Dubai Honour has moved into the world Top 5 after coming out emphatically on top in his Queen Elizabeth Stakes showdown with Australian superstar Anamoe on Saturday [April 8].
Newmarket-based trainer William Haggas has made a habit of top-level success on his regular visits to Sydney in recent seasons – including two previous editions of this A$4 million ($2.66m/£2.14m) feature with Addeybb in 2020 and 2021.
Dubai Honour won by a decisive 2½ lengths, running on strongly under Tom Marquand to score from Mo’Unga, who snagged Anamoe on the line for second place.
Winner of the G1 Ranvet Stakes three weeks previously, Dubai Honour climbs to #5 (from #16, +159pt) on Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s exclusive Global Rankings, where Japan’s latest star Equinox enjoys his third week at the summit after his memorable Dubai Sheema Classic triumph. Nine-time G1 winner Anamoe stays at #3 after losing 13pt.
“Don’t underestimate him – he’s a pretty good horse,” said Haggas, who has mentioned setting up a satellite stable in Sydney.
“He was never quite right last year, when he was boxing against some good horses, top, top horses,” the trainer added. “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.”
Also on the way up this week is Lucky Sweynesse (#6 from #9, +120pt), who confirmed his top-dog status in the red-hot Hong Kong sprinting ranks with his sixth win of the HK season in the G2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday [April 9].
Last year’s champion two-year-old filly Liberty Island (#38 from #295, +302pt) claimed Japan’s first Classic of 2023 with a stunning late charge out wide down the Hanshin straight in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas).
In the US, Breeders’ Cup winner Goodnight Olive returns to the charts at #12 after a winning seasonal comeback in the G1 Madison at Keeneland. The Chad Brown-trained mare now has a career record of seven-for-eight, having gone unbeaten since a second place on her first start in a Gulfstream maiden in March 2021.
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