A masterful ride by Connor Beasley saw local three-year-old Dark Saffron cause a massive shock with his success in the Gr1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan on Saturday.
The presence of two three-year-olds in the race for the first time since 2006 was already a talking point pre-race.
Only five three-year-olds had ever contested the Golden Shaheen before and only two of them were bred in the Northern Hemisphere: My Catch, 12th in 2014, and Dios Corrida, 11th in 2017.
Connor Beasley holds the edge on Dark Saffron to beat Nakatomi (Emisael Jaramillo, green, pink cap) and Tuz (Tadhg O’Shea) in a thriller (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Of the two, Japanese talent American Stage was considered the vastly superior chance, although neither were seen as likely to challenge defending champion Tuz or champion American sprinter Straight No Chaser.
It looked even less likely when Ahmad bin Harmash’s Dark Saffron played up in the outside gate of 11, moments before the stalls opened.
But Beasley managed to straighten his head at the right time and he bounced out fast and mustered speed quickly.
The two three-year-olds led up early, and after the first furlong it was apparent that Straight No Chaser would not add Dubai success to his illustrious resume. Dan Blacker’s charge was uncomfortable amongst horses with plenty of kickback in his face and was in trouble early on.
The only horse able to stay in touch with the three-year-olds was Tuz, who landed in the box seat and appeared likely to capitalise once they punctured.
However, he also came under riding approaching the 600m and his bid for back to back wins appeared forlorn.
Tuz, though, is all heart and tried to rally up the rail. This is where Beasley’s tactical masterpiece came to the fore as he shut the door on Tadhg O’Shea aboard Tuz on a number of occasions.
Nakatomi charged late, Tuz made ground when it was all over but Dark Saffron, with a 3.5kg swing in the weights, was able to fend them off. He gave Beasley his second win of the night following First Classs’s Kahayla Classic success.
Beasley admitted he was “a bit speechless,” before paying tribute to his willing partner.
“He’s one of them, he’s just kept improving and he was in up against good competition on the turf. He’s got speed to burn and to do what he’s just done is incredible.
“It’s just a big relief. This is what it’s all about. We’ve got a good bunch of horses and to get a big winner like this on a night like this, it’s just fantastic.
“He’s got plenty of natural speed and it was probably a blessing being drawn out wide because I only had one option. The way he’s done it, it’s just fantastic.”
