Dubai Honour and Anamoe set for big clash in Queen Elizabeth Stakes

National pride is on the line, not to mention £2.7 million in prize-money, when Australia’s leading performer Anamoe clashes with Britain’s Dubai Honour in the Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (6.55) at Randwick on Saturday.

The head-to-head between the two headlines a star-studded card at Randwick in Sydney, with Alcohol Free also set to make her debut in Australia in the Group 1 Sydney Queen Of The Turf Stakes (7.35) having been bought for 5,400,000gns by Yuesheng Zhang last year.

If Anamoe was good last season, then this season he has been brilliant. He has met with defeat only once in eight starts, while his victories include the Cox Plate and five further Group 1s, the most recent being last month’s George Ryder Stakes.

Such is the dominance of Anamoe over his opponents, racing media in Australia believe the country’s reputation is on the line with Dubai Honour regarded as an excellent, but not top-notch, performer sent to challenge him.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, leading sports broadcaster Bruce McAlvaney said: “Australia’s reputation as a great racing nation is on the line. Dubai Honour’s high class but not the absolute top class. If Dubai Honour was to beat Anamoe, if not narrowly, it will be a strike for the Northern Hemisphere over Australia.”

Anamoe (right): clashes with Dubai HonourCredit: Vince Caligiuri

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is set to be Anamoe’s final start in Australia before a potential switch to Europe prior to his retirement to stud, and his trainer James Cummings is optimistic about his prospects.

“It will just be the absolute ideal race for the horse to be running the best race of his campaign,” Cummings said. “We look forward to potentially seeing him put up the grand-final performance that we’ve come to expect from him. The build-up to the race has been outstanding but the lead-up has been very straightforward for our horse.”

Dubai Honour showcased his credentials to an Australian audience in no uncertain terms last time when thrashing his rivals in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes. He is joined in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes by stablemate Protagonist, with trainer William Haggas seeking a third win in the race in the last four years. Ex-Europeans Alenquer, Numerian and Gear Up feature in the 13-runner field.

Haggas is represented in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes, with Purplepay taking on Alcohol Free and the Joseph O’Brien-trained Statement. O’Brien, whose previous successes in Australia include winning the 2017 and 2020 Melbourne Cups, saddles Cleveland and Baron Samedi in the Schweppes Sydney Cup (6.15).

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