Dubai Honour is set to make his long-awaited return to Sydney, competing in the upcoming Tancred Stakes at Rosehill. His handler, Isabella Paul, is confident the gelding is arriving as a more refined and seasoned competitor.

Back in 2023, Dubai Honour announced himself with dominant Group 1 victories in the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). This time, however, he returns as a proven global performer.

His extensive travels have helped him mature into a horse that takes international campaigns in his stride.

“Dubai Honour has been around the world and back about twenty times, so he’s fairly cruisy,” Paul said.

“He seems to just take everything in his stride. He’s probably a bit less naughty than he was as a younger horse, but he still can be pretty cheeky and it’s great to see how fresh he comes off the flight now.

“When they’re a bit younger they think about it a bit more and they stress about it, where for him it is fairly routine and he came off the flight absolutely bouncing.”

Since his stellar performances in Sydney two years ago, Dubai Honour has continued to build his resume, securing a Group 1 win in France, finishing second in another elite-level race in Germany, and placing in the prestigious Hong Kong Vase in December.

His recent form over 2400m has prompted trainer William Haggas to adjust his Sydney campaign, opting to bypass the Ranvet Stakes in favor of the longer Tancred Stakes (2400m) this weekend.

Despite now being a seven-year-old, Paul believes Dubai Honour remains at the peak of his abilities.

“I think so. He’s in really, really good form,” she said.

“That run in Hong Kong was absolutely huge. He was a bit unlucky in the race and you thought he might have won and then you look at how unlucky the eventual winner actually was, Giavellotto, and you can’t be upset.

“He is still proving himself. That was only a couple of months ago, so I think he can still perform at the top level despite being a seven-year-old.”

The Tancred Stakes has drawn a high-quality field, including the dominant Sky High Stakes winner Vauban, Caulfield Cup champion Duke De Sessa, and last year’s Tancred winner, Arapaho.

With Dubai Honour back on Australian soil and in top condition, racing fans can expect an electrifying showdown in this prestigious Group 1 event.