Superstar stallion Dubawi came up with a Breeders’ Cup winner for a fourth consecutive year on Saturday when his son Rebel’s Romance won the Gr1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.
William Buick drives Rebel’s Romance to a good win over Rousham Park under Christophe Lemaire (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Also victorious in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf, six-year-old Rebel’s Romance has won seven Gr1 races, with the gelding having scored at the highest level in all of Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States.
Winning jockey William Buick said: “He’s just a legend of a horse who is all class and heart. We had a good run around and he stuck his head down to the line.”
Hugh Anderson, representing winning owner Godolphin: “We’ve got huge faith in him and he is now one of Godolphin’s greats. He’s won on numerous continents and has been a superstar. Huge congratulations to Charlie Appleby and the team and William (Buick) who gave him a brilliant ride.”
His sire went close to having a Breeders’ Cup double on Saturday, with his dual Gr1 winning son Notable Speech beaten less than a length when third in the Gr1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF.
Dubawi also made his presence felt as a broodmare sire this weekend, with Cinderella’s Dream (out of the Dubawi mare Espadrille) finishing second in Saturday’s Gr1 Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Beautiful Love, who ran fourth in the Filly & Mare Turf is out of another Dubawi daughter in the form of Powder Snow.
Had Notable Speech won the 2024 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, he would have given his sire a remarkable fourth consecutive win in the Mile, with Dubawi sons Master Of The Seas (2023), Modern Games (2022) and Space Blues (2021) giving their sire an impressive hattrick of wins in the contest.
Dubawi’s Breeders’ Cup record was embellished further in 2021 when the Darley star was responsible for three winners at the meeting – Modern Games (Juvenile Turf), Space Blues (Mile) and Yibir (Turf).
Also sire of the 2017 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Wuheida, Dubawi has had another phenomenal year in 2024.
At the time of writing, the twenty-two-year-old had been responsible for 32 stakes winners, four of which are Gr1 winners, this year.
Notable Speech (Qipco 2000 Guineas) is one of two English classic winners for his sire this year, with Dubawi also responsible for 2024 Gr1 Betfred Oaks heroine Ezeliya. Dubawi fillies Ezeliya and Dance Sequence gave their sire a notable classic 1-2 when fighting out the finish to this year’s Oaks.
Dubawi has also enjoyed considerable success as a sire of sires in 2024, with his sons Night Of Thunder, Too Darn Hot and Zarak enjoying particular success.
Dubawi’s triple Gr1 winning son Too Darn Hot, whose unbeaten daughter Smoken won Saturday’s Listed British EBF Montrose Stakes, has had a great run of success in 2024.
Too Darn Hot, whose numerous high-class relatives include champion sire Darshaan, has had Gr1 success in Australia, Britain and Ireland this year. His son Broadsiding has won three Gr1 races in 2024 thus far, while Too Darn Hot filly Fallen Angel won this year’s Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas.
A stallion who appears destined for even more success, Too Darn Hot has some very promising two-year-olds this year, including Gr1 William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes victor Hotazhell.
The superbly bred Zarak is another Dubawi son to make his mark in 2024.
Winner of the 2017 Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Zarak, whose son Flatten The Curve won the Gr3 Silbernes Pferd on Saturday, is the sire of 2024 Gr1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) winner Metropolitan and ill-fated 2024 Gr1 Prix Ganay victor Haya Zark, among others.
However, it is arguably Night Of Thunder who has been his sire’s biggest star sire son thus far.
The dual Gr1 winner has had a wonderful season, with Night Of Thunder’s 16 black type winners thus far including the Gr1 winners Economics (Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes) and Desert Flower (bet365 Filllies Mile). Between them, Economics and Desert Flower won five group races this year, and Desert Flower ranks among the leading contenders for 2025’s 1000 Guineas and Oaks.
The Dubawi factor was also felt in South Africa on Saturday. Dubawi’s Gr1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris/G1 Pattison Canadian International Stakes winning son Erupt is the sire of the Gr3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes winner Moonlight Trader.
Out of the Silvano mare Dalaal, Moonlight Trader is the fourth stakes winner for Erupt, whose progeny include Zimbabwean Triple Crown winner Buster Barnes and 2022 Gr3 Protea Stakes victor Karangetang.
Big Numbers!
After a thrilling two days of action-packed horseracing, Breeders’ Cup Limited announced that total all-sources, global common-pool turnover for the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $179,218,631.
This is the third highest total turnover in the history of the event and a 1,7% increase over the 2023 total.
Total common-pool turnover on Saturday’s 12-race Breeders’ Cup card was $115,538,687. All-sources common-pool turnover on Breeders’ Cup’s 10-race Future Stars Friday card was $63,679,944.
On-track turnover for the two days was $18,450,724.
Saturday’s attendance was 36 436.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will return to Del Mar in 2025 when the 42nd edition will be held October 31-November 1.
