Dubai Honour maintains unbeaten Australian record in Group 1 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill
Dubai Honour kept his unbeaten Australian record intact in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes and a clash with superstar mare Via Sistina now awaits in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
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English maestro William Haggas orchestrated another first Sydney Group 1 coup when Dubai Honour showed his class to win the $1.5m Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Tuesday.
Dubai Honour kept his unbeaten Australian record intact and continued Haggas’ extraordinary success in the Sydney autumn carnival with his impressive win over an elite Tancred field.
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Haggas then confirmed Dubai Honour would back-up in the Group 1 $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on April 12 and a showdown with Via Sistina, Australia’s Horse of the Year-elect.
“Via Sistina is a champion,’’ Haggas said from the Newmarket stables in England.
“I’ve been admiring Via Sistina from afar and she is going to be very hard to beat.
“But I think there is more to come from Dubai Honour. He looked a bit fresh to me.
“He will come on from that and we will go to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes now.’’
Dubai Honour ($3.20) was expertly ridden by Tom Marquand and burst through the pack to win by three-quarters of a length from Duke De Sessa ($5.50) with Vauban ($3.10 favourite) a half-length away third.
Haggas sent Dubai Honour to Sydney two years ago when the gelding cleaned up with successive Group 1 wins in the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
It's a matter of honour! ðŸ‘@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
• What the jockeys said: 2025 Tancred Stakes
But Dubai Honour is a seven-year-old now and Haggas concedes the gelding is better suited at 2400m which prompts the question: “Is he sharp enough to take on Via Sistina, Ceolwulf and co in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes?”
“I’m not sure, I’m hoping he is but we don’t have any other choice,’’ Haggas said.
“It’s the only race for him now but I’m confident he will be better for this run.
“He’s a horse that loves travelling, he thrives on it, and where ever he goes, he always does his best.’’
Since Haggas began to target the Sydney autumn carnival in 2020, the English trainer has had remarkable success, particularly when his horses race first-up here.
In fact the trainer has had first-up winners in Sydney every autumn year except 2022 when he didn’t send any runners down under.
His first-up winners are:
• 2020: Addeybb – Group 1 Ranvet Stakes, Young Rascal – Group 3 Manion Cup
• 2021: Favorite Moon – Group 3 Manion Cup
• 2023: Dubai Honour – Group 1 Ranvet Stakes, Protagonist – Group 3 Sky High Stakes
• 2024: Post Impressionist – Group 3 Manion Cup, Lake Forest – Golden Eagle
• 2025: Dubai Honour – Group 1 Tancred Stakes
This is a remarkable eight first-up feature race winners from Haggas-trained runners and overall, the trainer’s Sydney record since 2020 is 11 winners from 20 starters at a strike rate of an incredible 55 per cent winners to runners.
• What the jockeys said: Tancred Stakes Day 2025
Dubai Honour gave Haggas his sixth Sydney Group 1 win in five years with his Tancred triumph.
Haggas has also won three Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Addeybb (2020-21) and Dubai Honour (2023).
Marquand has been an integral part of Haggas’ success in Sydney and produced another masterful ride to win on Dubai Honour in the Tancred.
“I’ve been here a couple of weeks and it was starting to get a bit dull but I’m lucky that I’ve been riding a few for Australian-based trainers but you come here to compete in the Group 1 races and it is really satisfying when you pull it off,’’ Marquand said.
“He felt like the winner during the race. 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.
“I think he’d win either way, to be honest. Issy (Paul, travelling stable foreperson) a great job every year and William to be brave enough to bring them back time and time again. I’ve got the easy job, I think.”
Haggas had initially planned to continue Dubai Honour’s international campaign to Hong Kong for the QE II Cup at Sha Tin later this month but his now having second thoughts.
But he is now having second thoughts, indicating he might bring Dubai Honour home after the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“I haven’t ruled out taking Dubai Honour to Hong Kong for the Champions And Chater Cup over 2400m in late May,’’ he said.
Haggas also confirmed he may have another Sydney first-starter on Day 1 of The Championships with Desert Hero, owned by King Charles III, likely to line up in the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
“We might run Desert Hero in the Chairman’s,’’ Haggas said.
“He is picking up now and doing well. We would like to give him a run in Sydney.’’
Originally published as Dubai Honour maintains unbeaten Australian record in Group 1 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill
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