Dubai: Dubai owners enjoyed a red-letter day at Royal Ascot on Friday, sweeping the first three-races on a glitter card that was highlighted by the prestigious £500,000 Commonwealth Cup (Group 1), the first Group One sprint contest in Europe confined to three-year-old horses.

For the second time in four years, the five-furlong contest was won by a sprinter owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.

If Muharaar was hugely impressive in winning the inaugural running of the race in 2015, then Eqtidaar was as imposing if not even better when blazing to victory under a brilliant late afternoon sun.

Ridden by former champion Jim Crowley for Royal Ascot’s most successful trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, the son of the Irish National Stud’s star stallion, Invincible Spirit, sprouted wings inside the final furlong to score by ½ length from Sands Of Mali (Paul Hanagan) while long-time leader Emblazoned was a further length back in third, under Frankie Dettori.

Shaikh Hamdan, who has won almost every major race in the world, was present at Royal Ascot to watch his homebred Eqtidaar emerge as another potential sprinting superstar.

Stoute, who Crowley described as a ‘master’ trainer was saddling his third winner of the week and told ITV Racing: “We’ve always liked this horse. When he ran here in the Pavilion, it didn’t go quite right for him and, at Newbury [last time], he was on the wrong side of the track and, at halfway, he was beaten.

“He worked very well the other week with Jim Crowley, so we were hopeful. He’s progressing nicely.”

Earlier, Godolphin jockey William Buick rode his third winner of the week and his 23rd at Royal Ascot when powering Godolphin’s Old Persian to a 1 3/4 victory in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes, a horse referred to as Ascot Derby.

The winner was providing trainer Charlie Appleby with a second winner of the week after Blue Point won the King’s Stand Stakes on Day 1.

Appleby said: “Last season, we had a great team of two-year-olds, they all wintered well and came into the spring in great nick. This horse has done nothing but progress through the spring.

“Will made a great manoeuvre after the first two or three furlongs to sit on Frankie’s [Dettori, on Raa Atoll] quarters and, once he hit the front, I was confident he would see it out well.

“I’m delighted for the team. We’ll enjoy today and regroup over the next week or two.”

The afternoon began with another victory for a Dubai owner, the proud recipient being prominent businessman Saif Ali who saw his colours carried to victory by the brilliant James Doyle aboard 7/1 chance Main Edition in the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

The winner was trained by Middleham-based Mark Johnston, who said: “We came here knowing that she is a useful — she had two runs and two wins by her name. We have not got as many two-year-old fillies as colts for some reason this year, but we’re very strong in the two-year-old fillies’ department and this is one in the leading bunch.

“It is great to get her off the mark in a Group race and it says a lot for the others as well.” Johnston, who was recording his 43rd victory at Royal Ascot, added: “It is very early days to talk abut the 1,000 Guineas. Though we were joking with the owner before this race that we’ll be back for the Coronation Stakes after she’s won the Guineas!

“The bookies will all start talking about that [Guineas] now, but there are a lot of big two-year-old races to think about before we come to that. Let’s get this year out of the way and see where we stand.

“We’ll take one step at a time, we are only in June and obviously we’ll think about the Cheveley Park at the end of the year, but there will be other races before then; we’ll just get her home first.”