Pivotal gelding Addeybb was last seen in Australia winning a pair of Group I races during the Sydney Autumn Carnival, but at Royal Ascot overnight he had to play second fiddle to four year-old Dubawi gelding Lord North in the Group I Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1m2f).
Trained by John Gosden and ridden by James Doyle, Lord North claimed his first Group I with an utterly dominant display, recording the longest winning margin (three and three-quarter lengths) in this race since Duke Of Marmalade's four length success in 2008.
“The race panned out in Lord North’s favour but it was certainly no fluke and he can be a strong force in these races. He feels like a solid mile-and-a-quarter horse and he's versatile regarding ground,” said Doyle.
“Once the gap opened he surprised me at just how he quickened. He was a joy to ride.”
Bred by Godolphin and raced by HH Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Racing, Lord North has six wins and two seconds from nine starts.
He is the best of two winners from Giant’s Causeway mare Najoum, a half-sister to Group I winner Bandini and also to the dam of Group I winner Out for a Spin.
Lord North is the 42nd Group I winner for Darley’s champion sire Dubawi and it the first Group I winner for his sire bred from a daughter of Giant’s Causeway, although the nick is very successful from smaller numbers.
There have been five stakes-winners bred this way from just 19 runners so the nick runs at 26% stakes-winners to runners.
