Poker Face and Tuz shine as Meydan welcomes New Year

Meydan’s Sword of Honour racenight produced a battle worthy of the name when Poker Face edged out Holloway Boy in the featured G2 Zabeel Mile.

The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained six-year-old was having his first Meydan run and was also ridden for the first time by Pat Dobbs, who timed his challenge impeccably. Racing in mid-division for much of the race, Dobbs was able to squeeze through a small gap and produce Poker Face right on the line to deny British raider Holloway Boy by a nose.

“I thought I was beaten! “said Dobbs. “I said well done to Danny Tudhope [on Holloway Boy] pulling up, so that’s a nice surprise.

“We got racing from three [furlongs, 600m] out and I had a lovely position to keep things smooth with him. I got in behind William [Buick, on Noble Dynasty] halfway down the back and I was happy with where I was then. I thought a furlong out we’d pick up William and then I saw Danny on the other side was probably half a length in front of me.

“This horse has improved as a six-year-old.”

Tuz has become one of the leading lights of UAE racing and the sprinting superstar racked up his third win in a row in the G3 Dubawi Stakes – becoming just the second horse to win it twice, after Reynaldothewizard.

Ridden by Tadhg O’Shea for whom it was a remarkable 800th UAE winner, Tuz perhaps had to work a little harder to beat Colour Up than in December’s Al Garhoud Sprint, but the result was the same; but a five-length victory instead of a six-length one.

“He’s a special horse, a great horse for the barn,” said O’Shea. “It’s a great privilege to be able to steer him around for my 800th winner. I remember winning my 700th in this very same race on Switzerland.

“I had one slightly anxious moment going to the start when he saw something and slammed on his brakes but thankfully I stayed on.”

International success came in the very last race on the card, the 2810metre Zoho Conditions Stakes, when Epic Poet gave UK-based trainer David O’Meara a sixth Dubai winner.

The victory may have made up for Tudhope’s earlier narrow defeat on Holloway Boy as this time he was able to hold on, hitting the front 200metres out and having just enough left to hold off the fast-finishing King Of Conquest and Keffaaf.

“He was a bit fresh tonight which isn’t him,” said Tudhope. “But the race panned out nicely and he got the job done."

One of the most impressive handicap winners on the card was Asaassi who showed his rivals daylight in the opening Zabeel Turf.

Ridden by Ray Dawson, the Michael Costa trainee survived both a bump at the start and racing keenly, but still had plenty of energy when leading from 400metres out. He beat the Godolphin pair of El Cordobes and Endless Victory by two lengths and the same, taking his career stats to four from 11.

The race may have looked tricky for Dawson, but he didn’t think so, saying: “You never get a race to go as smooth as that! It was perfect, especially from that draw [12].

“I was just hoping to get mid-division and luckily enough I was tracking Will Buick and my horse had plenty of gears and a lot of class.”