John Gosden's Lord North produced an irresistible surge down the outside to deliver a famous victory for Frankie Dettori in the Dubai Turf.
Lord North, an impressive winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in the summer, struck from well off the pace but was dominant in the final furlong of the Meydan straight.
Dettori, riding ostensibly for the new joint licence holders of Gosden and his son Thady but with the former’s name exclusively on the racecard as trainer in Dubai, was content to sit well behind the lead early on.
Once he asked Lord North to pick up the pacesetters, it was game over, and the favourite (UK industry SP 6-4, international SP 138-100) was three lengths clear at the line, from Japan’s Vin De Garde, with Felix staying on into third for Oisin Murphy and Newmarket trainer Marco Botti.
Dettori said: "It was a nice pace. I followed William’s horse (William Buick, on Al Suhail). I had plenty of horse, and I know he stays really well.
"So I kicked him early, and he flew. I didn’t do much else after that – he did the rest.
"He was a handful in the early days, so he was gelded. He’s much more focused now, and he’s done nothing wrong.
"He’s a horse to go to war with in all the big races this year. Let’s try the Prince of Wales’s again … but I’m sure Mr Gosden will have a plan, and we’ll have lots of fun."
The Italian added of his successful spell back in Dubai during the winter: "It’s not been so bad, has it?
"I love it – coming back to where I started years ago. Twenty-five years of the World Cup, and I think I’ve been at most of them – they have been tremendous memories.
"Long may it continue."
Mark Johnston's Subjectivist put up an impressive performance to win the Dubai Gold Cup.
The four-year-old, winner of the Group One Prix Royal-Oak on heavy ground when last seen at Longchamp in October, demonstrated his adaptability on this much quicker surface, and put down a marker for all this summer’s top staying races.
Joe Fanning had his mount prominent throughout as For The Top initially led the Group Two field.
Subjectivist (UK industry SP 5-1, international SP 13-2) took over to go clear in the straight and had a yawning five and three-quarter lengths to spare at the line – as outsiders Walderbe and Away He Goes stayed on best of the well-beaten rest to be second and third respectively.
Johnston confirmed he found Subjectivist’s dominant performance a joy to watch throughout.
"Always, from past the winning post first time I thought 'this is perfect, I’m very happy, he’s going really well," said the Middleham trainer.
"When he hit the front, I was thinking ‘well, I’m glad I’m not the trainer of one of the other horses!
"I just thought frankly, as proved to be the case … anybody who thinks they can go and catch this horse from back there and make up that sort of ground … I just thought it was absolutely perfect.
"It wasn’t as if he’d been running too free, or he’d been driven to the front. He eased to the front with five lengths to spare over the field, and it just couldn’t have been better."
Fanning – making his first trip to Meydan – always felt in control on Subjectivist.
"He is a little bit keen – (but) he switched off nicely," said the winning jockey.
"It was a nice even pace, and down the back I was going so well I just let him roll on a little bit because I knew he’d stay very well on this ground.
"I was very confident turning into the straight I had plenty left.
"I didn’t want the race to slow up, and I had so much horse before the straight. So I got a breather into him, then kicked, and was pretty comfortable.
"I’ve never been to Dubai before. I thought he had a big, strong chance – so I was glad to come over."
Fanning had no doubts about Subjectivist on this quicker surface, either.
"Everyone thinks he wants soft, heavy ground – but I think he’s the type who’ll go on anything," he said.
"So I was never worried about the ground here – I think he’s a very versatile horse."
American challenger Mystic Guide (6-4F) provided Godolphin with victory in the landmark 25th edition of the Dubai World Cup.
Mystic Guide recorded a third successive victory in the Meydan showpiece in the owners' blue silks, and their ninth in all following Thunder Snow’s back-to-back triumphs in 2018 and 2019.
Mike Stidham’s four-year-old, ridden by Luis Saez, arrived from off the pace entering the straight and quickly took charge to prevail by three and three-quarter lengths from Japan’s Chuwa Wizard, becoming a 12th American-trained winner.
Godolphin’s Magny Cours, trained in France by Andre Fabre, stayed on to be third under William Buick, another length and a quarter back.
