Dubai: Dubai’s Team Godolphin grabbed a notable 1-2 finish in the 87th Group 2 Kronimus Oettingen Rennen at Baden-Baden in Germany with Royal Ascot scorer Dark Vision claiming a narrow victory over the stable’s French runner, Half Light, in the mile contest.
The winner was ridden by Franny Norton for Yourskhire-based Scottish handler Mark Johnson to prevail by a nose victory over the Saufiane Saadi-piloted Half Light.
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It was the second successive year that Godolphin were winning the race after Chralie Appleby and William Buick teamed-up with Vintager last season.
Appleby’s Godolphin workmate Saeed Bin Surour also sampled success in the mile in 2010 when Emerald Commander romped him an impressive winner.
Meanwhile, on a rather unusual sight, three horses with different Dubai connections dominated a competitive handicap on the third day of Doncaster’s St Leger Festival, with Apparate prevailing over favourite Alfaatik at the end of the mile-and-six-furlong contest.
Alfaatik, ridden by Jim Crowley for Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance narrowly went down to Apparate, the mount of David Egan owned and bred by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.
Godolphin’s Volcanis Sky led briefly in the hands of Kieren Fallon but was passed by the first two closer to the line.
It was a first win for Apparate, the son of top sire Dubawi, following a third place effort at Ascot in July.
There was also shock results in the Group 2 Childers Stakes when 40-1 chance Ubettabelieveit stole the 11-10 favourite Sacred’s thunder by a short head with 12-1 shot Measure Of Magic finishing third.
The winner provided jockey Rowan Scott with the biggest victory of his career.
“It’s a big race and you want to do everything right on the big stage but it’s just another race and you can’t let it get to you too much,” Scott, who only this season finished his apprenticeship, told ITV Racing.
Ubettabelieveit also gifted Nigel Tinkler with the biggest success of his career, and the trainer said: “He’s always shown us an amazing amount of ability.
“We bought him during lockdown and probably wouldn’t have been able to afford him if he’d gone to the sales. He’s got a tremendous amount of class and it’s nice to see him bounce back to form.”
Sacred was continuing a sequence of runner-up finishes for former Derby winning handler William Haggas, whose wife, Maureen said: “It’s frustrating as we were second twice here yesterday.
“She doesn’t look like a two-year-old, she looks like a filly who’s going to make up in to a lovely three-year-old.
“She’s all speed and I don’t think she gets six furlongs. With a winter on her back she could be a lovely sprinting filly next year.”
