2025 Queen Elizabeth Stakes: Dubai Honour, Rousham Park and Geoglyph out to topple Via Sistina at Royal Randwick

Three international contenders will give further star power to day two of The Championships at Royal Randwick this Saturday.

Dubai Honour is the proven big race performer, Rousham Park is a fighter and Geoglyph is better than what he showed last weekend.

That’s the verdict on the star international trio tasked with taking down Australian horse of the year in-waiting Via Sistina in Saturday’s Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick.

All three overseas raiders tuned up for day two of The Championships at Canterbury Park on Wednesday morning.

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English weapon Dubai Honour, a winner of the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, will attempt to enhance trainer William Haggas’ remarkable Sydney record in the gelding’s second trip to Australia.

He gets the chance to emulate Haggas’ former two-time Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Addeybb with his second victory in the weight-for-age feature.

And if his performance at trackwork was any indication, he’s in the right frame of mind to achieve it.

“It’s funny on reflection, Addeybb used to get pretty naughty when he was in good order,” Haggas’ travelling foreman Issy Paul said.

“Generally the week leading up to a race, this horse gives me a really hard time as well.

“He can be quite cheeky like he was (Wednesday) morning so that was a real mark that Addeybb was in good form and it feels to me like a real mark that this horse is the same.”

It's a matter of honour! 👏@WilliamHaggas and @TomMarquand do it again with Dubai Honour who pops another Australian G1 on his shelf with a win in the Tancred Stakes!@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/QcLkKmaUdL

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 1, 2025

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Dubai Honour maintained his perfect Australian record of three wins from three starts first-up with a strong performance to salute in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes.

A $6 chance, the son of Pride Of Dubai will have to win from an awkward wide draw but has the assets to overcome it.

“He is the perfect horse to travel because he is really versatile,” Paul said.

“The ground, obviously we are happy with a bit of rain overnight, but ground wise he is versatile and Tom (Marquand) has been able to ride him in lots of different ways.

“He doesn’t need to be dropped out but we can maybe get up to the pace a little bit.

“My biggest fear watching some of these races over the carnival is they crawl and sprint because dropping back to the 2000m trip could make it hard from him.

“Maybe if we are able to slide forward from that draw, it could help us out.”

Rousham Park ($17), set to be ridden by globetrotting star Christophe Lemaire, will have his maiden Australian start on Sydney’s big stage.

Christophe Lemaire on Rousham Park, at Canterbury Park, on Wednesday morning. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

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The Hiroyasu Tanaka-trained galloper is a stakes winner in Japan and was a runner-up in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in the United States last November.

Tanaka believes he’s got the right horse to win the Queen Elizabeth.

“Rousham Park has a nature that he wants to fight, that’s his strong point,” Tanaka said via a translator.

“Obviously Via Sistina will be hard to beat and Dubai Honour is unbeaten in Sydney so it is a strong field, that’s what I understand.

“I think Rousham Park is up to their level. The important thing for him is that he runs in a good rhythm, that’s why we have Christophe and hope he has him in a good rhythm.

“Rousham Park gets really keen in his races but performs really well with Christophe so we really appreciate that he is here.”

Rebel’s Romance holds off Rousham Park in the @BreedersCup Turf! #BC24#ローシャムパーク#競馬#ブリーダーズカップpic.twitter.com/eUyFwOxgPZ

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 2, 2024

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Geoglyph ($101), which boasts a win over Japanese superstar Equinox three years ago, disappointed in his Australian debut in the Doncaster Mile, finishing 18th.

His trainer Tetsuya Kimura is hopeful he can show his true colours this week.

“First of all I am really sorry to the Japanese racing fans that expected him to run well but it didn’t go well,” Kimura said via a translator.

“He couldn’t perform what he does in Japan so it was disappointing.

“He pulled up well and he tries hard, even in trackwork so that’s how I feel about it now.

“Obviously he hasn’t done a back-up and it’s not a usually a thing in Japan so it’s a concern be were and pressing on and have to do it.”

Dubai Honour won the Tancred Stakes first-up. Picture: Jason McCawley / Getty Images

THE INTERNATIONAL CONTENDERS

DUBAI HONOUR
Trainer: William Haggas
Jockey: Tom Marquand
Record: 29-9:7:2
Prizemoney: $8,375,076
Biggest wins: 2023 Group 1 Ranvet Stakes, 2023 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 2024 Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, 2025 Group 1 Tancred Stakes

ROUSHAM PARK
Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
Record: 16-6:4:1
Prizemoney: $4,372,925
Biggest wins: 2023 Group 3 Hakodate Kinen, 2023 Group 2 Sankei Sho

GEOGLYPH
Trainer: Tetsuya Kimura
Jockey: Damian Lane
Record: 20-3:2:1
Prizemoney: $5,937,669
Biggest win: 2022 Japanese Thousand Guineas (Oka Sho)