Heart Of Honor returns to winning ways, double delight for Seemar

Having spent the summer contesting such banner races as the Preakness and the Belmont, Heart Of Honor deserved headline billing at Meydan’s second Dubai Racing Carnival meeting of the season.

Back at the scene of his agonising defeat in the G2 UAE Derby in April, Jamie Osbourne’s gelding was typically slowly away in the Nakheel Stakes – the final race on the card.

Jockey Saffie Osborne didn’t panic, however, taking a route around most of her rivals and getting a good response once in the clear. Heart Of Honor came home well, putting seven and a quarter lengths between himself and second Galactic Star on the line.

It was a notable victory for Saffie Osborne, too, the jockey having returned from three months out due to injury just on Friday.

The loudest cheer of the night came for Mendelsohhn Bay, who stormed to his second Stakes success in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile.

The Bhupat Seemar-trained gelding won the 2024 G3 UAE 2000 Guineas and looked back to his best here, taking on leader and defending champion Meshtri on the bend and powering home by six lengths under Richie Mullen.

Seemar was also responsible for the most heartwarming victory of the evening, which came in the Thunder Snow Handicap, won in emphatic fashion by eight-year-old Remorse.

Sixth in the 2022 Dubai World Cup, Remorse has always been a talented horse and showed all of that here, disputing the lead and charging home by six and a half lengths from Elyabri, in the hands of Tadhg O’Shea.

Charlie Appleby horses aren’t usually in action this early in the Carnival but a different strategy paid off when Devon Island took the two-year-old colts’ Palm Central Maiden over 1600metres on dirt.

Ridden by James Doyle, the son of Practical Joke was much the best, powering clear in the closing stages for a five-length win over the closing Brotherly Love. A €650,000 purchase who was second at Kempton on debut, Devon Island now looks bound for the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas in January.

Ahmad Bin Harmash has a strong team of two-year-olds and his Yuno ground out success in the Palm Jebel Ali Maiden.

Ridden by Connor Beasley, the daughter of Rock Your World had to work hard to overcome leader Tjareed, but she won with a little in hand, by a length.