Portland off the mark in Australia with a Stakes win for Dubawi

Imported gelding Portland gave his sire Dubawi a new Stakes winner on Saturday, May 30, with the Listed Lord Mayor’s Cup at Rosehill Racecourse, Sydney.

It proved a persistent victory, five-year-old Portland skipping through the middle of a big finish to snatch victory by a long neck. 

Jockey Winona Costin, who admitted the 2,000 metres did not pan out as planned, praised the Irish-bred Portland for continuing to find under pressure. The horse was on a rain-affected track for the first time since his arrival, which seemed to suit him.

The Lord Mayor’s Cup, in recent iterations a sweet spot for imported stayers, was the horse’s first win in six starts since arriving in Australia 18 months ago.

Initially with Aidan O’Brien, for whom he was a Listed winner and Group-placed, Portland was purchased for Australia by trainer Matthew Smith for 135,000gns at the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale. 

By Dubawi, he is from the Group-placed Galileo mare Zagitova, a half-sister to the French G1-winning sprinter and sire Garswood.

Portland is Dubawi’s 24th Australian Stakes winner and his first this season.

The super sire’s progeny has won over $33 million in earnings to date since his first runners took to Australian tracks in 2009.