Blast From The Past: 2005 Irish 2000 Guineas

Churchill won five of his six starts as a two-year-old and produced arguably his most impressive performance when winning the National Stakes at the Curragh by four and a quarter lengths. He duly spent the winter as a short-priced favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and was 6/4 as the stalls opened for the first classic of the season, despite impressive trial winners Al Wukair, Barney Roy and Eminent all featuring among the opposition.

Rewind the clock some 12 years and Dubawi boasted a very similar profile when facing his date with destiny on the Rowley Mile. He too had won the National Stakes in devastating fashion as a two-year-old and was sent off the 11/8 market leader for the 2000 Guineas, having occupied that position through most of the winter months he spent with the Godolphin string in Dubai.

That is where the similarities end, however. Churchill may have mastered his rivals at Newmarket in typically dominant fashion, but Dubawi could only muster a disappointing fifth behind another Aidan O'Brien-trained Guineas winner, Footstepsinthesand, and had a reputation to repair when taking his chance in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh three weeks later.

Rebel Rebel (second), Oratorio (fourth), Democratic Deficit (sixth) and Capable Guest (fourteenth) were other Newmarket runners to line up for the Irish 2000 Guineas, with Beresford Stakes winner Albert Hall, Ballysax Stakes winner Bobs Pride and pacemaker Hills of Aran completing an eight-strong field.

Dubawi and Oratorio were sent off the 7/4 joint-favourites, with Democratic Deficit (13/2) and Rebel Rebel (7/1) the only other runners to go off at a single figure price. Travelling strongly in a race that was steadily run early on by classic standards, Dubawi quickened clear after taking over two furlongs out and, despite hanging right and ending up against the far rail, ran out a comfortable winner, beating Oratorio by two lengths, with Democratic Deficit six lengths away in third.

The fact that the first two were able to pull so far clear in a slowly-run race was testament to their ability and both would go on to establish themselves as high-class colts, with Oratorio excelling once stepped up in trip, lowering the colours of Derby winner Motivator in both the Eclipse at Sandown and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. 

Dubawi himself lined up in the Derby at Epsom and, though not entirely discredited in third (beaten eight lengths by the winner), he almost certainly failed to stay and was dropped back to a mile for his next start in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August. Despite coming up against the unbeaten three-year-old filly Divine Proportions and two of France's top older milers, Valixir and Whipper, Dubawi emulated his sire, Dubai Millennium, by winning the race in decisive fashion, beating the latter by a length and a half.

He met with defeat on his only subsequent start in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Newmarket, but might well have prevailed had things transpired differently on the day (jockey Frankie Dettori himself was quoted as saying he wished he could ride the race again), and was quickly retired to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket with his reputation intact, having sustained a ligament injury on the gallops when being prepared for the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Dubawi stood his first season at a fee of £25,000, but classic success in his early crops with the likes of Makfi, New Bay and Night of Thunder has seen that figure quickly rise and it now costs 10 times as much to use his services. Indeed, he is now established as one of the leading stallions in the world and will be looking to record his 29th individual winner at the highest level on Sunday, with Bean Feasa set to represent him and Godolphin in the Irish 1000 Guineas.

Dubawi won £699,341 in prize money during his racing career and achieved a peak Timeform rating of 130.