Jack Hobbs might battle Golden Horn at Coral-Eclipse Stakes

His connections had said after the Group 1 win on Saturday that the three-year-old colt, the son of Halling from Swain’s Gold, will go on a holiday and return for the Prix Niel.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman of DDF; Dr. Saeed Mohammed Ali Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Ireland; and Patrick Hennessy, Irish Ambassador to the UAE, presenting the trophy to the winning connections. — Supplied photo

Abu Dhabi — Fresh off a stellar Irish Derby victory at The Curragh on Saturday, Jack Hobbs just might be lining up to face-off stable-mate Golden Horn again and go one better.

His connections had said after the Group 1 win on Saturday that the three-year-old colt, the son of Halling from Swain’s Gold, will go on a holiday and return for the Prix Niel, the prep race before the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in September.

But Jack Hobbs, owned by Godolphin and partners, though has been entered for the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park on July 4, along with Golden Horn, both trained by John Gosden.

Golden Horn won a fine renewal of the Dante Stakes at York in May and followed that up with a brilliant win at the Epsom Derby. Jack Hobbs was runner-up on both occasions and will look to beat his stablemate, if he does run next Saturday. Normally, a horse doesn’t run two races within a week.

Golden Horn didn’t run at The Curragh as Jack Hobbs landed the spoils in the 150th running of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Jack Hobbs rode a commanding race to win by five lengths over Storm The Stars, owned by Shaikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum.

It was his third victory in five starts and his first Group 1 win. He also became the first British-trained winner of the race since Commander In Chief in 1993.

The win also gave jockey William Buick his first Group 1 win since the Dubai World Cup in March. Buick had piloted Prince Bishop to an astonishing victory in the world’s richest horse race at the Meydan Racecourse.

Trainer John Gosden was elated with the result. “He is a wonderful horse, he fought all the way to the line.

We are really thrilled with this result and are very grateful to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his support,” said Gosden.

“It was genuine good-to-firm ground and it’s nice to see the form from Epsom working out so solidly. He travelled really well and William just waited after he came at the head of the straight and I loved the way he finished off his race,” Gosden added.

Buick too echoed Gosden. “He was the best horse in the race, it was my race to lose,” said Buick.

“I had a lot of belief in him before Epsom and he was even better today. He’s a horse that’s improving all the time. He’s very uncomplicated. Races have come thick and fast for him and he’s had to learn how to run fast quickly. He’s got better with every run, he’s a horse with a great turn of foot,” added Buick.

Shaikh Mohammed’s Godolphin racing team bought a majority share in the colt after he was runner-up to Golden Horn in the Dante Stakes at York in May.

Meanwhile, Log Out Island, the son of Dark Angel from White Daffodil, was third in the GAIN Railway Stakes Group 2. Trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by Buick, who prepped for the Irish Derby, finished behind Painted Cliffs and Rockaway Valley.

This was the eighth running of the Irish Derby under the Dubai Duty Free backing. The world’s leading airport retailer sponsored six of the eight races on the card including the Irish Derby.

Colm McLoughlin, the Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free presented the winning connections with a brand new, specially commissioned trophy which was made for the 150th anniversary, in front of a packed grandstand.