Tag Archive for: Dubai Honour

Dubai Honour third as Warrior steals show in QEII

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British raider Dubai Honour had to make do with minor honours in third as Romantic Warrior successfully defended his crown in the FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin.

Following a successful winter in Australia with Group One wins in the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, the William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour headed for the Far East bidding to become the first British-trained winner in Hong Kong in over 10 years.

The five-year-old had run at Sha Tin before, finishing a close-up fourth in the 2021 Hong Kong Cup, and having seemingly taken his form to another level this year Haggas had high hopes his charge could provide him with a maiden Hong Kong success.

Ridden by Tom Marquand, Dubai Honour moved nicely in midfield for much of the 10-furlong contest and appeared well positioned behind local favourite Romantic Warrior.

However, he was ultimately unable to go with the brilliant winner and while he stayed on admirable, he was also narrowly beaten to the runner-up spot by Prognosis.

Haggas said: “I’m not putting it up as an excuse, but Tom said the gallop was a bit slow and the ground was a bit quick for him.”

Romantic Warrior, who since his success of 12 months ago had also added the Hong Kong Cup to his impressive CV, was bidding to bounce back to winning ways after being beaten in his last two races by Hong Kong legend Golden Sixty – who earlier in the day had won his third Champions Mile.

On the strength of that form Danny Shum’s five-year-old was a hot favourite to make it back-to-back QEII wins and a jubilant James McDonald was able to stand up in the stirrups and salute the crowd before passing the post, such was his dominance at the line.

McDonald, who is now three from three aboard Romantic Warrior, said: “He’s such a beautiful horse. He’s electric out of the gates and is a push button operator with a great will to win.

“He is so relaxed and put on a spectacular performance. His Hong Kong Cup win in December was huge and will be hard to replicate but he was just perfect today – he’s a star.”

Romantic Warrior proved too good for Dubai Honour at Sha Tin
Romantic Warrior proved too good for Dubai Honour at Sha Tin (Neil Morrice/PA)

Shum added: “I’m a bit relieved to be honest and I would like to thank my stable team and especially Gary Lau his work rider.

“Before his last run the vets had to look at him as he developed a mild fever and since then I’ve checked him every morning.

“I’m now keen to take him to Japan for a first start there in October.”

Marquand relishing Hong Kong challenge with Dubai Honour

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Tom Marquand is eagerly looking forward to teaming up with Dubai Honour in Sunday’s QEII Cup at Sha Tin following his Australian exploits.

The William Haggas-trained five-year-old has taken his form to new heights this year, winning two Group Ones to emulate his former stablemate Addeybb.

In beating the now-retired Anamoe on his most recent outing, Dubai Honour announced himself on the world stage, displaying a turn of foot that should stand him in good stead this weekend.

Marquand missed his first win in the Ranvet Stakes with a shoulder injury, but was back on board in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes when defeat never looked likely.

“He did what he did in Australia and was pretty exceptional over there. It looks like he’s taken the journey to Hong Kong really well and the updates I’m getting from there are that he looks great and everything has gone to plan so far,” said Marquand.

“I think he is a horse that has just come of age recently. William was very keen on the idea that he hadn’t had him as well as he has him now for a while.”

This will not be Dubai Honour’s first appearance at Sha Tin, as he ran with great credit in December 2021 to be beaten just a length and a half behind Japan’s Loves Only You in the Hong Kong Cup.

“His previous Hong Kong run was a big run, but you’d like to think if he can replicate his Australian form that would put him even a few lengths closer,” said Marquand.

“The ground will be a bit different to what he had in Australia but it wasn’t as slow as it looked like it was going to be that day, it was probably only good to soft ground, by our standards anyway.”

On what has been responsible for him seemingly taking his form to a new level, Marquand suggests a slight change in tactics may be the reason.

He said: “I think the way we ride him now has brought about a change. The day he finished second in the Champion Stakes, James (Doyle) dropped him in because we had Addeybb that day who went forward and he showed that turn of foot, but that was on bottomless ground.

“To be honest, we’ve been riding him close enough (to the pace) until he went back to Australia, where he has really shown a finishing kick. I think that was down to the way we rode him.

“It doesn’t look as if there are going to be too many runners at the weekend so hopefully we can do a similar thing.”

Flaming Rib will be better suited going around a bend
Flaming Rib will be better suited going around a bend (Tim Goode/PA)

Marquand has also picked up the ride on Hugo Palmer’s Flaming Rib in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

Impressive at Doha on his penultimate run, he was well beaten in Dubai subsequently but Marquand hopes the track layout will be in his favour this time.

“Going around a bend will be in his favour. He won in Qatar really well and he performs to a good level,” said Marquand, who will be riding him for the first time.

“Obviously he has to take on some very good sprinters, but hopefully he can put in a career best and go close.

“I fly Friday night, I’m back in Ireland on Monday and then probably Yarmouth Tuesday so it’s an in-and-out job!”

Haggas raises Australian satellite yard idea, as Dubai Honour wins again

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William Haggas said he was “pretty keen” to set up a base in Australia after watching Dubai Honour blitz the field to provide him with a third win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in the past four years.

