Dark Saffron won the $2 million Golden Shaheen (G1) for the second year in a row Saturday evening at Meydan Racecouse, vaulting the 4-year-old Flameaway colt’s earnings past the $2.5 million mark.
The Golden Shaheen serves as a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.
After winning this race in 2025, Dark Saffron got most of the year off before returning with a win in late November. An unfortunate minor accident compromised his form early this year, but the dark bay looked sharpwhile finishing second in the Mahab A. Shimaal S (G3), the local Shaheen prep, on Feb. 28.
Away alertly from the gate, Dark Saffron raced just off the flank of Tuz as the field flew through the opening quarter-mile. Biding his time, Dark Saffron continued to track the leader until just before turning for home, when he surged past Tuz to assume command. Bentornato, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, gave chase, but could get no closer than two lengths to the winner at the wire.
“Obviously he won this race last year and he come back and run really well, it was a bit of a workout first time he ran this season,” jockey Connor Beasley said. “Then he had a bit of an incident in the stalls and banged his head and sort of lost his way. I think he lost a bit of confidence for his next three or four runs, but his last run we felt he was coming back to himself.”
For Flameaway, Dark Saffron is his leading earner and one of six graded stakes winners worldwide. Flameaway has 15 lifetime stakes winners overall.
Owned by Sultan Ali and bred in Kentucky by Brookdale Farm LLC, Dark Saffron is 5-3-2 in 15 starts and has earned $2,532,531.
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