WITH his first foals arriving this spring, the only measurement we have so far of the popularity of Dubawi Legend, a son of the legendary Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) is the see how many mares he covered last year, his first at Starfield Stud. The answer is a resounding thumbs up, as he had a book of more than 120 mares, many owned by some of the best-known commercial breeders.

In combination with being a son of an outstanding sire of sires, being among the leading juveniles of his year, and being a son of a stakes-winning mare by Raven’s Pass (Elusive Quality), the broodmare sire of Mishriff (stands for €17,500) and Saffron Beach (sold for 3,600,000gns), Dubawi Legend stands for an attractive fee of €6,000.

Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, Dubawi Legend is the fifth big race winner that Hugo Palmer has trained for Dr Ali Ridha. The colt won a seven-furlong novice at Doncaster on his debut where he was the highest-rated two-year-old debutante for five years. Again over seven, he ran third behind Royal Patronage and Imperial Fighter in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York, but this defeat did not dissuade connections from running in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

On the day he had Bayside Boy (Group 1 winner), and pattern winners Berkshire Shadow, Glounthane and Go Bears Go in arrears, but he had to give best by two lengths to Native Trail, the best colt in Europe that year and a classic winner at three. Buoyed by such a good run, Dubawi Legend headed to the Breeders’ Cup and was not disgraced when down the field in the Juvenile Turf.

At three he was dropped back to six furlongs for his best performances. He had nine stakes winners in the chasing pack when he made all but was caught by Minzaal and Go Bears Go, beaten less than a length and a half by the winner. He was back in the winner’s enclosure at the end of August when he travelled to Baden-Baden and was a convincing winner of the six-furlong Group 3 Goldene Peitsche.

Dubawi certainly needs no introduction as a sire, standing at a fee that is the equivalent of about €410,000, and his outstanding sons include last year’s Group 1-winning two-year-olds Henry Longfellow and Ancient Wisdom, and the stallions Night Of Thunder, Too Darn Hot, New Bay, Zarak, Al Kazeem, and many more.

Not the only smart performer produced by his dam, Lovely Pass, Dubawi Legend is a half-brother to three winners, notably the stakes winner Golden Pass (Golden Horn) who was runner-up in the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster. Their dam was placed in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot before establishing herself as a classic filly in the UAE, winning their 1000 Guineas and running second in their Oaks.

Lovely Pass and the stakes winner Spirit Raiser (Invincible Spirit) are both daughters of Macadamia (Classic Cliché), and she was successful in the Group 2 Falmouth Stakes. Macadamia was one of three stakes winner among 10 successful progeny of the winning Cashew (Sharrood).

Race record

DUBAWI LEGEND (IRE), Bay horse, 2019. Jt 2nd top rated 2yr old colt in Europe in 2021. Top rated 3yr old sprinter in Germany in 2022. Won 2 races, value £169,281, at 2 and 3, from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs, Goldene Peitsche, Baden-Baden, Gr.3, also placed second in Dewhurst Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1 and third in Acomb Stakes, York, Gr.3 and Hackwood Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3.

At stud

Retired to stud in 2023, first crop now foals.

Information

Stands at: Starfield Stud, Ballynagall, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, N91 K8Y9, Ireland.

Contact: Micheál Orlandi

Telephone: +353 83 8092299

Email: info@compasstallions.com

Web: www.compasstallions.com

Fee: €6,000