Dubawi

DEAUVILLE, France--There were tears of delight from breeder Jose Delmotte and his friend and agent Marc-Antoine Berghgracht following the sale of Delmotte's Kingman (GB) filly (lot 62) for a session-leading €950,000 on Saturday evening at Arqana. From the Juddmonte family of young sire Calyx (GB), the filly's dam Needleleaf (GB) (Observatory {GB}) was bought as an unraced 2-year-old from the Juddmonte draft at Tattersalls December Sale by Berghgracht six years ago for 60,000gns. The sister to Group 1-winning sprinter African Rose (GB) has already hit the big time with her...

Updates on the Arqana August Yearling Sale as it happens in Deauville. Classy Signings For Coolmore Siyouni was also on the shopping list of the Coolmore team, which stands his Arc-winning son Sottsass (Fr) and went to €650,000 for another colt by the sire for the Ecurie Des Monceaux draft. Lot 160 is the first foal of Correze (GB) (Shamardal), whose lone win may have come in the provinces but she is a daughter of the G3 Nell Gwyn S winner Cloud Castle (GB) (In The Wings {GB}) and is a...

A Dubawi (Ire) colt who is the second foal out of the G3 Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) is the early leader during the first session of the Arqana August Yearling Sale after selling to Oliver St Lawrence for €750,000. Golden Valentine's first foal, a Galileo (Ire) colt, made €450,000 at the Deauville Select Sale last September. Both were bred by Ecurie des Monceaux and the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods.

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a blueblooded homebred for The Queen. 15.30 Sandown, Nov, £10,000, 2yo, 7fT The Queen's DUKEDOM (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a son of MG1SP G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Nathra (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and debuts for Team John and Thady Gosden in a contest noted for...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a daughter of Oaks winner Talent. 3.35 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €27,000, 3yo, c/g, 9fT NINE WEST (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) debuts for the Wertheimers and Andre Fabre and is a G1 Prix du Jockey Club entered half-brother to the operation's star miler Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire})....

Godolphin's G2 UAE Derby winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) will bypass the May 1 GI Kentucky Derby and instead target the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, the GI Belmont S. on June 5. Rebel's Romance, who is ineligible for the European Classics as a gelding, had been assured a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs after earning 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for his 5 1/2-length UAE Derby win on Mar. 27. Godolphin has two other colts in the current top 20 by Kentucky Derby...

In addition to its resident sires including lynchpins Siyouni (Fr) and Sea The Stars (Ire), the Aga Khan Studs will lend support to the likes of Lope De Vega (Ire) and Frankel (GB), as well as unproven sires Too Darn Hot (GB) and Ghaiyyath (Ire), with its European broodmare band in 2021. One of the stars of the Aga Khan Studs broodmare band is undoubtedly the unbeaten G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victress Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar). She is currently in foal to Siyouni and will visit Lope De Vega....

Any discussion of the world's leading turf sires must include Darley in Europe's Dubawi (Ire), but for all the success he has had with his runners on the grass, his strike rate on the dirt--particularly in Dubai--is nothing short of stunning. The sire of World Cup winner Prince Bishop (Ire) (and Monterosso {GB} on the Tapeta), Dubawi has also accounted for such horses as Hunter's Light (Ire), Benbatl (GB) and Mubtaahij (Ire). The latter took out the 2015 UAE Derby, and as the sun began to set Saturday at Meydan,...

4.20 Doncaster, Mdn, £5,300, 3yo, 10f 43yT KHAIZ (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the latest progeny out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), now one of the world's most revered broodmares courtesy of the exploits of this Charlie Appleby-trained colt's full-brother Ghaiyyath (Ire) and her GI Man o'War S. winner Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The top-priced colt of the 2018 Tattersalls December Foals Sale at 700,000gns, the March-foaled chestnut carries the silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum as he takes on some experienced...

5th-Kempton, £38,000, Cond, 3-3, 3yo, 8f (AWT), 1:38.12, st/sl. HIGHLAND AVENUE (IRE) (c, 3, Dubawi {Ire}--Lumiere {GB} {Hwt. 2yo Filly-Eng & G1SW-Eng, $329,674}, by Shamardal), a Jan. 30 last-out winner over course and distance, employed patient tactics in rear for the most part of a contest carrying points towards a Kentucky Derby invitation. Making eyecatching headway along the far-side rail in the straight, the 4-9 lock gained an edge approaching the eighth pole and was ridden out in the latter stages to deny 200-1 chance Sergeant Tibbs (GB) (Bobby's Kitten)...

The favourite and headline act Channel Maker (English Channel) may have been upset in the card-opening Neom Turf Cup, but that was not the case 35 minutes later, with last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest victor Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) obliging at short odds for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. Stalking the pace just off the fence, Space Blues and William Buick sat on the heels of last year's winner Dark Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) down the backstretch. Space Blues had about three lengths to make up...

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor is keeping options open for his Listed UAE 1000 Guineas winner Soft Whisper (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with next week's G3 UAE Oaks and Saudi Derby both still on the table. "She is entered in the UAE Oaks and also the Saudi Derby," bin Suroor said. "She's in both races and we will keep options open. She is a good filly and unbeaten in Dubai. She won the Guineas Trial and also the Guineas under Frankie [Dettori]. She won both races really well and has come back...