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The remarkable year being enjoyed by Dubawi (IRE) (TrueNicks,SRO) took on even more luster at the weekend when he was represented by three group winners, and a runner-up. What’s more, the were from just over five furlongs to twice that distance.

He now has ten stakes winners, eight group, from his first Northern Hemisphere crop, and has already added another five from his second crop, two of them group. Oh, and there are also 11 more stakes placed horses, so that’s 26 black type performers from just two crops of racing age.

The weekend stakes horses were notable for their rather interesting pedigrees. Astrophysical Jet, who won the Dubai Airport World Trophy (gr. III) over an extended five furlongs, has an unusual pedigree for a sprinter. Dubawi was essentially a miler, but stayed well enough to take third, albeit a somewhat distant one, in the Epsom Derby (gr. I). Astrophysical Jet’s dam, Common Knowledge is by a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (gr. I) winner, Rainbow Quest, out of a mare by Shirley Heights, who won an Epsom Derby (gr. I), and the third dam is 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) and French Oaks (gr. I) winner Highclere. What’s interesting about the pedigree is that Dubawi’s broodmare sire, Deploy, is by Shirley Heights out of a daughter of the mare Where You Lead, while Common Knowledge is by Rainbow Quest (out of a daughter of Where You Lead), with a dam by Shirley Heights, essentially a reverse cross to Deploy.

Paradoxically, Prince Bishop, who won the ten-furlong Prix du Prince d’Orange (gr. III) is out of the mare by the very rapid Prospect Bay. This means a 3 x 4 cross of Mr. Prospector, who appears as grandsire of both Dubawi and Prospect Bay. Seeking the Gold seeks to react a little differently to Mr. Prospector inbreeding through the sire and dam than most, and there are already 11 stakes winners by Seeking the Gold line stallions out of Mr. Prospector line mares, and at least 42 stakes winners with Seeking the Gold in the sire, and another cross of Mr. Prospector in the dam (including Dubawi group winner Irish Field, who has the three-quarters related Seeking the Gold and Miswaki, 3 x 4. There are also four stakes winners by Mr. Prospector line stallions out of Seeking the Gold mares, three graded. With regard to Prince Bishop, we can note that Dubawi’s sire, Dubai Millennium, and Prospect Bay are both Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer crosses.

Another Dubawi that has a lot more speed than one would anticipate is Majestic Dubawi, a two-year-old filly who took the Firth of Clyde Stakes (gr. III) over six furlongs on Saturday. Her dam, Tidal Chorus, is by Singspiel out of a mare by Caerleon, and the next dam is by High Line (who appears 5 x 4 here), who excelled at two miles, so has the pedigree of a 1½ mile plus runner. What Majestic Dubawi does have is an interesting pedigree pattern. Dubawi’s dam, the Italian Oaks (gr. I) winner Zomaradah, is by a son of Shirley Heights, and her thrd dam is Sunbittern (an untypically fast and precocious daughter of the extreme stayer Sea Hawk II, who won her first three starts at two, over six and seven furlongs, and finished fourth in the six-furlong Cheveley Park Stakes (gr. I)). The extended Shirley Heights/Sunbittern combination found in Zomaradah is repeated in In the Wings (sire of Majestic Dubawi’s broodmare sire, Singspiel), as his dam, group I winner High Hawk, is by Shirley Heights out of Sunbittern. Zomaradah is actually something of a mirror image to the dam of Majestic Dubawi, as Zomaradah is a Shirley Heights/Northern Dancer/High Line cross, and Tidal Chorus is a granddaughter of a Northern Dancer/Shirley Heights cross, out of a mare who is a Northern Dancer/High Line cross. Some of the above is a bit complicated, but the bottom line is look out for Rainbow Quest and Singspiel/In the Wings with Dubawi.

The one that got away for Dubawi this weekend was the Prix de Chenes (gr. III) for two-year-olds over a mile. The Dubawi colt Havane Smoker finished second, beaten a half length. From the family of blue hens Bella Colora and Reprocolor, Havane Smoker is out of a mare by Rahy (half brother to Singspiel) with a second dam by Sadler’s Wells (grandsire of Singspiel). We don’t have the fancy inbreeding mentioned in regard to Dubai Majesty, but obviously the background is very similar.

Winner of the Prix des Chenes (gr. III) was French Navy. He is a son of Shamardal (TrueNicks,SRO), who is doing a good job of chasing Dubawi in the second season sire rankings, and this was basically a reverse of the Firth of Clyde Stakes (gr. III), where Majestic Dubawi defeated Shamardal’s promising daughter Ragsah. French Navy is from the Numbered Account branch of the La Troienne family (she is his fourth dam), and since he is out of Woodman mare, his dam has the sisters Playmate and Numbered Account 2 x 4. In general, Shamardal over Mr. Prospector, as here, has not been very successful to date (two stakes winners from 41 starters), even though it came up with classic winner Lope De Vega (inbred 3 x 3 to Shamardal’s broodmare sire, Machiavellian). With Woodman mares, however, he has only three starters, and they’ve produced French Navy and stakes placed Miss Shamardal.

Ragsah, who ran like a filly with a bright future in the Firth of Clyde Stakes (gr. III) is, ironically, a half sister to Dubawi’s sire, the magnificent Dubai Millenium. Her dam, Colorado Dancer (by Shareef Dancer), won two group races in France, and is out of the great producer Fall Aspen. Shamardal has sired four starters out of mares by Shareef Dancer, and the cross has already produced group winner Arctic. The broodmare sire, Shareef Dancer, is out of a mare by Sir Ivor, and he already appears in at least seven of Shamardal’s stakes winners, four group or graded, and two group/grade I.