British trainer William Haggas has once again come to Australia and sunk the best on offer here, and this time he was trackside at Randwick to see Dubai Honour deliver a knockout victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday.
Haggas watched from his office at Newmarket as Addeybb beat Verry Elleegant in 2020 and 2021. He waited a year to find the right horse again in Dubai Honour, which left the locals with no excuses for his second group 1 after a similar performance in the Ranvet Stakes.
Tom Marquand stands in the irons at the post while Anamoe (blue silks) battles on bravely.Credit: Getty
Dubai Honour didn’t have group 1 form from Europe, but Haggas was quick to point out that the horse had blossomed in Sydney.
“Don’t underestimate him, he’s a pretty good horse. He was never quite right last year, he was boxing against some good horses – top, top horses,” Haggas said.
“The horse is in a great frame of mind, he looks great. I couldn’t be more thrilled.
“It is great to be here and be part of the day and to see my horse do that.”
What had been built as a match race was over in a couple of strides topping the rise when Dubai Honour swept past Australia’s best horse, Anamoe, and put a gap between him and the rest of his rivals.
Until then the race had gone how the Godolphin team wanted with Anamoe, which James McDonald had positioned one out and one back and with the advantage of being in front of Dubai Honour.
He then got the drop on the raider, but as soon as Tom Marquand asked Dubai Honour ($2.30 fav) to pick up he was on the back of Anamoe ($2.90) and then past him with an amazing turn of foot.
“He was gallant in defeat. He got away beautifully, presented like the winner and the English horse is pretty good,” McDonald said.
Dubai Honour had 2½ lengths to spare at the post, with Mo’unga ($16) cutting Anamoe out of second money with a late charge and lunge.
Marquand went into the race confident of his chances, but that confidence grew as Dubai Honour picked up underneath him coming to the turn.
“The only point where I wasn’t worried was when Anamoe went,” Marquand said. “I was worried when James settled further forward than I thought and I could see him in front of me.
“They didn’t go that fast, but when the speed came into the race he was there quickly.
“William just gives you so much confidence. He just said, “just get him relaxed and do what you do”. That’s the key to horse.
“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, not me,” Marquand said. “All I had to do was point and shoot.”
The man known as Aussie Tom after his exploits aboard Addeybb had doubted he would get back to ride Dubai Honour after missing the Ranvet with a shoulder injury from a fall in February.
“It feels quite surreal because I was pretty crook on February 11 after the fall,” Marquand said. “I watched him win from home in the Ranvet.
“It has been tough to get back because every time I tried to go a bit harder on my body it wouldn’t handle it.
“I was scared that I wasn’t going to be ready for this race, but it’s always good to have a goal and Dubai Honour was it for me.”
There will be questions now on if Anamoe will head to Europe after the defeat in what was his last race in Australia, but he might just be more of a miler than 2000m horse against the English.
He could still go for the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 20 before the Queen Anne Stakes which opens the Royal Ascot carnival.
Dubai Honour will head home via Hong Kong and race in the better group 1 races over there.
“We’re very keen to go to Hong Kong now on the way home and run him in the QEII,” Haggas said. “Then we’ll take him back to England and regroup. As far as I’m concerned he’s done his job.”
