By Tom Frary
Picked by William Buick from the two Godolphin hopes for Saturday's G2 Superlative Stakes, Saba Desert (Dubawi) justified that call to continue connections' run of success at Newmarket's July Festival. Swooping late to deny the 4-6 favourite Italy (Wootton Bassett), the grandson of the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Gossamer defied a market drift to 6-1 to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths and deliver a fourth renewal to his sire who won this himself in 2004.
“We went to Sandown with a lot of confidence and William said he had felt like sitting there and winning on the bridle that day which is rare for him,” Charlie Appleby said after greeting his sixth winner of this staging post. “He's a horse we've held in high regard for a while and is the typical stamp of a Dubawi–deep-girthed and short-backed–and as it's a road we often take he could go to The Curragh for the National and then on to the Dewhurst. He's more of a Guineas type than a Derby horse for next year.”
Opening his account at Sandown in the maiden won by the stable's Native Trail in 2021, the chestnut leapt in the air at the break and missed the kick which served as a blessing as the filly Venetian Lace (Masar) streaked up the stand's rail. Italy, who had been too free throughout the early stages, and the winner's stablemate Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) were compromised as she drifted left running downhill and the way was clear for Saba Desert to overhaul them all in the closing stages.
Appleby was keen to upgrade the effort of Wild Desert. “I'm delighted with him, as he was the one that probably got the most interrupted run and he might go to Goodwood for the Vintage. He's a hard horse to gauge, as he's not a work horse at home, whereas the winner is push button–if you want to win a gallop by 10 lengths, he will.”
Aidan O'Brien said of Italy, “We're very happy, he was a bit babyish and a bit green, as we thought he might be. He'll go back to the Futurity Stakes probably now. If he'd won today he'd have had to go into a Group One next, so in a way it's better. He came for experience and he hasn't been woke up at all really. We're very happy and we'll look forward to him the next time.”
Saba Desert (Dubawi) remains unbeaten to claim Group Two success in the Superlative Stakes 🤩
Another win in the race for @WilliamBuickX, Charlie Appleby and @godolphin 🔵@NewmarketRace | @bet365 pic.twitter.com/JbR7ezttSe
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 12, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Saba Desert is the third foal out of the modest middle-distance handicapper Finespun (Sea The Stars), a daughter of the aforementioned Gossamer (Sadler's Wells) who also captured the G1 Fillies' Mile at two and produced the G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Ibn Khaldun (Dubai Destination). Her unraced daughter Veil of Silence (Elusive Quality) was responsible for Exceed And Excel's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Mischief Magic (Exceed And Excel) and G3 Prix Eclipse and Listed Windsor Castle Stakes winner Sound And Silence.
Other descendants of Gossamer, the full-sister to the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and GI Breeders' Cup Mile-winning sire Barathea, include Lope De Vega's GI Turf Classic, GI Saratoga Derby and GI Hollywood Derby hero Program Trading, the G2 Park Hill Stakes scorer and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes runner-up Silk Sari (Dalakhani) and Kingman's G1 Kennedy Oaks heroine Zardozi. Also connected to the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Almaqam by Program Trading's sire, Finespun's yearling colt is by Zarak while she also has a foal full-brother to Saba Desert.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
BET365 SUPERLATIVE STAKES-G2, £100,000, Newmarket, 7-12, 2yo, 7fT, 1:26.30, g/f.
1–SABA DESERT (GB), 129, c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Finespun (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Gossamer (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Brocade (GB), by Habitat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $83,869. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Italy (GB), 129, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Bound (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (200,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Smith, Magnier, Tabor, Westerberg & Brant; B-Lordship Stud; T-Aidan O'Brien. £21,500.
3–Wild Desert (Ire), 129, c, 2, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Winters Moon (Ire), by New Approach (Ire). TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby. £10,760.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 3/4. Odds: 6.00, 0.67, 3.50.
Also Ran: Venetian Lace (Ire), Raakeb (Ire), Bourbon Blues (GB), Moonfall (Ire).
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