Returning to the scene of her impressive triumph in the Gr.2 Hungerford Stakes last season, SACRED (Exceed & Excel) put on a show in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup Stakes. Held up by Tom Marquand through the first half of the contest, Sacred made smooth headway onto the heels of the leaders 2f out before bursting clear in the final furlong to score by six-and-a-half lengths. This was the third Stakes victory over seven furlongs for William Haggas’s four-year-old filly, who may now target the Gr.2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket.
Sacred is a homebred daughter of SACRE CAROLINE (Blame), who was purchased for 300,000gns from Voute Sales at the Tattersalls December Sale in 2017. Sacre Caroline is also the dam of the winner Enshrine (Ulysses) and the unraced two-year-old A Dublin Lad (Ulysses), who fetched 300,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 last year. She also has a yearling colt by Ulysses and a filly foal by Frankel.