Nineteen remain in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes

Worth £100,000 prize fund this year, the feature race of the day has nineteen two-year-olds entered at Newbury Racecourse

Monday 16th September 2024

Following the latest confirmation stage today, nineteen remain in the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes on Saturday. Worth an increased £100,000 total prize fund this year, the six-furlong contest for two-year-olds is the feature race of the Dubai Duty Free International Weekend on Friday 20^th and Saturday 21^st September.

The recent winner of the £100,000 Tattersalls Sommerville Auction Stakes, the Sylvester Kirk trained Brian, has been supplemented along with the unbeaten Wathnan Racing owned, Hamad Al Jehani trained son of Too Darn Hot, Defence Minister.

Featured amongst the entries include the first three home in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes: Cool Hoof Luke (A.Balding), Shadow of Light (C.Appleby) and the third placed horse Symbol of Strength (A.Keatley). Keatley’s son of Kodiac subsequently landed Group success in the Group 3 Unibet Sirenia Stakes, narrowly beating 2023 Mill Reef Stakes winner Array’s half-brother, Jouncy, into second.

Aidan O’Brien has four contenders amongst those confirmed. The runner up in the recent Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes, Camille Pissarro and Group 2 Betfred Champagne Stakes runner up, Monumental, could both make a quick return to the track following their runs at Doncaster during the Betfred St Leger Festival. A Group 3 winner in the Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes, Ides of March and Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg third, Treasure Isle, are the two further potential Irish contenders.

Powerful Glory (R.Fahey) and Sarab Star (J.Channon) both broke their maiden’s on their sole career start. A run in Saturday’s Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes would be just the second start for these two colts.

Other notable entries include Group 2 HKJC World Pool Vintage Stakes fourth, Tiger Mast, trained by Karl Burke. Burke also has Andesite entered, last seen finished seventh behind Cool Hoof Luke in the Gimcrack Stakes.