Dubai Bow Creek, a dual Group 2 winning colt for Godolphin when trained in the UK, made an impressive Australian debut when finishing a noteworthy second in the Crystal Mile (G2) at Moone Valley on Saturday.
Now trained by John O’Shea at Randwick, Australia, the progressive son of Shamardal narrowly failed to mow down Turn Me Loose in the weight for age contest, while stable companion Malice ran on for fourth.
The performance has triggered a shot at the Group 1 Emirates Stakes at Flemington on November 7 and a possible trip to Hong Kong in December where the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile is his likely target.
“He beat Holler in a gallop last week and Holler came out and won today,” O’Shea told the Godolphin website.
“We knew we had a horse, now we know we’ve got a very good one.”
Previously trained by Mark Johnston and Charlie Appleby when in the UK, Bow Creek arrived in Australia only four weeks ago before spending two weeks in quarantine.
He had raced 17 times, winning five races and two of them at G2 level.
“We learned very quickly that he was a very capable horse and today he’s shown us he’s something special,” the trainer said.
“That was an amazing performance.”
Jockey James McDonald was full of praise for Bow Creek and said: “He absolutely flew over the last 50 metres. That was the run of a very good horse.
“He can only improve with the run under his belt.”
Malice, who was looking for his first win in nine starts since landing the Listed ATC Cup at Rosehill on November 29, was ridden by James Doyle.
Earlier, Godolphin’s Holler won the G3 Telstra Stakes on the same card.
The winner scored by 4 1/4 lengths from Brockhoff with another Godolphin runner, Demonstrate in third place, another 3/4 of a length away.
“He deserved that win, he just loves to gallop and he had the chance to do that today,” O’Shea said.
“We wanted to get him into a race where he could just go out and roll along.”
McDonald added: “He enjoyed himself out there today and made my job very easy.”
Meanwhile, Winx, a four-year-old son of former Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Street Cry, won the Group 1 Cox Plate in the hands of Hugh Bowman.
Sent off as the favourite the winner out raced a strong European challenge to record an easy win over Criterion, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Highland Reel in third.
