By Heather Anderson
Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca) delivered a come-from-behind masterclass in the 1900-metre G3 UAE Oaks presented by DP World at Meydan on Friday. It was the filly's first stakes win. She defeated stubborn pacesetter Arigatou Gozaimasu (Honest Mischief) by three-quarters of a length, with Taswaheen (Mendelssohn) 16 lengths back in third.
Arigatou Gozaimasu passed Taswaheen to show the way into the first turn, with Queen Azteca saving every inch of ground against the rail in midpack. A touch keen, the pacesetter was under token pressure from Salsabil Princess (Honor Code) on the backstretch which grew more intense on the far bend. Moving smoothly, the eventual winner kept a close eye on the leading pair. Given her cue around the 600-metre mark, Queen Azteca had just Arigatou Gozaimasu to get past at the quarter pole. However, the leader still held a commanding margin of at least four lengths inside the furlong grounds. Still a couple of lengths behind the frontrunner with less than 100 metres to travel, Queen Azteca surged late to catch the faltering Arigatou Gozaimasu and win going away in the final four strides.
“It was a bit more stressful than I thought it would be!” said Niels Petersen, who is 13-times champion trainer in Norway. “I didn't think Arigatou would be the one to step up, after last time, but both fillies ran great races. From 50 metres out, I thought we had a good shot at it when Arigatou stopped a little, so maybe it looked easier than it was.
“It's a big racing scene here and we come from little Norway, so to pull it off is a huge achievement. I think all of Scandinavia was cheering us on today.”
A $22,000 Keeneland September yearling acquisition by Justin Rea, the filly was consigned by Fairgreen Stables to the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, where she caught the eye of Edgar Byrne to the tune of 30,000gns. A winner in a trio of 2024 starts in Sweden, Queen Azteca was second in a conditions race locally to Flama Sunshine (Flameaway) in December, before besting Taswaheen in a 1600-metre race here on Jan. 17.
Pedigree Notes
Her victory makes her the sixth stakes winner and second at group/graded level for her sire, who moved to Japan in the autumn of 2023 and now stands at Shizunai Stallion Station. His best was GI Beholder Mile Stakes heroine Sweet Azteca.
The placed Palace Malice mare Princesa Helena has two runners and two winners. Her 2-year-old colt, El Gady (Kantharos), has yet to race and she has a yearling full-brother to Friday's winner. In 2024, she was covered by Munnings.
With Flying Colors (A.P. Indy), a stakes winner at Belmont and the granddam of Queen Azteca, foaled dual Grade III heroine Teresa Z to the cover of Smart Strike. Third dam My Flag (Easy Goer) won four times at Grade I level in the U.S. including the 1995 edition of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and is also the dam of American champion and fellow Juvenile Fillies heroine Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat), who accomplished that feat in 2002. Fourth dam and U.S. champ Personal Ensign holds a 13-for-13 record, with her Breeders' Cup rosette earned in the 1988 GI Distaff.
Friday, Meydan, UAE
UAE OAKS PRESENTED BY DP WORLD-G3, AED800,000, Meydan, 2-21, 3yo, f, 9 1/2f, 2:00.43, fs.
1–QUEEN AZTECA, 126, f, 3, by Sharp Azteca
1st Dam: Princesa Helena, by Palace Malice
2nd Dam: With Flying Colors, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: My Flag, by Easy Goer
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. ($22,000 Ylg '23
KEESEP; 30,000gns 2yo '24 TATGNS). O-Glaesner Racing APS;
B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC (KY); T-Niels Petersen; J-Carlos
Lopez. AED480,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0, $792,619. Click
for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk
Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Arigatou Gozaimasu, 126, f, 3, Honest Mischief–Woodflower,
by Woodman. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
($235,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Sequel Stallions New York, Llc
(NY); T-Salem bin Ghadayer. AED160,000.
3–Taswaheen, 126, f, 3, Mendelssohn–Sequoia Queen, by
Forestry. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. ($75,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Sky Racing;
B-Clarkland Farm, Llc (KY); T-Ahmad bin Harmash. AED80,000.
Margins: 3/4, 16, 7 3/4.
Also Ran: Salsabil Princess, Mistysea (Fr), Ruby Hamilton, Parisian Beauty (GB). Scratched: Reina Rosso.
Click for the ERA chart & video.
“ℎ !”
rules in an epic renewal of the G3 @DPWorldUAE-sponsored UAE Oaks
Niels Petersen Carlos Lopez #DubaiCarnival pic.twitter.com/1lihuW5WIk
— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) February 21, 2025
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