Australian Studbook Red Flags – Not the Stallion We Thought

Tara Madgwick - Thursday September 7

The Street Cry (IRE) sireline has become one of the most influential in Australia in terms of producing elite performers with his sons producing six individual Group I winners last season and one of those sons that sired two of those G1 winners is the subject of this story.

A dual Group I winning two year-old from the family of champion sires Invincible Spirit and Kodiac, Pride of Dubai ticked every box as a sire prospect on paper and retired to Coolmore in the same year as Golden Slipper winner Vancouver.

Pride of Dubai, click for more info and a Hypo mating.

While Vancouver has since relocated to Victoria, Pride of Dubai remains on the Coolmore roster and after enjoying his best ever season in 2022/ 2023 when siring eight stakes-winners in Australasia he is priced to please this spring at $27,500.

Advertisement

Pride of Dubai is one of those stallions that a lot of people – trainers and breeders- got wrong and they are now looking at him in a new light as to what he can offer.

Pride of Dubai was expected to get fast precocious two year-olds and to an extent he did, finishing as the Champion First Season Sire in the 2019/2020 season with 11 winners headed by his lone stakes-winner Bella Nipotina. He did enough to maintain interest, but not enough to smash it out of the park.

Bella Nipotina is going strong at age six and has won $4million in prizemoney - image Steve Hart

By the end of the next season, Pride of Dubai was treading water, siring plenty of winners, but Bella Nipotina remained his best performer with no other obvious stars on the rise and his popularity took a sharp dive.

As time passed a funny thing happened in Europe where his progeny started to make their mark over a mile and further with a horse called Dubai Honour showing enough potential in the Willam Haggas stable to earn a trip to Australia, while Bella Nipotina went from strength to strength. Dubai Honour thumped our best WFA horses including Anamoe to win both the Group I ATC Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elzabeth Stakes at 2000m, while Bella Nipotina won the Group I MVRC Manikato Stakes and placed in a string of G1 sprints.

Dubai Honour (IRE) wins the G1 QEII Stakes in a canter - image Steve Hart

Pride of Dubai is a good stallion, he’s just not the stallion most breeders thought he was initially. He might not get you a Golden Slipper winner, but he’s going to put you in the picture for an Everest or a Cox Plate!

He has strong crops of two and three year-olds to run this season and they hold the potential to keep his name in lights for a long time to come.

Pride of Dubai - Southern Hemisphere Seasons at Stud

Advertisment
More Reading...
Will it be a fairytale finish for Tasmanian-bred mare The Map?
Fresh from sweeping the sire awards at the 2024 Tasmanian Racing Awards this season, the Armidale Stud team is in line for another significant achievement with The Map (Alpine Eagle x This Moment) flying the flag for resident stallion Alpine Eagle in the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 5 November.
Sires With Winners - Sunday November 3
Here is the full list of 59 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Kiwi Longshot Hope for Cup
Grant Cooksley came tantalisingly close to getting his hands on the Melbourne Cup as a jockey, and he is hoping to rectify that on Tuesday as a trainer when he lines-up Trust In You in the two-mile feature.
Bellatrix Star May Back Up in G1 Champions Sprint
Te Akau and Fortuna Racing’s filly Bellatrix Star proved she is among Australia’s top sprinting three-year-olds last Saturday at Flemington, finishing second in the A$2 million Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).
Zoustar 6YO Stepping up to 2000m
Pre-post favourite Habana will head into unfamiliar territory at Ellerslie, but there is confidence in his camp that it will be a smooth transition.
Te Akau Chasing Another Cup Day Success
Last year’s Melbourne Cup Day concluded in success for Mark Walker in the Gr.3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m), a race he will chase back-to-back crowns in on Tuesday with Kiwi mare Quintessa.
Kiwi Grey Targets Subzero on Cup Day
The Subzero Handicap (1400m), a race solely for registered grey thoroughbreds, has proven to be a fan favourite at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day, and this year, Kiwis will have their own grey to barrack for.
Kiwi Mare Positivity Ready for Cup
Talented Kiwi mare Positivity will step out on the greatest stage for stayers at Flemington on Tuesday, when she contests the A$8 million Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Melbourne Cup Tips – Tara Talks Racing
Tara Talks Racing is now online having had a Sunday arvo drink or two as we go through the Cup horses, so what do Clocker and I like for this year’s Melbourne Cup?
Sires With Winners - Saturday November 2
Here is the full list of 137 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.