Last year’s 150/1 Sussex Stakes winner Qirat landed his first race since with a tenacious success in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes at York.
Unruly in the stalls, the 8/1 chance was driven to the front soon after they opened under Silvestre de Sousa and making the running for the first time since his pacemaking role at Goodwood, stayed there.
It looked for all the world like the strong-travelling 6/4 favourite Never So Brave was going to pick him off when looming up alongside, hard on the bridle, under Oisin Murphy.
However the winner outbattled last year’s Sky Bet City Of York Stakes winner, booking his own free ticket back to the August Group One in the process.
At the line Qirat was a widening length-and-a-half clear with Saber Strike, who took an age to pick up, running on into third, a further length adrift.
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Speaking from Newcastle winning trainer Ralph Beckett told ITV Racing: "I'm delighted to see him back. He nearly came out underneath the stalls and I thought 'this isn't going to go very well at all' but when it sets up well for him he's very good."
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