Dismissed at rough odds with a sea of blue for Godolphin signed on for Saturday’s G1 Jebel Hatta, defending champion ALFAREEQ (IRE) (g, 6, Dark Angel {Ire}–Unjuwaan {GB}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) raced prominently throughout and–unlike many of his chief rivals–enjoyed a clean passage, then ran down pacesetting El Drama (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) to cause the upset. The 6-year-old hit the ground running and was forwardly placed and out of trouble through the early stages, and when El Drama crossed all the way down to the inside, Dane O’Neill asked Alfareeq to follow the move and chased from second. With the race more or less between the two pace factors in the final stages, Alfareeq covered his final 400 metres in :23.01 and was home just to the good of El Drama. Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), sent off the international favourite from barrier two, raced in traffic and in the slipstream of the comebacking and headstrong Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) down the backstretch, was steered to the outside once produced in upper stretch by William Buick and rattled home to be a very good third. Real World was one-paced through the final 200 metres, while the commonly owned Valiant Prince (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) did him no favours by pulling fiercely beneath James Doyle. Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a latest winner of the H H The Amir Trophy in Qatar two weeks ago, lingered at the back of the field and also finished with gusto to be in a photo for fifth in what was meant as a prep for the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic Mar. 25. O/B-Shadwell; T-Musabbeh Al Mheiri.
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