Dubai Sheema Classic report: Jack Hobbs so impressive

16.05 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (Group 1) result

1st Jack Hobbs (4/1)

2nd Seventh Heaven (8/1)

3rd Postponed (7/4 favourite)

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Report

Lightly-raced 2015 Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs returned from the relative wilderness to deliver a devastating victory in rain-softened ground as he took the Dubai Sheema Classic, one of the most valuable races anywhere in the world.

Pulled-up with a stress fracture to his pelvis on his reappearance at the Craven meeting last year, he only appeared once again in 2016, finishing third to Almanzor in the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot.

But John Gosden came into this contest hopeful that he had got the flame burning again in the five-year-old and Jack Hobbs dispatched some smart rivals with ease.

Cruising turning for home, William Buick's cut between rivals over a furlong out and stretched away from Seventh Heaven in second and third-placed Postponed, kept wide throughout in search of less-poached ground, but with no apparent excuses otherwise. Early leader Highland Reel faded back to finish last of the seven runners.

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John Gosden said: "When Godolphin bought into him they wanted to run him in this race and I said 'as a five-year-old, not at four'.

"First of all he liked the conditions, good to soft. Secondly, he had a long year off but ran brilliantly in the Champion Stakes, the form was amazing with Almanzor and Found. And then he just trained really well after this race and I was hopeful of a huge performance. So it didn't come as a big surprise, to be quite honest.

"We knew Ryan Moore would play with the pace and he was very clever as he kept out of the chewed-up ground on the inside and we went wide and we got a beautiful lead off him. And in the straight it was an open horse race and everyone had his chance. And William waited, which was very wise as it is a long straight. He is a very fine horse, it has been a long road back.

"I put semi-blinkers on the horse tonight just to make him concentrate. He has had so much time off that he forgets he is a racehorse and it looking around at who is in the boxes in the stands. He is in no way ungenuine but he was dreaming at Ascot and I just wanted to concentrate his mind.

"We'd had him out at 5am trying to get used to the lights, the first time he was taken aback but he's got used to it."

Looking to future plans, Gosden added: "With a horse like this, after they've run here you need to freshen them up and I would like to look at the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot and then the King George, which are ideal races for him.

"I had supper with Sheikh Mohammed last night and he wants people to come here from all over the world and win races."

William Buick said: "My plan was always to follow Highland Reel. Obviously  I'm very pleased with the way the horse has done it.

"John (Gosden) said to me earlier in the week that he didn't think he had the horse in better shape. He was 100 per cent right. The horse really showed his true colours today. He has shown again that he is a top-class colt. 

"He had a difficult year last year. And John got him back, it's a great training performance. He is a classy colt and we will hear more about him throughout the season."

Aidan O'Brien said of his two runners: "Highland Reel had quite an exacting year and this was his first run back on ground that wasn't ideal for him.

"It's very early in the season and I'm sure there's be other days ahead, but there are no excuses.

"For the filly (Seventh Heaven) it was also her first run back and I was delighted with her, it sets her up nicely for the coming months."

Seamie Heffernan said of Seventh Heaven: "On her first run of the year she has run a cracker. She's a double Group One winner and I'm delighted with her."

Andrea Atzeni said of the Roger Varian-trained Postponed: "The pace was a bit slow for my horse, which I was a little bit worried about in such a small field, and on that ground, he didn't find the gears that we all know he possesses."