Can Dubai Honour topple Via Sistina and provide William Haggas and Tom Marquand with another Group 1 Queen Elizabeth?

William Haggas and Tom Marquand have dominated the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in recent years and the pair bid to make it four wins in the last six runnings of the Randwick Group 1 with Dubai Honour on Saturday.

Addeybb downed Verry Elleegant on her home patch in both 2020 and 2021 for Haggas and Marquand before Dubai Honour justified 13-10 favouritism for the same combination in 2023.

Their latest winner of the race is back to attempt to regain his crown, although unlike two years ago, Dubai Honour almost certainly will not be the market leader due to the presence of Via Sistina in the $5 million event.

James McDonald's mount is attempting to win a seventh Group 1 of the season in Australia, a feat achieved only by Winx during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Chris Waller-trained seven-year-old is 1lb better off than when beating Dubai Honour by six and a half lengths in the 2023 Champion Stakes. 

Since that sole previous clash at Ascot, Via Sistina has won seven of her ten starts in Australia with one of those defeats coming when second to Pride Of Jenni in this race last year, while Dubai Honour has run in four different countries.

Via Sistina: seven wins in AustraliaCredit: Brett Holburt

Dubai Honour took his record in Australia to three wins in as many Group 1 starts when landing the Tancred Stakes under Marquand last time, as Haggas opted for the seven-year-old to take a different route to the Queen Elizabeth than his victory a couple of years ago.

Two years ago there were three weeks between Dubai Honour’s successful Australian debut in the Ranvet Stakes and his two-and-a-half-length victory over Mo'unga in this race, whereas there is just an 11-day turnaround this time as the Tancred was run three days later than scheduled due to heavy rain at Rosehill.

On the challenge Dubai Honour faces, Marquand said: "I'm really looking forward to it – it's been a great race for us in the last few years. It's another good renewal. There's Via Sistina and several others who could stick their head forward and be the ones to beat, but we had a bit of rain in the week which will help him as it won't be lightning fast ground.

"He came out of his last win in great shape and looks in excellent condition."

Vauban, the 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner when trained by Willie Mullins, has a length and a quarter to find with Dubai Honour on their Tancred meeting. 

Away from Randwick, last year’s King Charles III Stakes heroine Asfoora makes her first appearance since finishing fourth in the Nunthorpe Stakes. Henry Dwyer’s sprinter runs in the Group 3 Sportsbet R N Irwin Stakes at Morphettville.

Mitch Aitken rides the Royal Ascot winner on what is set to be the first of two Adelaide runs before the Robert Sangster Stakes on April 26.

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