On paper it looked the race of the night and the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-I) at 1 1/8 miles over the Nad Al Sheba grass track certainly lived up to that billing. Kerrin McEvoy attempted to make all on the Godolphin second string, Refuse To Bend with stable companion Crimson Palace travelling well in behind, but a host of challengers were all going equally well. Gerard Butler's Nayyir, the horse with stamina doubts, made his bid for glory under Michael Kinane and galloped resolutely to the line. He had no answer to the very late challenges thrown down by German raider Paolini and Mike de Kock's Right Approach and the pair flashed past the post together – the latter's head down. Paolini, runner-up to De Kock's Ipi Tombe in the same race last year, was in front certainly, other than on the nod and it was a desperately close call – one that had the judge deliberating over an enlarged print for many minutes. The verdict, announced to an absorbed crowd, was a dead-heat and a fairer result there could not have been. Both horses gave their all under perfectly timed challenges and honours were even.
Right Approach, a five-year, a 5-year-old entire son of Machiavellian, was having his second start for De Kock, having been trained in England by Sir Michael Stoute, on behalf of his breeder, Her Majesty The Queen for whom he won a listed stake. He was sold at Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale last year for 65,000 guineas, having attracted a reputation for not wanting to win: "He was a bit of an experiment when we bought him,"said De Kock, who is also the part-owner, as is golfer Lee Westwood. "We wanted a good horse for little money and he fit the bill. He had been working well, but everybody kept telling us he was not genuine."He is a full-brother to New Assembly, who placed in a stake at Saratoga. Their dam, Abbey Strand, is a winning
