News - PRIDE OF DUBAI (AUS)

Pride Of Aspen looked right at home when she scored a decisive victory in the Cavallo Farms and Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (2200m) at Otaki’s rescheduled meeting on Tuesday.

Kiwi-owned Group One winner Desert Lightning will be out to double his elite-level tally when he returns to Eagle Farm on Saturday to tackle the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).

Blue hen Al Anood has called it a day at age 21 and was retired from stud duties earlier this year, but she added a new winner to her tally on Tuesday at Kilmore and with two precious fillies born in 2023 and 2024 her legacy remains a work in progress.

The highest stake earning mare ever in Australia with the exception of Winx, Everest queen Bella Nipotina was always expected to set the sale ring alight at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale on Thursday night.

Caulfield has been a happy hunting ground for Pride Of Jenni in recent weeks, and the reigning Australian Horse of the Year produced another spectacular front-running performance at that venue in Saturday’s A$175,000 Listed Tile Importer Anniversary Vase (1600m).

Pam Gerard came close to picking up a three-year-old major across the Tasman this season with Savaglee, and the Matamata trainer is back with another rising star in pursuit of Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick.

William Haggas does not bring horses to Australia for fun and when Dubai Honour (IRE) was added to the raiding party for this year, you had to assume the seven year-old son of Pride of Dubai would be coming here in top form and he duly produced his A game to beat Caulfield Cup winner Duke de Sessa (IRE) in the $1.5million Group I ATC Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill on Tuesday.

Pam Gerard came close to scoring Group One success in Australia earlier this month when runner-up in the Australian Guineas (1600m) with her star three-year-old Savaglee, and she is hoping she can go one better when she returns across the Tasman with a well-credentialled stablemate.

Bella Nipotina will be offered for sale at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale at Riverside on the evening of May 8.

Five-time Group I winning mare, iron horse, and crowd favourite, Bella Nipotina has been retired, the second highest earning Australian horse of all time, to be sold at auction in May.

A troubled spring which ended when she bled when unplaced in the Group I VRC Champions Mile looked to have brought to a close the spectacular racing career of Pride of Jenni, but the seven year-old mare put all of that behind her when resuming from a spell to win the $500,000 Group II MRC Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

A Group I winner last spring for Yulong when winning the Group I MRC Might and Power Stakes over Mr Brightside, Deny Knowledge (IRE) looks primed for another good campaign with a first up win in the Listed MRC Victoria Gold Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Promising Pride Of Dubai filly Sun ‘N’ Sand will tackle stakes grade at her next start after winning the Casino Canberra Canberra Guineas Preview at Canberra on Friday.

For the stallions looking to chase down division leader Pride of Dubai in the race to be Australia’s Champion Sire by earnings in 2025, the task has gotten a little harder with Arion confirming a sum of $2million has been added to his tally earlier this week.

Pride of Dubai has sired some seriously special mares and a debut winner at Kyneton on Monday in some very famous colours caught our eye as a ‘One to Watch’.

Pride Of Jenni, last season’s Australian Racehorse Of The Year and a three-time Group One winner, has been retired following Saturday’s A$3 million Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m).

Seven year-old Pride of Dubai mare Bella Nipotina bounced out of her Everest win two weeks ago to claim another lucrative prize when scoring a scintillating victory in the $3million ATC Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

A stakes-winner at two and three, talented sprinter Maharba is also now a stakes-winner at four producing a tenacious effort at Flemington on Saturday to win the Group III VRC Rising Fast Stakes (1200m).

A few big prizemoney races can skew sire tables, but with so many big prizemoney races on offer at this time of year there is a lot happening in the sire tables and you need a lot more than one big winner to make an impact with some value sires doing some pretty special things.

Pride Of Dubai retains his spot at the top of the Sires’ Title after the favourite Buckets Ridge captured Sunday’s Listed XXXX Northam Cup (1600m).