William Haggas‘ class international raider, Dubai Honour, celebrated his third Group 1 success down under when securing victory in Tuesday’s rescheduled Tancred Stakes 2025 ahead of a clash with Via Sistina in the Queen Elizabeth.
The Irish bred, British trained Pride Of Dubai seven-year-old relished the Soft Rosehill track for this year’s Group 1 $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m), originally set to run on Saturday before the Sydney wash-out, and he proved too strong when beating home reigning Caulfield Cup champ Duke De Sessa in the mile and a half feature.
It was a lovely return to winning form for the gun gelding who hadn’t won since the Group 1 GP De Saint Cloud (2400m) in last year.
“Anyone that knows me knows how special this horse is to me and the whole team. He is an absolute start and at seven years old he has proved again that he is at that top class level. I couldn’t be happier,” Haggas’ stable representative Isabella Paul told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“He’s the most perfect horse to travel and he never misses a beat. We never have to worry about him and he is the easiest horse in the world.
“We joke that he is like a labrador because he is just like my pet.
“I’m so proud of him, proud of Tom and the whole team.
“He was quite fresh coming into it. We didn’t do a lot in the last week with aiming to run Saturday, so I gave him a little blow on Saturday just to open him out again and hopefully take a bit of that freshness of, which I’m not sure I managed to do.
“He’s just so cool and such a talented animal that he makes it easy.”
He remains unbeaten in Australia having made a successful raid on the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival in 2023 taking out that year’s Group 1 Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Another shot at the lucrative Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 12 is now on the agenda following his Tancred triumph when ridden to victory by Tom Marquand.
“I hope so. I’ll get him home and see how he is. He’ll have some fluids tonight and we’ll take care of him nicely. We’ll trot him up in the morning and see how he goes,” Paul said of a Queen Elizabeth Stakes bid.
It was Chris Waller‘s roughie River Of Stars leading this year’s Tancred Stakes field around on the turn for home with stablemate Duke De Sessa ($5.50) issuing the challenge on his outside at the top of the straight.
Marquand took the inside run on the eventual winner Dubai Honour however who was quick on the scene 200m out from the line while Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott‘s better fancied import, Vauban ($3.10F), also presented late to put himself in the finishing frame.
All honours however went to Dubai Honour who drew clear and fended them off for another impressive performance on the Aussie turf.
“He felt like the winner and as a jockey there’s horses that give you certain feelings and at the top of the straight, I went out rather than going back in,” Marquand said.
“I think he’d won either way, to be honest. Issy does a great job every year and WIlliam and Mohamed Obaida, to be brave enough to bring them back time and time again, I’ve got the easy job, I think.”
He is now likely for the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in just under a fortnight where he will meet Waller’s impressive Cox Plate winning mare Via Sistina and drop back in distance, which should be a non-issue according to Paul.
“I don’t think so. A bit more rain next week would be great. I think this race, for me, it felt like his race this year and I was really keen that he came here and obviously he has proved himself over that mile-and-a-half trip,” she said.
“But I think stepping back down to 2000-metres, we haven’t got an option, but there is no reason to try after that performance.”
Ten horses have completed the Tancred Stakes / Queen Elizabeth Stakes double in the same year, but none since Eremein in 2006.
Via Sistina dominates the latest all-in Queen Elizabeth Stakes odds $1.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au while Dubai Honour has moved onto the second line of pre-field betting at $5.
2025 Tancred Stakes Results
Tancred Stakes 2025 Odds & Results
Kia Tancred Stakes (G1)
| Runner Details | Win | Place |
|---|---|---|
|
1st
1. Dubai Honour (3) J: Tom Marquand 59kg
T: William Haggas |
||
|
2nd
4. Duke De Sessa (1) J: Harry Coffey 59kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
||
|
3rd
2. Vauban (2) J: Tim Clark 59kg
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
||
|
4th
3. Arapaho (4) J: Rachel King 59kg
T: Bjorn Baker |
||
|
5th
6. Circle Of Fire (8) J: Jason Collett 59kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
||
|
6th
9. Zechariah (5) J: Kerrin McEvoy 59kg
T: Chris Waller |
||
|
7th
14. River Of Stars (10) J: Nash Rawiller 57kg
T: Chris Waller |
||
|
8th
7. Land Legend (9) J: Damian Lane 59kg
T: Chris Waller |
||
|
9th
5. Zarir (6) J: Tommy Berry 59kg
T: Chris Waller |
||
|
10th
11. Warmonger (7) J: Chad Schofield 58.5kg
T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr |
||
|
11th
8. Asterix (11) J: Josh Parr 59kg
T: Chris Waller |
Data retrieved: 16/05/2025 01:36:55 AM (Australia/Brisbane)
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