Aidan O'Brien: Sheema Classic was "non-event" for Auguste Rodin

Rebel’s Romance caused a surprise in the Dubai Sheema Classic, in which dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin finished last.

While Charlie Appleby’s six-year-old did win the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2022, he was well beaten in the corresponding race 12 months ago and looked to be up against it in a field stacked with quality.

Along with Auguste Rodin, who is developing an all-or-nothing reputation, there was Emily Upjohn, Spirit Dancer and Japanese challengers Liberty Island and Stars On Earth.

The pace was pedestrian, set by Aidan O’Brien’s Point Lonsdale, but only William Buick on the eventual winner and Liberty Island were keen to stay close to it.

With half a mile to run, that trio had opened up a sizeable gap on the remainder of the field and when Buick kicked on to take up the running well over a furlong out, the writing was on the wall.

A strong stayer at the trip, Rebel’s Romance, who won the UAE Derby back in 2021, galloped all the way to the line, with Shahryar, Liberty Island and Justin Palace, all from Japan, taking minor honours. Emily Upjohn fared best of the rest just behind but Auguste Rodin offered nothing.

Appleby said: “He’d won a Breeders’ Cup Turf and four Group Ones, yet he was 20-1, which showed just how deep a race it was.

“William told me he had a plan but I told him not to tell me, then I couldn’t roast him if it went wrong!

“We were confident the right thing to do was go forward and heading down the back, I felt confident because I knew the fractions weren’t strong.

“William knows this track so well and did everything right.

“To have a winner tonight, on what has been a really international night, to get one on the board for Godolphin and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed is very pleasing.”

The Newmarket handler added: “It was our last throw of the darts, but we were confident he was in as good a place as we could get him. He went to Kempton and then had a great ride in Qatar from William.

“He has travelled a lot but we were confident he was at his best. Plan A was to go forward to give the horse the best chance to run his best race.

“This whole night is a huge space in the racing calendar that everyone will aim for. You’ve got to look after these horses and make sure you don’t give them one race too many.

“We toyed with the Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong next, but we will enjoy today and he deserves a bit of a rest.”

Buick commented: “He showed in Qatar that he can still perform from the front or close to it. He has a big stride and we decided to get across and somewhere near the action. We were given an easy lead off easy fractions. I was surprised he was in his comfort zone, going easily.”

O'Brien was keen to write off Auguste Rodin's below-par effort, stating: "It was a bit of a non-event really. The race just developed into halves so we just want to put a line through the race really.

"Ryan (Moore) just said he felt he wasn't happy where he was or anything. They just never activated at all so it was a bit of a non-event. It was just one of them where it didn't happen."

Facteur Cheval just held off the late lunge of Japanese challenger Namur to win the Dubai Turf, in which Lord North was unplaced in search of his fourth win in the race.

Trained in France by Jerome Reynier, the winner was last seen finishing second to his compatriot Big Rock in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day.

It has previously been suggested that Facteur Cheval needed soft ground to be seen at his best, as he arguably showed his top form in testing conditions when second to Paddington in the Sussex Stakes, but he showed his versatility on this occasion.

Hollie Doyle somehow managed to get Nashwa to the front from her wide draw in stall 14 but with a furlong to run, she had run her race.

Her John and Thady Gosden stablemate Lord North looked threatening at one point but age may have finally caught up with the eight-year-old as he found disappointingly little.

Measured Time burst through with a challenge on the inside and briefly hit the front but Facteur Cheval and Namur came powering down the centre of the track.

The pair crossed the line together but it was Facteur Cheval and Maxime Guyon who got the verdict on the nod.

“He’s amazing because he’s just as good when the ground is heavy or soft,” said Guyon

“But he’s never been the same as he was today. The turn of foot he showed was better than he’s ever shown.”

In the closing stages, Christophe Lemaire suffered a nasty fall from Catnip and was stretchered off the track and taken to hospital for observation.

Tower Of London once again displayed a smart turn of foot to win the Dubai Gold Cup.

Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old had come from the back of the pack to win in Saudi Arabia last time out and once again Ryan Moore dropped him out at the rear.

His task was made somewhat easier as Roger Varian’s Eldar Eldarov was withdrawn at the start on veterinary advice.

The field only went at a sedate pace and it might not have looked the right place to be, especially with John and Thady Gosden’s Champions Day winner Trawlerman helping to dictate matters.

When Kieran Shoemark kicked on early in the straight it briefly looked as if he may have slipped the field.

However, his backers soon knew their fate as Al Nayyir loomed up on the bridle looking the likely winner.

