A dramatic climax in the G1 Dubai Turf saw defending champion Lord North dead heat with Japanese raider Panthalassa at Meydan on Saturday, 26 March.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained son of Dubawi settled mid-field, travelling sweetly under Frankie Dettori into the home straight. Asked for improvement at the two furlong marker, Lord North began to reel in the front-running Panthalassa with the fast-finishing Vin De Garde in hot pursuit.
The trio were stride-for-stride flashing past the post and after an agonising wait, a dead heat was declared, with Lord North and Panthalassa staying on to share the honours a nostril ahead of third-placed Vin De Garde.
Bred by Godolphin, Lord North is the best performer out of the winning Giant’s Causeway mare Najoum. She is a half-sister to the G1 Blue Grass Stakes victor Bandini and G3 Sweet Solera heroine Discourse, herself dam of Dubawi’s stakes-winning daughter Discursus.
Lord North is one of 48 individual G1 winners by Dubawi, with a further 100 also winning at Group level. Dubawi concluded last season with a world-leading 38 Stakes winners, matching his previous career-best in 2019, and has already sired 8 Group winners this year alone.
In 2021, Dubawi became the first stallion ever to sire three G1 Breeders’ Cup winners in the same year led by Breeders’ Cup Mile hero Space Blues, who now stands on roster at Kildangan Stud.
