Big race double sees Darley's Dubawi hits 30 top-flight winners

Bragging rights undoubtedly belong to Dubawi on Sunday as Darley's flagship sire got one up on his old adversary Galileo with a cross-continent Group 1 double. Both winners, Zarak and Nezwaah, were making their top-level breakthrough, to take the Dalham Hall stalwart's record to 30 Group/Grade 1 winners from his eight full crops on the ground.

The first leg of the double was brought up by Zarak, who finally had his day in the sun when landing a competitive renewal of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Having coming wide and from well off the pace the four-year-old looked value for more than the three-quarters of a length margin of victory. He still had more in front than behind as the field entered the straight, but when asked by Christophe Soumillon Zarak, who was having his first try at 1m4f, showed his stamina in abundance as he quickened passed Silverware to win with something in hand.

Zarak boasts a flawless pedigree being out of wondermare Zarkava, who was trained by the same man who oversees her Group 1-winning son's career, Alain de Royer-Dupre. Zarkava maintained an unblemished record during her seven-race career, with five of those successes coming at the highest level. She signed off her glittering racing career with a thrilling win in the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Zarak became the first runner for his illustrious dam seven years after she graced the racetrack for the final time, and duly struck on his debut at Deauville in 2015. Sunday's success was his second black type victory of the year, having also landed the Group 3 Dubai Millenium Stakes at Meydan in February.

He is the fourth foal out of Zarakava, who is also the dam of Zerkaza, an unraced seven-year-old daughter of Dalakhani; Zarkash, a son of Sea The Stars who died in a training accident in 2014; Zarkar, a son of Galileo, and Zarmitan, a son of Redoute's Choice. She also has a two-year-old filly by Frankel named Zarkamiya, a yearling colt by Invincible Spirit and a colt foal by Siyouni.

Nezwaah next up

Less than two hours later the four-year-old Nezwaah provided Dubawi with his 30th top-level winner having stormed to a three-and-a-quarter length victory over the Galileo filly Rain Goddess in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

Waited with in rear by Andrea Atzeni, Nezwaah made good progress with less than two furlongs left to run, and having hit the front a furlong out stormed clear for an emphatic victory.

The Roger Varian-trained Nezwaah, who carried the colours of Sheikh Mohammed's uncle Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, was bred by Darley and is the first foal produced by Ferdoos, a Listed-winning daughter of Dansili, which means Nezwaah is bred on the same cross as Time Test and Glorious Journey, the 2,600,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 sale-topper who broke his maiden on debut at Newmarket in June.

Ferdoos, who was purchased by Michael Jarvis as a yearling for 200,000gns, is a half-sister to the Listed winner Brusco and is out of a daughter of the Listed George Stubbs Stakes scorer Hawait Al Barr.

Since producing Nezwaah Ferdoos has delivered a colt by Pivotal, now a gelded three-year-old named Madjbor, a two-year-old Shamardal filly named Monteja and last year delivered a Dubawi sister to the Pretty Polly heroine.

Dubawi, a 15-year-old son of Dubai Millennium, stood the 2017 breeding season at a career-high fee of £250,000. His other top-level performers include the likes of Wuheida, Postponed, New Bay, Makfi and Night Of Thunder.

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