The beautifully bred Doha broke through for a maiden victory at Windsor on Monday, to the relief of trainer Ralph Beckett and owners Al Shaqab.
The three-year-old filly boasts one of the best pedigrees in the business as a daughter of Sea The Stars and dual Arc-winning mare Treve. Bred by Al Shaqab Racing, she is the third foal of Treve's to reach the racecourse and the second individual winner for the dam.
Although Doha made a promising start to her career at Kempton Park in early September when third, she was well-beaten at Leicester over ten furlongs subsequently. The victory at Windsor marked a significant upturn in form, with the filly kicking clear for a nine-length success over Inspiritus.
"She sort of disappointed on her second start and maybe we ran her back a bit quickly, but today was much more like it," said Ralph Beckett.
"I think she will probably step up again, this just looked like a very winnable opportunity.
"It was more about the opposition than race conditions today and she would probably go back to a mile and a quarter whatever we do. What we do, I'm not entirely sure yet.
"We'll run her again this year before we make any decisions [about her future]. We've done the most important part and now we will work out what we do next."
The victory is important for owner-breeders Al Shaqab, who also owned Treve.
"It is fantastic to make her a winner bred like she is, and we are delighted," said Al Shaqab's Alison Begley.
"She ran so well on her debut, and nothing ever came to light why she ran like she did at Leicester, I think it was just inexperience.
"Hector said she was much more switched on today and she did it very nicely.
"It means a lot for all the team to have one out of Treve win and it was great.
"She's very much, and quite rightly, one of Sheikh Joaan's favourites so it was great and fantastic."
