Brotherly Love rallies in Dubai Road to Kentucky Derby; Labwah romps in UAE Oaks

Feb 20, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Brotherly Love wins the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby S. (Photo by Dubai Racing Club)

After odds-on favorite Salloom was a dramatic scratch in Friday’s Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby at Meydan, Brotherly Love closed stoutly late to earn 20 points on the Euro/Mideast Road.

A half-brother to 2025 Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1) participant Heart of Honor, Brotherly Love is not yet nominated to the Triple Crown. But he shares the same connections as Heart of Honor, owners Jim and Claire Ltd., and trainer Jamie Osborne. He is also ridden by the same jockey, Saffie Osborne, the trainer’s daughter.

Earlier, favored Labwah jumped onto the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard with a front-running romp in the UAE Oaks (G3) – in a time much faster than the boys in the Derby points race. The first Group/graded stakes winner by young sire Charlatan, the Kentucky-bred banked 50 points toward the first Friday in May.

Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby S.

Triple Crown nominee Salloom’s recent maiden romp made him the overwhelming favorite here. Trainer Bhupat Seemar’s only concern was whether the son of 2020 Kentucky Derby champion Authentic would cope with the starting gate, which was an issue that forced him to be scratched from his intended debut on Dec. 19.

Salloom appeared to be handling the situation on Friday, until a couple of rivals misbehaved. The longer they stood in the gate, the more agitated he became, and then he had a meltdown. Rearing up and breaking his starting stall open, Salloom unseated jockey Tadhg O’Shea and ran loose. The outrider skillfully wrangled him, but by that point, he had to be scratched.

His withdrawal was the biggest upset of all, leaving another Triple Crown-nominated stablemate, Lino Padrino, as a tepid favorite in his last-minute absence. But the market couldn’t separate a clutch of logical contenders in a race that suddenly became wide open, and Brotherly Love was among them as a 5-1 chance stateside.

Salloom also left a void in the pace scenario, as his tactical speed ensured that he’d be prominent early. Instead, Duke of Immatin wound up setting the pace, pressed by Fire d’Oro with Omaha Front also in the mix.

Brotherly Love, a closer like his half-brother Heart of Honor, was lagging near the back early. Driven along on the far turn, he gradually built momentum and reached contention in the stretch.

Meanwhile, Duke of Immatin put away his early pace rivals and braced for a new challenge from Lino Padrino. But wider out, Brotherly Love kept chugging away and gaining steadily.

In the final strides, Brotherly Love outlasted them and pulled two lengths clear. The British-bred was going one better than half-brother Heart of Honor, who missed by a head in this race last year (when it still had its original name, the Al Bastakiya).

“Sweet revenge!” Jamie Osborne exulted. “Last year we were very frustrated, so to avenge that with Heart of Honor’s little brother is pretty incredible, really.”

“He’s becoming like his brother in ability and demeanor,” Saffie Osborne said. “They both like making life difficult for me, but when I came out into the straight and he switched leads, I always felt like I was going to pick them up. He stays all day, this horse, and has a lot of class.”

Brotherly Love completed about 1 3/16 miles in 2:01.40, a much slower time than the filly Labwah clocked in the UAE Oaks – 2:00.57.

Brotherly Love wins the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes worth 20 points! 🌹pic.twitter.com/37TsI6DuFu

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) February 20, 2026

The ultra-game Duke of Immatin held second (10 points) by a short head from Lino Padrino (six points) in a blanket finish for the minor awards. The maiden Sary Shayan rallied from far back to take fourth (four points), and Raajehh snatched fifth (two points).

Lino Padrino is the only early Triple Crown nominee among the top five, although the others can still be made eligible by the late deadline on April 6.

Omaha Front tired to sixth, trailed by Al Khawaneej, Senator of State, Watch Collector, Knight of Glory, and Fire d’Oro. Rammaas and Awesome Fleet were scratched.

Brotherly Love, who returned $12.40, has compiled a record of 6-2-2-0. The bay colt was moving forward from an eighth in the Jan. 23 UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) won by Six Speed.

They’re likely to get a rematch in the March 28 UAE Derby (G2), the final and decisive contest on the Euro/Mideast Road worth 100 points to the winner.

Heart of Honor came up an agonizing nose shy in the 2025 UAE Derby, so Brotherly Love could be on another revenge mission for connections.

Bred by David Redvers Bloodstock in Great Britain, Brotherly Love is a son of the Australian stallion Zoustar. Brotherly Love and Heart of Honor are out of the same mare, Chilean champion Ruby Love, who is by Scat Daddy (the sire of Triple Crown winner Justify).

UAE Oaks (G3)

Labwah also put herself squarely in the UAE Derby discussion with a tour de force performance in the UAE Oaks.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s filly extended her winning streak to three in her most dominating performance so far. Tjareed was expected to put up another bold show, after just missing to Labwah last time out, but she failed to fire in last.

Trained by Salem bin Ghadayer and piloted by Bernardo Pinheiro, Labwah went straight to the front from her rail draw. Longshot Pretty and Famous kept her company early, but she could not stay with the leader turning for home. As Pretty and Famous began to lose position, Yuno was able to angle out and loom briefly.

But Labwah, who had been traveling best of all, simply skipped away. Widening her margin to 7 1/2 lengths, she returned $5.80 stateside as the 9-5 favorite.

“I got a soft lead, to be honest,” Pinheiro said, “but she has a wonderful mind – she sits, relaxes, does everything I ask. She has a bright future as she’s proved she stays the distance. It will be interesting to see how far she goes.”

Yuno was a clear second (25 points) by four lengths. Dozalla got up for third (15 points), relegating Pretty and Famous to fourth (10 points), and Auntie Fair checked in fifth (five points). Next came Dialed to Dubai and the disappointing Tjareed.

Labwah sports a 3-for-4 record, all during the Dubai Carnival at Meydan. After finishing fourth on debut, the dark bay rolled in the Dec. 19 Shahama S. and outdueled Tjareed in the Jan. 16 Cocoa Beach S. Both of those races are named in honor of past UAE Oaks winners who later campaigned in the U.S.

Might Labwah take her chance in the Kentucky Oaks? Her connections have tried before, with 2023 UAE Oaks heroine Mimi Kakushi, who was eighth at Churchill Downs.

Bred by Calvin Crain in the Bluegrass State, Labwah was sold for $125,000 as an OBS April two-year-old in training. She is a half-sister to Grade 2 scorer War Heroine, both out of the stakes-winning War Chant mare War Tigress.

Bin Ghadayer said that Labwah’s owner will decide her next target, whether she tackles the boys in the UAE Derby or proceeds straight to Louisville.

“I will go back to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, as she was his pick from the breeze-up sale,” her trainer said. “I will ask him what he wants to do, but she is ready for both options.”