Dark Saffron shocked the field with a stunning upset in the Dubai Golden Shaheen

While Tuz finished third after a troubled trip and Straight No Chaser failed to fire, the Flameaway colt capped a sensational Carnival for Connor Beasley

A picture worth a thousand words / DRC

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Special to Turf Diario). – With a masterclass ride from Connor Beasley, local 3-year-old Dark Saffron pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the evening, upstaging a world-class field of sprinters in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

The presence of two 3-year-olds in the gate had already drawn attention leading up to the race—it hadn’t happened since 2006. Prior to Saturday, only five sophomores had ever contested the Golden Shaheen, and just two of those were Northern Hemisphere-breds: My Catch (12th in 2014) and Dios Corrida (11th in 2017).

Among the pair, it was Japan’s American Stage who arrived with the more convincing résumé. Still, few gave either colt much of a chance against defending champion Tuz or American speedster Straight No Chaser.

But the script was rewritten on the track. Trained by Ahmad bin Harmash, Dark Saffron showed signs of restlessness in the outside stall (11) just before the break. But Beasley got him settled in the nick of time, and when the gates opened, the son of Flameaway rocketed out with blazing early speed.

The two sophomores went straight to the front, while Straight No Chaser, struggling badly with the kickback, never found a rhythm and dropped out of contention early.

Tuz, meanwhile, was poised in a perfect stalking position and looked set to pounce as the race unfolded. But the pressure began to tell approaching the final 600 meters, and his repeat bid started to unravel.

Still, Tuz dug in gamely and launched a rally up the rail. That’s when Beasley showed every ounce of his class, cleverly cutting off Tadhg O’Shea’s momentum more than once with a tactically sharp ride.

Flying late from the back came Nakatomi, closing fast, while Tuz surged again when all seemed lost. But Dark Saffron, carrying 3.5 kilograms less than his older rivals, held firm under pressure and stopped the clock in style. It marked the second victory on the night for Beasley, who had earlier steered First Classs to victory in the Kahayla Classic.

“I’m a little speechless,” admitted Beasley after his big win. “He’s just one of those horses that keeps getting better. He’s been running well on turf, but he’s got this amazing natural speed. What he did today is just unbelievable.”

“It’s a massive relief, because this is what we work for. We’ve got a good bunch of horses, but to win a race like this, on a night like this—it’s just fantastic.”

“He’s so naturally quick, and to be honest, drawing wide probably turned out to be a blessing. I had one option, and the way he went and did it was spectacular.”