First-season sire Dubai Destination sired his fifth southern hemisphere winner on Saturday when Palm Trilogy scored by two lengths at Bendigo on his debut over 1400m.
The two-year-old colt is a Darley homebred out of the Danehill mare Dubai Ice, a daughter of dual G1 winner Skating, the dam of Murtajill, Bradbury’s Luck and Dubai Ice’s full-sister Skates, herself the dam of this season’s G1 Robert Sangster Stakes heroine Juste Momente.
Skating is a daughter of Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Melbourne Cup winner At Talaq, whose influence within Australian breeding remains as strong as ever: his celebrity descendants at present include Horse of the Year elect Weekend Hussler.
Palm Trilogy was just one exciting juvenile debutant winner for Sheikh Mohammed, who also had his colours carried to victory by the six-length winner Cardinal Virtue (Elusive Quality), who, like Palm Trilogy is trained by Lee Freedman. Cardinal Virtue was a $260,000 yearling from Philip Esplin’s Twin Palms stud, which also consigned Dubai To Sydney, another of Dubai Destination’s first-crop winners who has twice been Group-placed this season.
At Eagle Farm, Teary Eyed, a three-year-old colt by Street Cry, finished runner-up in the G3 Prop House Grand Prix Stakes over 2100m.
Friday evening in Scotland saw Exceed And Excel sire his third northern hemisphere winner when Excellent Show, who had been incredibly professional when second on her debut, went one better with a two-length win at Musselburgh, just outside Edinburgh. The strong chestnut filly races for Sheikh Mohammed’s eldest son Sheikh Rashid and she will now head to Royal Ascot for the G2 Queen Mary Stakes.
