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Dubai Duty Free’s season of horseracing events reached a thrilling climax at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday, 21 September, the second and final day of the Dubai Duty Free International Weekend, which featured the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes supported by two Group 3 events and a valuable Handicap all under the Dubai Duty Free banner.
On a warm and sunny afternoon Pierre Lapin took a decisive stride into the footsteps of his champion sprinter half-brother Harry Angel when he overcame a four-month absence to land the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes.
On only his second racecourse start the Roger Varian-trained colt captured the same Group 2 prize Harry Angel claimed in 2016, before going on to head Europe’s sprint rankings the following year, in clear-cut fashion over Mystery Power and Shadn.
Varian, who trains Pierre Lapin for main owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, said: 'We thought he was a nice horse when he won at Haydock in May and the first impression was that we’ve got a Coventry Stakes horse on our hands but he fell away a bit physically and he didn’t look ready for Ascot.'
'It has taken an age to get him back to where I was happy enough to run him. I would have loved to have run him a few weeks ago to see if he was a Middle Park horse but I didn’t have him where I wanted him. He’s only come good at home in the last two or three weeks.'
'I’m delighted to see him win like that and I’d like to thank the owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid for his patience as he’s had to wait a long time for him to reappear.'
'I think this horse needs to furnish a bit, he’s not the finished article yet. He’s a horse for next year and I think he is a six furlong horse. When he’s a stronger horse, he’ll be a faster horse.'
Dubai Duty Free’s Executive Vice-Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin was on hand to present the trophies to winning connections accompanied by Sinead El Sibai Senior Vice-President – Marketing and Marketing Assistant Bernard Aquino.
Desert Encounter will head to Canada next month to try to win a second Canadian International after completing a Group 3 hat-trick in the Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup in the colours of Abdulla Al Mansoori., completing a Group race double on the day for jockey Jamie Spencer which he had initiated earlier with Maid In India in the Dubai International Airport World Trophy.
Maid In India, one of only 14 horses trained near Preston in Lancashire by Eric Alston, gave the handler his first Group race victory for three years with a game win in the Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy.
The mare, bred and owned by Con Harrington, suffers deteriorating eyesight and is nearly blind in her left eye yet showed little sign of it as she outbattled five-time seeking Dakota Gold by half a length.
Caradoc recorded his third win of the year and his most valuable one yet when denying Great Example and Gibbs Hill to take the £70,000 Dubai Duty Free Handicap for Lambourn trainer Ed Walker.
Success for H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum came late in the day when Raaeq, related to many winners, won the SIS Family Fun Day Novices’ Stakes. The Brian Meehan-trained Kingman colt showing great determination under Sheikh Hamdan’s retained jockey Jim Crowley to justify favouritism. 'We were touched off on his Salisbury debut,' said Meehan. 'We don’t have any fancy entries but he is a horse for next year.'
Dubai Duty Free return to Newbury in April 2020 for the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend which heralds the start of the Berkshire track’s Flat racing season.
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