GOODWOOD, ENGLAND // This has been a memorable European season for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, and a second Group 1 race inside a week is in the offering when Lady Of Dubai takes her chance in the Nassau Stakes Saturday night.
Postponed delivered the owner’s first success at the highest level for 17 years last Saturday in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
It was a moment to savour for the cousin of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, because he owns Postponed’s sire, Dubawi.
Already this week, the Sheikh’s yellow and black spotted silks have prevailed across these rolling downs.
Mount Logan won the opening race of Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday, and with his retained rider Adam Kirby in the saddle it silenced questions about possible strains in the relationship between the two men.
Kirby will not be riding Lady Of Dubai in the British Champions Series race because he cannot do the weight of 8st12lbs. Andrea Atzeni, formerly the Sheikh’s retained rider who was aboard Postponed last week, will be in the saddle.
“I do wish Adam could ride her. He has won on her before at Goodwood and was third on her in the English Oaks at Epsom,” the owner said. “I didn’t want to change jockeys.”
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Lady Of Dubai’s victory here in May in a Listed race is not form that will send a shiver down the spines of her rivals, and neither will her third place in the English Oaks.
She is clearly an improving filly, however, and trainer Luca Cumani hopes her course form is enough before a possible crack at the Yorkshire Oaks next month.
Dubday was another horse who ran at Meydan in the winter, and he became the first horse trained by a Qatari to win in Britain on Friday when he took the Group 3 Glorious Stakes under Frankie Dettori.
Dubday was fifth in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan on World Cup night, and he won on his third start in England for trainer Jassim Al Ghazali.
“Dubday is a champion in Qatar and a favourite for so many people,” Al Ghazali said.
“I give this winner to everybody in my country.”
Later in the afternoon, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Muthmir won the King George Stakes under a fine ride by jockey Paul Hanagan.
It was a second Group Two win of the season for the improving sprinter and he will be tested at Group 1 level on August 21 when he is an intended runner in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Ahead of American Pharoah’s first run since he won the Triple Crown in Sunday’s Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, Godolphin’s Frosted could give the champion’s form a boost in the Group 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga tonight.
Dubai World Cup-winning jockey Joel Rosario will partner the grey in what is a prep race for the Travers Stakes on August 29.
Frosted, who was second to American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes and fourth in the Kentucky Derby, has been training at Saratoga for a month. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is just glad the Triple Crown winner is not in the race.
“Frosted is doing great, and we have seen enough of Pharoah for now,” he said. “We had a very nice three-year-old for the Triple Crown, but we ran in to a Triple Crown winner, which is unfortunate.
“If we win the Jim Dandy or the Travers Stakes this year, we’ll be very proud.”
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