Dubai: Tawhid comfortably stepped up to Group Three company to run out a hugely impressive winner of the Horris Hill Stakes (Whizz Kidz Stakes) at Newbury on Saturday and give Godolphin their first success, a race which is part of the venue’s last flat racing fixture of the year.
With Jim Crowley substituting for an absent Frankie Dettori in the saddle, the Godolphin-owned grey pulled clear at the furlong pole to win the seven furlong contest by four lengths.
Dettori missed the ride aboard the Saeed Bin Surour-trained son of Invincible Spirit after his arrival at the course was delayed due to road congestion. The Italian subsequently missed all his rides after getting stuck in traffic.
Crowley, who began his career by riding winners over hurdles and fences, was delighted to have picked up the spare ride and said: “He’s a lovely horse and a nice spare to get. He travelled lovely. He went through the gears really nicely and did it with a bit of class.
“You never quite know when the ground is so testing but this horse clearly loved the ground.
“It’s early days to say what he might do next year but he did everything right. He wouldn’t mind a bit further, which is good.”
Alhebayeb, racing in the colours of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, was second while the George Baker-trained Boomshackerlacker took third.
It was a second winner on the card for Crowley who had earlier partnered Secret Gesture to win the opener for his boss Ralph Beckett.
Meanwhile at Doncaster, Kingsbarns provided Aidan O’Brien with his seventh victory in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, and his first juvenile winner of the season.
The son of Galileo scored by a length and three quarters from Richard Hannon’s Van Der Neer while Mark Johnston’s Steeler, who led at the two furlong marker, stayed on for third.
Steeler is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, while Van Der Neer represented Dubai businessman Saeed Manana.
O’Brien won the Racing Post Trophy 12 months ago with Camelot, who went on to win the Epsom Derby.
Bookmakers responded to Kingsbarns’ performance by halving his odds to 6/1 for the next year’s Classic.
Winning jockey Joseph O’Brien said: “He relaxed and travelled very well. I might have got to the front too soon, but my momentum took me there.
“He was very green, but I think he is going to be a very good horse. Soft ground or quick ground, he’ll have no problem.”
