Exceed And Excel is currently sitting atop the sires’ table for this year’s Dubai World Cup Carnival (by winners rate 115+) and on Thursday, 22 February, his winning run continued when Folkswood landed the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes.
Folkswood has been a superb campaigner for his sire and trainer Charlie Appleby, finishing second in last year’s G1 Jebel Hatta, where he was beaten just a neck. He will aim to go one better on Super Saturday on 10 March.
Poet’s Voice, who enjoyed such a tremendous year with his juveniles in 2017, has ensured his successful spell continues into the new year, boasting an impressive 39% winners to runners. This figure cannot be beaten by any other stallion in the northern hemisphere.
On Friday, 23 February, one of these winners, Montsarrat, added a first Black Type win to his record in the most impressive style when landing the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes. Always in command under Pat Dobbs, Montsarrat simply skipped clear once asked for his effort and eventually won by no fewer than six lengths.
Poet’s Voice is also sire this year of South African Stakes winner Leaves Of Grass, and also has a live G1 prospect in Poet’s Word, runner up in both the English and Irish Champion Stakes last year.
There were two Stakes races on the card at Jebel Ali last Friday and with the first won easily by the aforementioned Montsarrat, Poet’s Voice’s own sire Dubawi ensured that father and son completed the double when Shillong swept home to win the Jebel Ali Sprint.
Dubawi then recorded his second Stakes winner in as many days when his son The Blue Eye won the highly valuable HH The Emir’s Trophy in Qatar. Dubawi has a superb record in this race, siring four of the last five winners.
Helmet, whose biggest and best crop yet are currently being born, enjoyed success on two continents on Sunday, 25 February.
Godolphin’s two-year-old colt Tin Hat looked an exciting prospect when winning well in Ballarat, Australia, having been beaten just a head on his racecourse debut earlier in the month. He will now likely head to the city tracks for a step up in class on his next start.
A few hour later at Sha Tin, Helmet’s three-year-old son Handsome Bo Bo overcame a wide draw to record a dominant win in the six-furlong handicap. He has improved considerably since making his debut and further victories could well be on the cards for this promising sort.
