Shadow Of Light became only the third horse to land the Darley Dewhurst Stakes and Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes double by taking the Group One feature race on day two of the Dubai Future Champions Festival. 

Only Aidan O’Brien’s US Navy Flag in 2017 and Sir Henry Cecil’s Diesis in 1982 had triumphed in both two-year-old races until Charlie Appleby’s talented colt scored today.

Appleby, who had previously won the Darley Dewhurst Stakes with Native Trail in 2021 and Pinatubo in 2019, watched his two runners in today’s race take different courses, with Ancient Truth following Expanded to hug the stand side rail, while Shadow Of Light joined Seagulls Eleven and Rock Of Cashel on the far side.    

It was only in the closing stages that William Buick steered Evens favourite Shadow Of Light towards the leading pair on the near side, a move that prompted his charge to hit the front and hold off Expanded in second and stablemate Ancient Truth in third.

Trainer Appleby said afterwards: “It was just unfortunate the way the race split. You’ve got a five runner field with two of them deciding to come up the stand side and the others on the far side

“Firstly, Ancient Truth – I was delighted with that run. He was a bit fresh off a lay-off and James was just having to manage him for the first two (furlongs) there. He got him into a rhythm and I thought he was actually the one who was going to hit the rising ground and maybe see it out the best because at that stage William (Buick) was coming under the pump.

“William said, ‘As he hit the rising ground he (Shadow Of Light) just kept finding for me, but once the others came closer to me he found again’.”

On following up victory in the 6f Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes a fortnight ago with today’s impressive performance back on the Rowley Mile, Appleby continued: “He’s some horse. To do what he’s done in the last two weeks, full credit to all the team.

“I’m delighted for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Team Godolphin. It’s another homebred and he’s another half-brother to Earthlight, so what a mare.

“Going forward, into the Spring, we can look at both divisions I suppose. Will said what he was most encouraged about was the way he raced and more importantly when he it the rising ground he just found again when they got closer to one another. So he said ‘I can’t tell you not to look towards the Guineas in the Spring, I really can’t’.

“He wouldn’t be the first Guineas horse if we go there and we don’t stay the mile there we drop back for the Commonwealth. It’s been done before so I would imagine that would be our programme for the Spring now.”

After victory in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes Appleby had earmarked Shadow Of Light as a sprinter for the 2025 and said he was unlikely to run again this term.

Explaining his decision to run again just two weeks later, he added: “Those people who don’t change their minds are the ones who normally get stuck in a rut and you have to be open minded in this game.

“They’re living, breathing animals and we don’t know what we’re going to wake up to the next morning. You come here with a horse you think is absolutely thriving, you open up the stable the next day and you don’t know what he might have done.

“When they’re fit and well run them. This horse came out of the Middle Park and we made a collective decision that we had nothing to lose and a nice bit to gain and that’s what he’s done.

“As William just said to me, ‘He did it all the right way round, I was finding all the way up the hill and when they got close to me he found again’.”

Jockey Buick added: “He’s a dual Middle Park and a Dewhurst winner now so he’s obviously an exceptional horse.

“The race didn’t work in his favour at all. A five runner race, you think we’ll just race up the middle and everyone will have their chance.

“I needed cover. He’s a six furlong winner stepping up to seven in soft ground so I had to conserve where I could and I knew if I showed him daylight too early he’d probably burn out.

“So I had to follow Oisin (Murphy, jockey of Seagulls Eleven) where he went and Ryan (Moore, jockey of Expanded) and James (Doyle (jockey of Ancient Truth) went on the stands rail and we were towards the far side of the middle.

“Oisin was cooked from approaching the three (furlong pole) and I had to make my own way home from there. Luckily I got in touch with Ryan and James and I just managed to get a little bit over to them. Once I did my fella got real competitive and he hit the rising ground and was well on top in the end. He was real tough, responded to everything I asked him.

“What really pleased me the most is that for such a quick Middle Park winner he showed that stamina on soft ground over seven furlongs here. You’re really winning two races. I can’t remember too many horses I’ve ridden, certainly two year olds, that would have been able to do that.

“He was running on his own doing fine, but once he got a sniff of the competition he found another gear. It was a big performance.”

Expanded finished only a neck behind at odds of 12-1.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien had been forced to pull the race favourite The Lion In Winter out of the race earlier today due to a bruised foot, meaning jockey Ryan Moore was switched to ride Expanded.

He said: “Ryan said that if James (Doyle) hadn’t have attacked him early he’d have won. But he had to go early, he’s a baby horse, and he had to come off the bridle and fight early by himself.

“I couldn’t have expected that to happen. We knew that he was a horse with a lot of quality – that’s why he was here obviously – but he was here more for experience because we thought the other horse (The Lion In Winter) and he’d run up the track as well and have a lovely day out.

“He’d probably have had an easier day if the other horse was there but when he was there he got pitched onto the front line and when you’re on the front line you have to stand up.”

Expanded won on debut only seven days ago at the Curragh and O’Brien continued: “We knew he was good from the Spring but he hadn’t got out.

“He’d had five pieces of work before he went to the Curragh. He burst through late to win a maiden with a view that if it happened he could come here.

“He was on a crash course really the last day at the Curragh and he still got through and won so I look forward to him through the Winter and in the Spring.

“He handled the track which is the main thing so I couldn’t be happier.”