Series stars shine in the Meydan moonlight

Brown Panther coasts to glory in the Dubai Gold Cup in Meydan. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

The stars of the QIPCO British Champions Series were well represented on Dubai World Cup night in Meydan on Saturday, resulting in six of the seven races won by jockeys that have been victorious in Series contests.

William Buick registered the biggest pay day of his career by causing a major upset to land the Dubai World Cup on board Prince Bishop.

The eight-year-old was pushed out early on after lagging behind the prominent front-runners at the start, but a resilient display in the saddle saw the Saeed bin Suroor-trained star eventually coast to a two and three quarter length victory in Meydan.

Prince Bishop’s win gave Bin Suroor a seventh success in the lucrative contest.

Series stars had even more luck on the night as British Champions Series Ambassador Michael Owen witnessed his beloved Brown Panther record a comfortable win in the Dubai Gold Cup.

On his first start of the season, he repelled the challenges of competitive International raiders to win by three and a quarter lengths.

Brown Panther’s victory was soon followed up by Series stalwart Sole Power in the Al Quoz Sprint.

Despite a narrow half length triumph, Champion Jockey Richard Hughes guided the speedster to an easy win in Meydan – his first in Dubai.

Sole Power is now set to return to the Champions Series, as are The Grey Gatsby and his Dubai Turf conqueror Solow after the pair finished first and second in Meydan.

The latter in particular could be set for a mouth-watering tie in the Queen Anne Stakes against International superstar Able Friend.

Meanwhile, Flintshire, second in the 2014 Investec Coronation Cup behind Cirrus des Aigles, couldn’t find enough to beat the hugely-impressive Dolniya in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Alain De Royer Dupre’s filly, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, is now set for a tilt at Royal Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks.