Dubawi and sons strike early in 2026

Recent major results in Europe spotlight the world’s #1 sire Dubawi and his lively tribe of sire sons, including Arrowfield’s new recruit Lead Artist, currently serving his first northern hemisphere book of mares at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud.

Lead Artist won last year’s Lockinge S. G1, run over a mile at Newbury, defeating four Group 1 winners in 1:35.06 – the second-fastest time ever recorded for the race. One of the Group 1 winners he defeated, Godolphin’s Notable Speech (also by Dubawi) returned on Saturday to claim the 2026 Lockinge Stakes, picking up brilliantly to score by two lengths from More Thunder & Zeus Olympios, both by Dubawi’s Champion Sire son Night Of Thunder. 

All class! 🔵

NOTABLE SPEECH strikes in the @BoyleSports Lockinge! 🏆@NewburyRacing @WilliamBuickX @godolphin pic.twitter.com/GA0sTquUi6

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 16, 2026

Notable Speech, out of a mare by Invincible Spirit and in-bred 3×4 to Seeking the Gold, has now won 5 times at the elite level, including the 2024 Two Thousand Guineas & the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed that his next target will be the Royal Ascot Queen Anne S. G1.

Night Of Thunder registered a Group 1 success earlier this month when Bow Echo landed an explosive victory in the Newmarket Two Thousand Guineas G1 on 2 May, earning a 131 Timeform rating, the best figure achieved in the race since Lead Artist’s damsire Frankel in 2011.

INCREDIBLE SCENES!!!!

BOW ECHO takes the @Betfred 2000 Guineas 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oHQ9dJyXCw

— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) May 2, 2026

Bow Echo is Night Of Thunder’s 10th Group 1 winner, and his second English Classic winner after Desert Flower (2025 One Thousand Guineas G1 winner). He will now be set by trainer George Boughey for next month’s Royal Ascot St James’ Palace S. G1. 

Pedigree analysts will note that like Dubawi’s Group 1-winning and -siring son Space Blues, Bow Echo is from Dubawi’s female family – in fact, he’s in-bred 3×3 to the Champion Sire’s dam Zomaradah. Branches of the family have also been successful in Australia & New Zealand, producing the likes of Second Coming (Victoria Derby G1), Kimochi (Sir Rupert Clarke S. G1) and Group winners Aramayo, Cellarmaster, Qewy & Spacewalk.

Bow Echo & Dubai Turf G1 winner Ombudsman are among the 9 stakeswinners notched up already this year by Night Of Thunder, who won his first British & Irish Champion Sire title in 2025 with an astonishing 32 stakeswinners worldwide.

But he’s not the only son of Dubawi boosting his European progeny’s black type record this year. Hot young Group 1 sires the Aga Khan Studs’ Zarak and Ballylinch Stud’s New Bay stand respectively at fees of €80,000 & €75,000 and have sired 8 stakeswinners between them so far in 2026.

Darley’s European roster is headed by Dubawi himself (2026 fee: £350,000), and includes his shuttling sons Too Darn Hot ($275,000 in Australia) & Ghaiyyath ($88,000 in Australia), plus Night Of Thunder & Space Blues as well as younger sons Modern Games & Naval Crown. Ghaiyyath is the sire of last month’s Sandown Mile G2 winner Opera Ballo, while Too Darn Hot’s son Native Approach won the Meydan Al Quoz Sprint G1 in March. 

Lead Artist stands his first season at Arrowfield at a fee of $27,500 inc. GST.