Dan’s Dream eases to Dubai Duty Free Stakes success at Newbury

The Berkshire-based trainer has started the turf Flat season in fine form and Dan’s Dream, a recent novice winner, provided him with his sixth victory from his last eight runners in this Group 3 encounter.

Given a typically patient but measured ride by Silvestre de Sousa, the three-year-old filly was brought to challenge down the stands’ rail and she quickened up well to pass Tajaanus, Dance Diva and Hikmaa to run out a comfortable winner by a length and a quarter.

Tajaanus and Dance Diva took second and third respectively.

The race favourite Gavota travelled nicely on her seasonal reappearance under Ryan Moore, but failed to pick up on the far side when asked and was well beaten.

Speaking afterwards, Channon, who last won the Dubai Duty Free in 2009 with the Darryll Holland-ridden Lahaleeb said, “We’ve thought a lot of her for a long time and we know she’s got the class to go back to six furlongs or up to a mile.

“It’s up to the owners where we go and I hope it’s to the Guineas.”

Whilst Channon and De Sousa took out the feature race at Newbury, there was a double on the card for jockey Frankie Dettori in the two races that followed.

The first came in the Greenham Stakes as James Garfield came home for trainer George Scott. The margin of three-quarters of a length ahead of Expert Eye in second Hey Gaman in third was slightly more comfortable than it sounds.

The double was completed in the next race, the Greatwood Spring Cup Handicap, as Taqdeer headed a large field of 22 runners. The winner and race favourite, trained by John Gosden, was made to work hard with Humbert coming in second a neck back, with Keyser Soze a further head’s distance back in third.

Jockey Andrea Atzeni and trainer Roger Varian followed up their success in the Rossdales Maiden Fillies’ Stakes on Thursday at Newmarket with another, this time in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes (Registered As The John Porter Stakes).

This came courtesy of Defoe who swept to a comfortable two and a half length win over Danehill Kodiac in second and What About Carlo in third.