Queen Of Dubai ran her rivals into the ground to claim her second career win at Sandown.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly led through to take out the Listed Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) on Saturday at her sixth race start.
Starting her career in Sydney, the stable sent Queen Of Dubai to Melbourne after a first-up Kembla Grange maiden win to contest the early season three-year-old fillies races.
After two luckless runs over 1200m at The Valley, the latest on September 4, Queen Of Dubai was allowed to roll along in the lead on Saturday and defied the opposition to run her down.
With Jordan Childs in the saddle, Queen Of Dubai ($20) held off the $2.35 favourite Zouzarella to score by a length with Vianello ($17) a half-length away third.
Melbourne representative Beau Dunn said it was a masterful training performance by the stable after delaying applying winkers to Queen Of Dubai’s race day gear.
“It’s a great sense of timing the way the prep has worked out,” Dunn said.
“She had been running around a bit and they had been standoffish to put some headgear on because it was only early in the prep and the Thousand Guineas is the ultimate goal.
“She came down and sat three-wide the trip first-up and was beaten three-lengths behind Zouzarella. Then she didn’t draw a gate again with the fastest last 600 (metres) of the meeting, gets beaten three lengths again.
“Jordie Childs jumped her out last Friday and he said pre-race that she’ll just win.”
While Queen Of Dubai was tiring late over Saturday’s 1400m journey, Childs said the filly could handle the step up to 1600m and a shot at the Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 13.
“Why not,” he said.
“She won impressively today. As long as she comes through that run good and Gai is happy with her, I can’t see why she couldn’t step up to that level.”
