The trend continues. Dark Saffron won the Group 1 Golden Shaheen for sprinters at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday for the second consecutive year. In 2025, Dark Saffron was one of two 3-year-olds in the Golden Shaheen field and led throughout, paying $132.60 in American pools. On Saturday, Dark Saffron won the $2 million Golden Shaheen with a similar style, racing near the front throughout. He was rated as an outsider again, paying $48.80. Ridden by Connor Beasley for trainer Ahmad bin Harmash, Dark Saffron won by 1 3/4 lengths over 1-2 favorite Bentornato, who had not raced since a win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 1. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Bentornato, ridden by Jose Ortiz for Floridas-based trainer Jose D’Angelo, typically sets the pace or races close to the front. In the BC Sprint, Bentornato led throughout. In the Golden Shaheen, Bentornato was fourth on the inside on the backstretch after starting from post 2 in a field of 12. Ortiz moved Bentornato off the rail in early stretch for racing room, but could not catch Dark Saffron. “I think the post position cost us the race,” D’Angelo told the press. “It’s the first time that we’ve seen him running in behind the speed.” Bentornato finished 2 3/4 lengths in front of 55-1 Cats By Five. Tuz, a 9-year-old gelding who won the 2024 Golden Shaheen, finished fourth at 12-1. Nakatomi, winner of the Grade 1 Alfred Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga in 2024, finished fifth, while Lovesick Blues, who won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar last July, finished eight. Dark Saffron was timed in 1:10.68, and gave Beasley and bin Harmash their second consecutive Group 1 win on Saturday’s Dubai World Cup program. In the preceding race, they teamed with Native Approach, an upset winner of the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint. Dark Saffron, a Kentucky-bred colt by Flameaway, earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31 with his win on Saturday. Dark Saffron, who races for Sultan Ali, had a seven-month layoff after the 2025 Golden Shaheen, returning to win an allowance race at Meydan in November. He finished no better than fifth in his next four starts. On Feb. 28, Dark Saffron rebounded to finish second by a length in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal at Meydan, a prep race for the Golden Shaheen. Beasley said Dark Saffron was affected by an incident before the start of the Al Garhoud Sprint at Meydan in December when the gelding reared in the gate. He finished last of seven in that race. “He had a bit of an incident in the stalls and banged his head and sort of lost his way,” Beasley said on Saturday. “I think he lost a bit of confidence for his next three or four runs, but his last run we felt he was coming back to himself.” Dark Saffron has won 5 of 15 starts. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.