slight sprint, but he was the class horse in the field and it’s good to see him back to winning ways.”
William Buick said, “Siskany is such a lovely horse and has been well managed by the team. He has been a pleasure to deal with since day one. “He was quite fresh early on, with the pace not being overly strong, and I was conscious of him not using up too much energy.
“Once he hits top gear, he knuckles down and really wants it, and he showed that again today.”