Godolphin’s ever-dependable Rebel’s Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) brought up the 16th victory of his globetrotting career with a second consecutive win in Sunday’s US$2.5-million G3 H.H. The Amir Trophy, the showpiece event in the Qatari racing calendar.

This year’s renewal was run at the Al Uqda Equestrian Complex, and a day later than planned, after the original fixture at Al Rayyan on Saturday was postponed due to concerns about the safety of the track. The race was also run over the shorter distance of 2,300 metres (from 2,400 metres), but none of the alterations made any difference to the seven-year-old Rebel’s Romance, who ultimately ran out a comfortable winner following another professional performance from the front in the hands of William Buick.

The Charlie Appleby trainee broke alertly from stall three and had worked his way to the head of affairs by the time he reached the winning post for the first time, with the locally-trained Simca Mille (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) for company to his outside. The formation remained much the same, with Andrew Balding’s The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and another local runner, Toromona (Ire) (Shamardal), tracking the two leaders, as the eight-strong field turned into the straight. From there Buick gradually went through the gears on his long-time ally and Rebel’s Romance was always doing just enough to hold off the persistent challenge of The Foxes by a length.

Japanese raider Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) fared best of those held up as he made late headway to finish third, over a length behind The Foxes, with the other British hopes, King’s Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), never able to get seriously involved as they came home fourth and fifth, respectively.

Last seen before Sunday when winning November’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar for the second time in three years, Rebel Romance has now amassed over $13 million career earnings. A seven-time winner at the top level, in four different countries, he is now likely to bid for another repeat triumph in the $6-million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Saturday, April 5.

“We are very thankful to everyone at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club for getting the races run,” Appleby told Godolphin.com. “It has been a challenging weekend, and they have done a fantastic job in a very short space of time.

“Rebel’s Romance is the ultimate warhorse, who doesn’t know how to lie down. He has gone out there with his heart on his sleeve and put up another great performance. William knows the horse inside out and has ridden him with a lot of confidence again.

“I am delighted for the whole team and especially His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who continually supports us in letting us make the decisions that we feel are right. Thankfully, he is reaping the rewards and, when you have a horse like Rebel’s Romance, it makes the job a lot easier.”

He added, “We will ship Rebel’s Romance back to Newmarket and plot the same route that we took last year, giving him a little break in preparation for the Dubai Sheema Classic. It’s one race at a time with him these days, and we will enjoy every moment.”

It was a second victory on the day for Buick, Appleby and Godolphin, after Al Qudra (Ire) (No Nay Never) ran out a two-and-a-half-length winner of the Al Rayyan Mile, which was run as a local Group 2. The race was overshadowed for the Godolphin team by the fatal injury to Age Of Gold (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), while it also saw Wathnan Racing’s La Bellota (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) run off the track and unseat jockey James Doyle, before colliding with a rail. An update on the condition of La Bellota has not yet been received.

The Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan operation had previously been among the winners in the Dukhan Sprint, a local Group 3 which went the way of Mickael Barzalona’s mount, Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), for Newmarket trainer Tom Clover.

REBEL’S ROMANCE repeats in the G3 $2.5m HH The Amir Trophy in Qatar. Full steam ahead to the G1 $6m Dubai Sheema Classic @RacingDubai on April 5. #DWC25 pic.twitter.com/hRQPtHZSn8

— Michael Adolphson (@AdolphsonRacing) February 16, 2025

Pedigree Notes

Rebel’s Romance is one of two top-level winners out of the Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes runner-up Minidress (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), along with the ill-fated Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who tragically lost his life when bidding to repeat his 2024 success in last month’s G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan. He also counted last year’s GI Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga among his seven career wins. All told, Minidress is the dam of four winners from as many runners, with the others including the Listed-placed Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). She has a two-year-old full-brother to Rebel’s Romance to come.

Minidress, in turn, is out of the G3 Musidora Stakes and G3 St. Simon Stakes heroine Short Skirt (GB) (Diktat {GB}), who was also twice Group 1-placed as a three-year-old when she finished third in the Oaks and second in the Yorkshire Oaks. After being purchased by John Ferguson, on behalf of Godolphin, for 1.4 million guineas at the 2006 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, Short Skirt went on to produce five winners, including the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy scorer Volcanic Sky (GB), a full-brother to Minidress.

Sunday, Al Uqda, Qatar
H.H. THE AMIR TROPHY-G3, $2,500,000, Al Uqda, 2-16, 4yo/up, 2300mT, 2:14.96, gd.
1–REBEL’S ROMANCE (IRE), 128, g, 7, by Dubawi (Ire)
      1st Dam: Minidress (GB) (SP-Eng), by Street Cry (Ire)
      2nd Dam: Short Skirt (GB), by Diktat (GB)
      3rd Dam: Much Too Risky (GB), by Bustino (GB)
O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick;
$1,425,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Turf Male-US, Hwt. 3yo-UAE
at 9.5-11f, Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-HK & UAE,
MGISW-US, MG1SW-Ger, GSW & GISP-Eng, 23-16-0-1,
$13,202,574. *1/2 to Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}),
G1SW-UAE, GISW-US, SP-Eng, $1,568,523; and Petticoat (GB)
(Cape Cross {Ire}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–The Foxes (Ire), 128, h, 5, Churchill (Ire)–Tanaghum (GB), by
Darshaan (GB). (440,000gns Ylg ’21 TATOCT). O-King Power
Racing Co Ltd; B-Barronstown Stud (Ire); T-Andrew Balding;
J-Oisin Murphy; $550,000.
3–Satono Glanz (Jpn), 128, h, 5, Satono Diamond (Jpn)–Cherry
Collect (Ire), by Oratorio (Ire). (¥105,000,000 Ylg ’21 JRHJUL).
O-Hajime Satomi; B-Northern Racing (Jpn); T-Yasuo
Tomomichi; J-Christophe Soumillon; $275,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, 2.
Also Ran: King’s Gambit (Ire), Alflaila (GB), Supercooled (Ire), Simca Mille (Ire), Toromona (Ire). VIDEO.