In another incredibly tight race, Admire Daytona 🇯🇵 (アドマイヤデイトナ), with jockey Christophe Lemaire in the irons, fought off a determined challenge by Heart Of Honor 🇬🇧 under Saffie Osborne, winning by a mere nose in the $1 million Group 2 UAE Derby over 1900m (9.5 furlongs) at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai 🇦🇪.

Trained by Yukihiro Kato, the three-year-old son of Drefong 🇺🇸 — a champion U.S. sprinter — held the lead for most of the race before fending off both Heart Of Honor 🇬🇧 and Don in the Mood 🇯🇵 (ドンインザムード), under Ryusei Sakai, who eventually faded to third.

The Dubai photo-finish win marks the fourth consecutive victory by a Japanese-trained horse in the UAE Derby and secures the colt’s place in the upcoming Kentucky Derby 🇺🇸 — the opening race of the prestigious Triple Crown 👑🇺🇸 series — on May 3.

Heart Of Honor 🇬🇧 went too wide to make it into the remote camera frame, but I shot both of the top two horses handheld with a 400mm lens, as it was too close a call to determine the winner. 🏇

Group 2 UAE DerbyAdmire Daytona with jockey Christophe Lemaire wins $1 million Group 2 UAE Derby over 1900m (9.5 furlongs) at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Saturday, April 5, 2025. Group 2 UAE DerbyHEART OF HONOR with jockey SAFFIE OSBORNE finishes second by a nose in $1 million Group 2 UAE Derby over 1900m (9.5 furlongs) at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Saturday, April 5, 2025.