Dubawi on verge of 200 individual stakes winners after Rebel's Romance Derby win

The imperious Dubawi moved to within one of siring 200 individual stakes winners as Rebel’s Romance scored a first success at stakes level when winning the Group 2 UAE Derby on the Meydan dirt on Saturday.

It was a fine Dubai World Cup card for the Darley stallion as later on son Lord North strode to an impressive three-length success in the Group 1 Dubai Turf.

Rebel's Romance won his race equally well, if not even more convincingly, as he rocketed to a five and a half-length score over Panadol, with New Treasure a further length and three-quarters back in third.

The Charlie Appleby-trained winner was taking his record to four wins from five starts. Out of Street Cry mare Minidress, Rebel’s Romance is from the family of 2011 Dubai World Cup winner and Japanese sensation Victoire Pisa.

William Buick was on board and said: "I was a little bit worried I was getting there a little early; a little too quick, but that was some performance. He’s really come on and he’s a big horse, but he’s still a shell. He really knows how to use his power now."

Godolphin were later successful in the $12 million Dubai World Cup, with their homebred Mystic Guide justifying favouritism under Luis Saez with an authoritative victory in what was the 25th renewal of the showpiece race.

The son of Ghostzapper is out of A.P. Indy mare Music Note, herself a five-time Grade 1 winner, and was winning under a jockey having his first rides at Meydan and a trainer, Michael Stidham, who was travelling a horse outside of North America for the first time.

The gelded Lord North, already a top-flight winner for his sire having won the Prince of Wales's Stakes last summer, swept down the outside under Frankie Dettori to continue the fine start made as joint licence-holders for John and Thady Gosden.

It was then to get even better when Make Believe's son Mishriff, Prince Faisal's homebred and arguably the turf horse to beat in 2021, stayed on well enough up in trip to a mile and a half and back on turf in the Dubai Sheema Classic to follow up his victory in the Saudi Cup the month before.

Mishriff and David Egan, for whom this was a first strike at the top level, just got the better of Japanese pair Chrono Genesis and Loves Only You in a thrilling finish, the winner scoring by a neck, with the same gap separating second and third.

US sprinter Extravagant Kid, meanwhile, the only stakes winner for his sire Kiss The Kid, became the late stallion’s first Group 1 winner as he claimed the Al Quoz Sprint.

The eight-year-old, who finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland in November, defeated Final Song by half a length, with Acklam Express third, a further neck behind.

Sadly, Kiss The Kid died last year aged 17.

Extravagant Kid and Ryan Moore land the Al Quoz SprintCredit: DRC & Erika Rasmussen

Extravagant Kid's owner David A Ross said: "What an unbelievable race. His trainer Brendan Walsh had a good feeling about him, he came into the race well, Brendan had him prepped well. He really liked the venue here and we thought we would take advantage. As an eight-year-old, what about that?"

There was also a first top-level winner for former WinStar sire Fed Biz, who in January was sold to Highfield Stock Farm, based near Calgary, Alberta in Canada.

However, the circumstances came with terribly dark clouds as the horse in question, Zenden, who had blitzed his Golden Shaheen rivals from the outside gate, sadly suffered a fatal injury shortly after crossing the line for a shock three and a quarter-length victory at 40-1. to the good. For jockey Antonio Fresu, it was a bittersweet first Group 1 winner.

Later, Fresu's mount in the Dubai World Cup, Military Law, got under the gate and galloped loose, having to be withdrawn to cap a day his rider won't forget in a hurry.

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