The $6million 1,800m Dubai Turf, previously the Dubai Duty Free, was dominated by two of the three greys in the field with French challenger Solow denying The Grey Gatsby, representing England.
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With Maxime Guyon in the saddle, the Freddie Head-trained charge was able to make it eight wins from 12 career starts and was landing his fifth consecutive victory.
He started his winning roll in a conditions race last August before progressing to win in both Group Three and Group Two company at the end of last season.
At Chantilly earlier this month, he continued his winning thread with victory over 1,600m on the Polytrack which clearly put him spot on for this step up in class.
Maxime Guyon celebrates his easy victory in the Dubai Turf aboard the Freddy Head trained Solow. @nevhopwood #20thDWC pic.twitter.com/4DUljm3rZi
— Dubai Racing Club (@DRC_Meydan) March 28, 2015
As the leaders started to tire early in the straight, Guyon eased his mount to the front and the pair quickened clear to finish the job. As smooth as Guyon’s progress was on the winner,
The Grey Gatsby, twice a Group One winner last year for Kevin Ryan and jockey Ryan Moore, was making heavy weather of giving chase.
He ran on to hold second ahead of the fast finishing Mshawish who appeared to suffer a troubled passage in early part of the straight.
Guyon said: “He really impressed me when winning his prep at Chantilly but was even better today. This was a genuine Group One field and he won easily.”
The French filly Dolniya is victorious in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Champion Main Sequence didn’t fire today. pic.twitter.com/mJpLtR0Xge
— TVG (@TVG) March 28, 2015
Head added: “He is a nice horse who improved throughout last year and is still going the right way. That was a big win.”
The French then supplied the one-two in the ensuing $6million Dubai Sheema Classic, also on turf but over 2,400m. Christophe Soumillon, successful earlier on the card on Mubtaahij in the UAE Derby, completed a double aboard Dolniya who was chased home by compatriot, Flintshire.
The winner is trained by Alain De Royer-Dupre, the runner-up by Andre Fabre. They had also finished one-two in a prep race on the Polytrack at Chantilly early this month with Dolniya extending her superiority over Flintshire from a neck to more than two lengths this time.
Soumillon’s mount proved a lot more tractable than many of her opponents behind a steady early gallop, before unleashing a potent turn of foot.
Soumillon said: “She is a young filly who has plenty more to offer and did that well this evening. She settled nicely behind a sedate pace and then quickened very nicely.
“If need be I would actually have made the running because she stays well and that speed she possesses is a great asset in a slowly run race.
“We will get her back to Europe and plan ahead but she ran well in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe last year and that could well be on her agenda again I would imagine.”
