The decision to start Dubai Star in a 2yo maiden over 1100 metres at Canterbury on Friday in preference to Saturday’s Group II Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick paid off when the daughter of Pride Of Dubai led all the way under Tim Clark to break her maiden at her third start.
Sent off a short-priced favourite, Dubai Star had to do some work to find the lead but kept up a strong gallop in the straight to defeat the I Am Invincible filly I Am Swerving by a length and a quarter with Godolphin’s Exceed And Excel filly Jerle a short head back in third.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Dubai Star split Hanseatic and River Night in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes at Sandown when making her career debut before a close-up sixth in the Inglis Nursery at Randwick on December 14.
Bott said the decision was made to run at Canterbury rather than Randwick because of the shorter distance and did not want her to have a gut buster after ten weeks off.
“There was plenty of merit to that. She came into this race with plenty of physical and fitness improvement in her,” Bott said.
“That is what we wanted to see from her, come here do things right and give her a bit of confidence and hopefully she can go right on with it.
“There was plenty of pressure early on. She fought them off and was strong late.”
Carrying the colours of her breeder Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and partners, Dubai Star was purchased by Gai Waterhouse Racing / Adrian Bott for $320,000 out of the Segenhoe Stud draft at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She is the first foal of the city winning Fastnet Rock mare Jezzabba who is a half-sister to the Group II VRC Sires Produce Stakes winner Von Costa de Hero (Encosta de Lago) who placed in the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Guineas and Australia Guineas.
Jezzabba is a daughter of the Group 1 MVRC Manikato Stakes winner Piavonic.
Waterhouse and Bott went back to the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where they shelled out $500,000 for Dubai Star’s full sister.
After foaling a Snitzel filly last spring, Jezzabba was bred back to Pride Of Dubai who extends his lead as the top first season sire.
Dubai Star becomes the fifth winner and fourth in Australia for the dual Group 1 winning son of Street Cry (IRE) who covered 176 mares at Coolmore Stud last spring at a fee of $38500.
