Royal Ascot: that heady celebration of all that is glamorous about racing, from well-heeled women to blue-blooded thoroughbreds. But while Ascot evokes that feeling of high summer, it is still early in the European racing season, heralding as it does the first British juvenile Pattern races of the year.
Members of Dubawi's first European crop, now three, are revelling in their Classic season. Makfi has claimed the 2,000 Guineas, Worthadd has won both the Italian Guineas and Derby, while Anna Salai came ominously close to grabbing the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
They are but three of Dubawi's offspring to have made his debuntants really stand out from the crowd. Poet's Voice and Sand Vixen came before them, each landing a G2 victory in their two-year-old season. With five Group winners already from the crop born in 2007, he has more than any other stallion's first crop up to the start of Royal Ascot since the Pattern began in 1971.
Even the great Oasis Dream, who made such a flying start to his stud career, had not sired as many Group winners by this stage as Dubawi, nor had Giant's Causeway, Dalakhani or Sea The Stars' sire Cape Cross. All are now among Europe's acknowledged elite sires. Dubawi's making a convincing case for his own name to be included on this list in the not too distant future.