Haggas was unable to be on course for either of Addeybb’s victories in one of Australia’s premier 10-furlong races due to the Covid pandemic, so he was keen to be there to watch Dubai Honour – especially after the gelding had won the Ranvet Stakes so impressively prior to it.

With Tom Marquand back in the saddle having returned from injury, Haggas will have been content throughout as he watched his jockey track Godolphin’s prolific Group One winner Anamoe into the straight.

And when Marquand got Dubai Honour into the clear the race was over, as he quickened up impressively to win by two and a half lengths. Anamoe was caught on the line for second by Mo’unga.

Reports in Australia during the week said Haggas has looked into setting up a satellite yard with Andrew Balding, and results like this will only make that more of a possibility.

“He’s very keen and I’m pretty keen so we’ll see what happens,” Haggas told www.skyracingworld.com.

Regarding his winner Haggas said: “Anamoe is a great horse, take nothing away from him.

“But this horse has come forward for being here and he’s won well today.

“Don’t underestimate him. He’s a pretty good horse and he was never quite right last year and he was boxing against some good horses – top, top horses.”

Marquand said: “For the boss to target the Queen Elizabeth with another horse and pull it off, it’s just insane.

“Genuinely, I’ve jumped aboard this horse on the right day at the right time and it’s everyone else behind it that got the job done. All I had to do was point and shoot.”

The winner is now set to head to Hong Kong before heading back to Newmarket.

Haggas plots more raids on Australia’s biggest prizes

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William Haggas will drop Protagonist in trip for Saturday’s Doncaster Mile at Randwick after being tempted by the huge prize money.

Ben Thompson will replace James McDonald aboard the six-year-old, who won a Group Three at Rosehill on unsuitably fast ground on his first start in Australia.

With just under £1.3million to the winner, the Newmarket handler, who has enjoyed great success with his runners in Sydney, could not resist chancing his arm with plenty in his favour, with former stablemate My Oberon among the opposition.

“Protagonist runs on Saturday and we are dropping him back in trip, which I’m not sure is the right thing, but it is too much money (not to),” admitted Haggas.

“He runs in a mile race at Randwick and there will be some rain. I think there is a bit of cut in the ground at the moment and it’s a soft six.

“So there is rain around and he’s got a good draw (eight of 20), although he’s got a jockey I don’t know at all. But he’s a pretty straightforward horse to ride.”

Though regular partner Tom Marquand has recovered from injury, he will be unable to make the allotted weight of 7st 12lb.

Haggas added: “It’s great that Tom is on the way back. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done around 50 kilos for about 10 years, but there we go.”

Should he run well, last season’s British trainer’s championship runner-up could allow the son of Wootton Bassett to run in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of the biggest races on the Australian calendar.

In 2020, Haggas landed the prize with Addeybb, having previously won the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill. The following year, Addeybb repeated the trick in the Queen Elizabeth, overturning his form with Verry Elleegant, who had beaten him narrowly in the Ranvet.

The Haggas-trained Dubai Honour was given a brilliant ride by big-race pilot Ryan Moore to land this year’s Ranvet by four-and-a-half lengths.

Haggas could potentially run both Protagonist and Dubai Honour in the 10-furlong Queen Elizabeth this year.

He said: “Protagonist may back up in the Queen Elizabeth as well, but Dubai Honour will run in that on Saturday week. He won well in the Ranvet.”

Dubai Honour will line up in the valuable Queen Elizabeth next weekend
Dubai Honour will line up in the valuable Queen Elizabeth next weekend (David Davies/PA)

Purplepay, who took the Group Two Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly on French Oaks day in June, was well held on her Australian debut.

The Zarak filly will be equipped with headgear when she lines up in the Group One Queen Of The Turf Stakes on the same card.

Haggas said: “Purplepay worked very nicely apparently this week and she is going to run in blinkers on Saturday week. The ground was too firm for her last time.”

Meanwhile, last year’s Ebor third Earl Of Tyrone, who scored on his Kempton debut for the yard having been with Paddy Twomey last summer, will not line up in the Sydney Cup.

Haggas explained: “Earl Of Tyrone has gone wrong, unfortunately. He strained a tendon, so he’s done for at the moment.”

Dubai Honour strikes Group One gold in Ranvet

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Dubai Honour made light work of the Group One Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill for Ryan Moore and William Haggas.

The five-year-old has contested high quality events all around the world and headed out to Australia to line up for the 10-furlong affair on Saturday.

Under Moore he was a comfortable four-and-a-half-length winner, paving the way to a tilt at the $5million Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick on April 8.

If successful in the latter race, Dubai Honour will follow in the footsteps of Haggas’ Addeybb, who was the winner of both races in 2020.

Issy Paul, representing Haggas in Australia, said after the victory: “We’re all absolutely delighted with Dubai Honour today.

“He was really, really tough. It was ground that we really didn’t think he was going to like and he just really pulled it out of the bag. A complete star.

“James, who led him up, it was his first Group One lead up so that was also very exciting.

“The horse and everyone down here is such a credit to the whole team at home, as well as all the hard work that goes on there,” she told Great British Racing.

The fixture was a fruitful one for Moore, who also enjoyed steered Chris Waller’s Shinzo to victory in the Longines Golden Slipper – Australia’s most prestigious juvenile prize.