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Main Stay was a little slow to start and then Cosgrave sent his mount to the front, and after 100m they gained a narrow lead.

The Taj and Spirit Quartz were in his slipstream throughout the majority of the race but had no answer when Main Stay quickened halfway up the straight.

Both The Taj and Spirit Quartz weakened and with nobody emerging from the field Main Stay and Cosgrave crossed the line almost three lengths clear.

“To be honest I really thought he was a 1400m horse and might find this a bit sharp,” said Cosgrave.

“However, he was soon into his stride and able to get to the front so, knowing he was going to stay the trip well, I was keen to be positive.

“He has dirt form in Korea and an American pedigree so we had to be hopeful the surface would suit and it is obviously great to get a winner after hitting the post earlier on.”

Cosgrave was referring to having finished second earlier in a 2000m handicap aboard Triple Nine, like this winner, trained by Young-Kwan Kim whose Seoul Bullet was also fourth in the race won by Main Stay.

On other news from the meeting, the locally-trained Championship emerged much the best to win the feature US$250,000, Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort (1400m).

Trained by Ahmed Bin Harmash and ridden by jockey, Colm O’Donoghue, Championship was a classy winner of the first major turf contest of the Dubai season.

Championship and O’Donoghue were not headed and gained ample compensation for their defeat on their previous outing when caught in the final strides by Light The Lights in the Listed Singspiel Stakes over 1800m two weeks ago.

The main support race was the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (1400m) on dirt and won in style by Godolphin’s Really Special.

Unbeaten after two starts in England, including a Listed race success at Newmarket on her second outing, she has now won on turf, the all-weather and dirt for her trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, who was saddling his 198th Dubai World Cup Carnival winner.