Al Hudaiba Gives Dark Angel Second Group Winner In As Many Days With Sublime Performance In The G2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket
Al Hudaiba emerged as an early contender for next year’s Classics as he overcame signs of rawness to get up on the line in the G2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, 11 July.
The July Course contest has proven a launchpad for several Godolphin luminaries, with Dubawi, Master Of The Seas and Native Trail featuring among a long list of royal blue winners.
Steadied at the rear of the seven runners, Al Hudaiba found plenty of cover before making good headway after being switched out by William Buick entering the final quarter-mile.
Al Hudaiba quickened between Notable Dream and Abraham Lincoln passing the furlong pole, drifting to the far rail in the process. Abraham Lincoln kicked on into a clear advantage soon after, with Al Hudaiba hindering his chances as he attempted to tuck in behind the leader with half a furlong to race.
The Godolphin juvenile rallied powerfully after straightening up, joining Abraham Lincoln on the line to get the verdict in a head-bobbing finish, with the front two pulling clear of Pikachu in third.
Charlie Appleby said: “Al Hudaiba has a lot of talent. Will said he was happy in the first part of the race and felt it was a question of how far he was going to win by, and then the horse started shifting underneath him. It’s a job staying on him, let alone trying to get him to gallop out.
“I was confident that he would get there once he got his head down and started to rally because he has a lot of ability. Whether we need to put some headgear on to make him concentrate harder – he is one of those horses who finds life very easy because he has that engine. If he is to step up to the bigger leagues, he is going to have to concentrate harder.
“We will look towards the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and I think the ground at the Curragh might suit him better. Will said he was feeling it today and he is by Dark Angel, and we know they generally like a bit of juice in the ground.”
William Buick added: “Al Hudaiba shows plenty of ability at home. I wasn’t sure that I had won and I would have been very, very cross if we hadn’t because he still did well to win. He ducked in behind Abraham Lincoln late on, which cost him momentum, so credit to him for still winning. I think you can definitely upgrade the performance.”
Pedigree Notes
Bred by Godolphin Al Hudaiba, who becomes the 75th Group winner for his sire, is the first foal out of A’Shaari (Dubawi) who was handed a TDN Rising Star badge on her debut at this track in 2020 but failed to go on. She is a full-sister to Wuheida, one of Appleby’s first big horses who captured the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and Prix Marcel Boussac. A daughter of the Fillies’ Mile and Yellow Ribbon winner Hibaayeb (Singspiel) from the family of the Fillies’ Triple Crown heroine Oh So Sharp (Kris), she also has a yearling filly and a colt foal by Frankel.
