Dubai Honour heads cracking G1 Tancred Stakes field
Dubai Honour is set to make his long-awaited return to Sydney for the first time in two years, gearing up for the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill. His handler, Isabella Paul, is confident that he arrives as a more seasoned and well-rounded competitor.
Back in the autumn of 2023, Dubai Honour announced himself with two dominant Group 1 victories in the Ranvet and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). This time, he returns not just as a past winner but as a globally accomplished racehorse.
“Dubai Honour has been around the world and back about twenty times so he's fairly cruisy,” Paul said.
“He seems to just take everything in his stride. He's probably a bit less naughty than he was as a younger horse, but he still can be pretty cheeky and it's great to see how fresh he comes off the flight now.
“When they're a bit younger they think about it a bit more and they stress about it, where for him it is fairly routine and he came off the flight absolutely bouncing.”
Since his heroics in Australia, Dubai Honour has added to his resume with another Group 1 win in France, a runner-up finish in Germany, and a Hong Kong Vase placing in December.
His recent races have all been over 2400m, which has led trainer William Haggas to take a slightly different approach this time. Instead of targeting the Ranvet, Dubai Honour will step up in distance for the Tancred Stakes (2400m) on Saturday.
Despite now being seven years old, Paul is adamant that Dubai Honour remains as formidable as ever.
“I think so. He's in really, really good form,” she said.
“That run in Hong Kong was absolutely huge. He was a bit unlucky in the race and you thought he might have won and then you look at how unlucky the eventual winner actually was, Giavellotto, and you can't be upset.
“He is still proving himself. That was only a couple of months ago, so I think he can still perform at the top level despite being a seven-year-old.”
The Tancred Stakes has drawn an elite field, featuring Sky High Stakes winner Vauban, reigning Caulfield Cup champion Duke De Sessa, and last year’s Tancred winner, Arapaho.
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