Dubai Honour Holds Off Anamoe in Queen Elizabeth

Trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand shattered Australian hearts once again as Dubai Honour  produced a fine display to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Randwick April 8, denying Godolphin's Anamoe his tenth triumph at elite-level. 

Dubai Honour was earmarked as a possible threat to Anamoe's perfect preparation when he landed the Ranvet Stakes (G1) when fresh off the plane from the United Kingdom. The ensuing weeks saw the Queen Elizabeth billed as a mouth-watering clash between two top-class horses.  

Marquand was back on board Dubai Honour, having missed out on his first-up victory due to injury, and he placed the gelding in the midfield, happy to bide his time as Anamoe was slotted in behind the leaders. 

As the field swung into the straight, Marquand began to get to work on Dubai Honour, with James McDonald sitting motionless on Anamoe. However, the Haggas-trained gelding responded in fine style and the clash the racing public had hoped for came to fruition for two strides, before Dubai Honour unleashed past the nine-time group 1 winner, with a searing run down the center of the track to finish two-and-a-quarter-lengths ahead of Mo'unga, who finished like a steam train to deny Anamoe second place by a nose. 

Haggas and Marquand have become accustomed to beating Australian superstars in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, with Addeybb  having denied Verry Ellegaant success in the group 1 in 2020-21. 

Haggas cut a delighted figure following the gelding's win in the group 1, emphasizing the high regard he holds the gelding in. 

"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," said Haggas. "The horse is in a great frame of mind, he looks great. I couldn't be more thrilled.

"He relaxed very well and I knew when he relaxed well, he would pick up and he picked up well. Anamoe is a great horse, take nothing away from him, but this horse has come forward for being here and he's won well today."

Haggas said Dubai Honour would now make his way home to Britain, but a whistlestop in Hong Kong for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin April 4 is looking likely for the gelding. 

"We're very keen to go to Hong Kong now on the way home and run him at the end of Day 4 in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Then we'll take him back to England and regroup. As far as I'm concerned he's done his job today."

Meanwhile, Marquand said he had moments of doubt that he would make it back to the races after his fall at Randwick in February which kept him on the sidelines for just over a month. 

"To be honest it's a bit surreal. It feels like yesterday that I was—not that I can remember it!—laid up in hospital thinking that the game was over and I'll be missing this chap," said the winning jockey. 

"It was a tough one to stomach. It's easy to say in hindsight, but when you've got targets you can work hard and it makes it easy to keep your head down. I was probably guilty at points of thinking it's not going to happen, it's not meant to be. What a game horse racing is."

Dubai Honour is from the first northern hemisphere crop of Pride Of Dubai , who shuttled to Coolmore's Irish base for three seasons. Bella Nipotina, who runs in the inaugural edition of The Quokka next weekend, is the stallion's only other elite-level winner.