Whip Cracker

Owner-breeder Jaber Abdullah has a reputation for being one of the shrewdest judges around, but even a man with over three decades of experience in the sport can suffer from a crisis of confidence. Abdullah himself discovered as much just last month, on the eve of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. There his royal blue silks with white striped sleeves and white cap were carried by the Richard Hughes-trained Sayidah Dariyan, who massively outran odds of 66/1 in finishing fourth, beaten just a length and a quarter, behind Time...