Doncaster dreaming in Dubai - owners hope to complete memorable double on Town Moor after Imperial Emperor's Group 1 strike

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In the aftermath of Group 1 glory, under the floodlights and amid the glamour of Meydan, talk of a Doncaster hurdle is the last thing you expect to hear. 

Yet as Imperial Emperor peeled off the home bend and powered through the dirt to land the Al Maktoum Challenge, Ryan Tongue was already weighing up whether the celebrations surely to follow would be worth missing That'll Do Moss's bid for a first success of the season in the Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle. 

The answer was a resounding no. 

"I've got a flight at 3am and I'm definitely getting on it," the former jockey said. "It's a Grade 2 at Doncaster after all. Can we double it up? I think she'll win. A Group 1 on dirt, a Grade 2 over jumps, that sounds perfect. Then we'll definitely have a party."

It will be quite the party considering Deva Racing took on the might of racing's superpowers and came out on top. Tongue's syndicate has just four horses in Dubai to complement their team in Britain but they descended on Meydan en masse to roar home their star, who was bought for just £63,000 from Godolphin in 2024 but has now amassed over £1 million in earnings.

"It's unreal, I'm ecstatic," Tongue said. "What a horse. I don't really know what I'm feeling but I did expect him to do something like that. He's a better horse this year and he's been working really well, but I mean crikey."

Meydan's Fashion Friday card serves as a trial for the Dubai World Cup and the two Group 1 races certainly delivered on that promise. The air was slightly colder, the crowds were certainly thinner, but World Cup dreams became that much more tangible for Deva Racing and for Imperial Emperor's former trainer Charlie Appleby, who may have lost out on a top-class dirt performer but has a fascinating prospect on the turf instead in Opera Ballo, winner of the Jebel Hatta. 

Opera Ballo and William Buick power home to win the Jebel HattaCredit: Dubai Racing Club

The striking son of Ghaiyyath has been carefully minded by Appleby since his runaway debut at Kempton a year ago and he is now reaping the rewards of that patience after Opera Ballo sauntered to a breakthrough Group 1 success in the manner of a horse with even bigger things still to come. 

His success was in part due to a sublime ride by William Buick, who collected a treble following wins on Drew's Gold and Cover Up, but was predominantly a showcase of the four-year-old's incredible engine. He flew clear of Silawi and the strong-finishing Holloway Boy. 

"Will said he hasn't ridden a horse as keen as him that can carry on galloping since his father Ghaiyyath, and he's ridden plenty of good horses," said Appleby. 

"Ghaiyyath was the same, a routine horse at home who would turn up at the races as a different beast. This horse just keeps powering on and he quickens.

"He's exciting but he's very much a work in progress. I'm not sure whether he'd get the mile and a half just yet, but he doesn't stop, he keeps galloping and it takes a lot for a horse to do that. He's very much one to manage the best we can as he's a horse with a bright future."

William Buick after sealing a treble on Opera BalloCredit: Dubai Racing Club

Opera Ballo and Imperial Emperor may have stolen the spotlight at Meydan, but in the wake of the Al Maktoum Challenge Jamie Osborne was eyeing a mud-covered horse and making plans of his own.

The trainer's bid for a first Group 1 in 23 years with Heart Of Honor was dashed from the get-go as the temperamental gelding raced sluggishly before making late ground into third, but Osborne's quest for a major dirt success is far from over. 

"He's put himself in an impossible position and he's flown home," the trainer said. "That's probably as idle as he's been in a race. The end result wasn't too bad, but at no stage did he have a chance of winning from where he was. 

"It's not over yet. We'll hope we get invited to the Saudi Cup, and if he's staying on like that in a Saudi Cup where they go hard, he's going to get a piece of it."

The evening's biggest winners and most unlucky losers will keep their attention focused on the Middle East this spring, with even more riches awaiting those talented enough to reach Saudi and the Dubai World Cup. First things first, though, Ryan Tongue has a mares' hurdle to win.

Read more:

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