Dubai Warrior continued his rise through the ranks with a dominant victory in the £37,000 Listed Betway Quebec Stakes (2.00pm, five runners) over 10 furlongs on Polytrack at Lingfield Park, Saturday, December 21.
Today's victory takes his record on the All-Weather to four wins from five starts and the three-year-old son of Dansili is now in the mix for the £100,000 G3 Betway Winter Derby over the same distance back at Lingfield Park on Saturday, February 22.
Trained by John Gosden and ridden by Robert Havlin, Dubai Warrior was sent off the well-supported 8/11 favourite following a handicap success at Chelmsford City in early November, when he defeated two of today's rivals - Kasbaan(Mick Appleby/Alistair Rawlinson, 6/1) and Victory Bond (William Haggas/James Doyle, 4/1).
Kasbaan made the running today, having taken a lead at Chelmsford City, and Havlin was content to sit on that rival's tail while the remaining three runners slotted in behind. The order remained virtually unchanged until the field moved around the home turn, when Dubai Warrior moved stylishly into the lead.
Dubai Warrior established a clear advantage racing towards the furlong marker and galloped on powerfully to score by just under four lengths. His stablemate Court House (Kieran O'Neill, 14/1) ran on from midfield to take second, with a further neck back to the patiently riddenDalgarno (Jane Chapple-Hyam/Adam Kirby, 8/1) in third.
Dubai Warrior, who races in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, was among the leading fancies for this year's Investec Derby after making a sparkling winning debut at Chelmsford City last November, but he was forced to miss the first half of 2019 with a hoof injury and did not reappear until August.
Havlin said: "For me, that was Dubai Warrior's best performance to date. He gave me a different feel today and found a gear when I asked him. He looks a good prospect for the Winter Derby on the back of that.
"He relaxed through the race and quickened up quite well off the turn. I was not sure how well he would quicken up, but physically he is a very imposing character and has filled into his frame now.
"We always thought he was a nice horse and he is starting to look that way again. I don't think this guy has stopped improving yet."
