From left to right: Salah Tahlak, Colm McLoughlin, Sinead El Sibai, Oisin Murphy, Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge and Elisa Yana after Array's victory in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes
The two-day Dubai Duty Free International Weekend took place at Newbury Racecourse on Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23. Racegoers visiting the Arabic-themed Dubai Duty Free marquee sampled complimentary Arabic coffee and dates and participated in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise and Millennium Millionaire prize draws.
The event featured the prestigious £90,000 (US$110,000) Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes over six furlongs, on the Saturday, for two-year-olds. In recent years the race has seen the take-off of the careers of Ribchester, Harry Angel, Kessaar and Dark Angel, before becoming top class stallions.
“Obviously we always try to find something good enough for this race named for my father’s great horse,” said Andrew Balding after Array held off a pack of challengers, including stablemate Spanish Phoenix who finished close fourth. “We hadn’t won the Mill Reef for a few years (over twenty). So this is very welcome.”
The market got it right and Array went off favorite in the select field. Array relishes making the running and was allowed his head by Oisin Murphy. The colt is from the family of Frankel and Balding hopes his stamina will stretch to a mile next year when both trainer and jockey were of the opinion that Array would be an even better prospect.
The seven-race Saturday card commenced with the Group 3 £70,000 (US$85,500) Dubai International Airport World Trophy five-furlong sprint which went to the meeting’s lone Irish raider, Thunderbear. His young trainer Jack Davison has a small string near Fairyhouse racecourse and said, “This is a big result for me.”
Thunderbear's connections receive their trophies following the Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy at Newbury
Two valuable handicaps came next and Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy, aged eleven and returning from almost a year off, made all under Oisin Murphy in the one mile five furlongs £70,000 (US$85,500) Dubai Duty Free Autumn Cup Handicap.
“He works on his own and they left him alone,” said local trainer Morrison. “You know he ran here as a two-year-old in 2014 and finished last. He’s run in the Champion Hurdle – he might go hurdling again though we’ll think about the Cesarewitch at Newmarket next month. It’s character horses like Not So Sleepy that make this game what it is.”
Ralph Beckett saddled two winners on the card, the first being The Dubai Duty Free Handicap over ten furlongs and worth £75,000 (US$91,600).
“Balance Play has got the hang of racing now,” said Beckett, who is enjoying a stellar season, his best ever, and has a leading Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe candidate in Westover. “York last time with this horse was a disaster because we thought he would handle the fast ground and he didn’t. Today this soft stuff was right up his street. We might go for the November Handicap next. He’s also in the Sales.”
There was no evidence Sheikh Mohammed’s homebred Godolphin two-year-old Movie Maker was slowing as he flew six lengths and more clear of his field in the opening Henry Ponsonby Memorial Maiden Stakes. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, the grey colt in the blue colours had performed well on his Lingfield debut and here Movie Maker earned himself a trip this winter to Dubai to continue his development.
The second race on the Friday, the £20,000 (US$24,430) Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises Fillies Conditions Stakes was also won in style – by Richard Hannon’s Serene Seraph. “We think the world of her,” said Hannon. “We could come back to Newbury for the Radley Stakes and I’d love to think she could make Newbury her second home by winning the Fred Darling (Dubai Duty Free Stakes) here next year and then taking on the One Thousand Guineas.”
Feature race of the first day was the £40,000 (US$48,860) Dubai Duty Free Cup Class 1 Listed race over seven furlongs. The anticipated result was victory for either of William Haggas’s two runners, Aldaary owned by the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estates or Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum’s Al Mubhir. Though starting first and second favorites they were surprised by outsider Popmaster who usually plies his trade in handicaps but who invariably runs well at his home track.
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO of Dubai Duty Free said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Newbury Racecourse which is now in its 28th year. The Dubai Duty Free International Weekend is one of the highlights of our European sponsorship portfolio and we are enjoying another fantastic renewal featuring many of racing’s biggest names.”
When Newbury Racecourse welcomes Dubai Duty Free back for the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials weekend next April, the track will have a new Chief Executive and a new Clerk of the Course as Julian Thick and Keith Ottesen, respectively, are moving on after fruitful stints. They have helped maintain the Newbury’s high standards, which Dubai Duty Free will continue to embellish.