Unfortunately for him, Tower Of London was just about to hit top gear down the centre of the track and the Galileo colt came with a sweeping run, looking a stayer very much on the upgrade.

“We’re delighted, we felt he would come on from Saudi – all the staff have been very happy with him out here,” said O’Brien.

“Ryan gave him a beautiful ride, he got it spot on. What can you say about him, he’s so cool. He saved ground on him and then dropped him on the line.

“I Imagine he’s an Ascot-type horse, the Hardwicke or maybe the Coronation at Epsom.”

Moore said: “We had a position down the back and I tracked Jim Crowley’s horse (Sea Stone). He picked up well in the straight and put up an impressive performance.”

Part-owner Michael Tabor was enjoying his first trip to Dubai and said: “I just felt that throughout the whole race, he had plenty in hand, everything suited him.

“He didn’t have the greatest of draws, but Ryan is Ryan. Two miles is as far as he wants to go and he’s possibly better at a mile and a half. Ryan was adamant, don’t be frightened to go back to a mile and a half. All those races are open to him.”

Hong Kong star California Spangle shattered the track record when seeing off Star Of Mystery and Diligent Harry in a red-hot Al Quoz Sprint.

Trained by Tony Cruz and ridden by Brenton Avdulla, the six-year-old has spent the majority of his career racing over seven furlongs and a mile and even finished second in the 2022 Hong Kong Derby over 10 furlongs behind Romantic Warrior.

He has locked horns with Golden Sixty on many occasions but having his first start over six furlongs since January 2022, he displayed blistering speed.

The winner was never far from the pace but had Clive Cox’s Diligent Harry for company for most of it.

California Spangle’s superior stamina kicked in close home as he stamped his authority on the contest, as Charlie Appleby’s three-year-old filly Star Of Mystery made late headway under Frankie Dettori to beat Diligent Harry for second.

“We came here knowing we had a good chance,” said Cruz.

“But we also knew that giving 13lb to Star Of Mystery would be tough. When he hits the front, nothing can catch him, and we were all over the moon when he took the lead.

“He broke a record on his debut over 1,000 metres (five furlongs), then we stretched him out to a mile, but in this 1200m you have to run at 1400m to win it.

“He’s a horse I think that can go places. I believe his ability is better than the others. It’s 10th time lucky for me in Dubai.”

Cox was understandably delighted with the performance of Diligent Harry and said: “We’re really pleased he’s been placed in a Group One.

“He’s repeated what we were seeing at home and it is very important that he travelled out here so well. He doesn’t like soft ground, so his season will be governed outside that.”

Forever Young booked his ticket for the Kentucky Derby with a smooth success in the UAE Derby.

Advertising once again Japan’s standing on the world stage, Forever Young was following up his victory in the Saudi Derby last time out.

His sights will now be set on the Race For The Roses after he wore down Auto Bahn close home to win with authority for Yoshito Yahagi, no stranger to winning on Dubai World Cup night after his treble two years ago.

Yahagi explained how it was a poignant success: “This is after my master trainer my father passed away this morning.

“He is potentially very high class and he did not enjoy the travel to Saudi but he still performed very well.

“He travelled better to Dubai. I really believe my team will keep him in good order to go for the Kentucky Derby.”

Winning jockey Ryusei Sakai added: “His condition has improved since Saudi. I really trusted him to perform to his best today.

“I believe this horse is unbeatable at the moment. A lot of good owners and trainers have given me good opportunities, like they did on this horse.”

Ryan Moore almost pulled up Henry Adams, who failed to face the kickback, while stablemate Navy Seal finished fifth under Wayne Lordan.

The Godolphin Mile went the way of outsider Two Rivers Over for Doug O’Neill and Edwin Maldonado, in which Simon and Ed Crisford’s Swing Vote finished eighth.

“Turning for home, I was trying to get him out and in the clear,” said Maldonado.

“This means such a lot, I’m super grateful to the owners and couldn’t ask for more.”

Tadhg O’Shea was seen to great effect on Tuz in the Golden Shaheen before his memorable Dubai World Cup success.

O’Shea, who has made a great career for himself in the UAE, won the race two years ago on Switzerland and was a nose from victory last year on the same horse when beaten by Sibelius.

Japan’s Don Frankie made a bold bid but O’Shea spied a gap up the rail and Tuz quickened up in impressive fashion to run out a wide-margin winner.

“This makes up for a narrow defeat last year in a race that’s been lucky for me,” said the jockey. “He needed his race last time but put this to bed in a matter of strides. Back in his own back yard, he was a different horse tonight.”