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Simon and Ed Crisford’s gelding strikes at Group 2 level on his first start in Dubai.

The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Poker Face made his first outing in Dubai a winning one when taking out the feature Group 2 Zabeel Mile at Meydan on Friday. A winner of the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp as a three-year-old, Poker Face has shown plenty of solid form at group level throughout his career and arrived in Meydan on the back of a commanding one-and-a-half length victory in Listed company at Kempton last month.

Ridden by Pat Dobbs for the first time, the gelded son of Fastnet Rock had plenty of cover behind rivals before squeezing through a gap to make his challenge late in the straight. Karl Burke's fellow English raider Holloway Boy, who finished sixth behind Poker Face at Kempton, quickened up smartly to seize the initiative inside the final furlong. However, Patt Dobbs' mount lunged on the line to force a photo finish and after a moment of deliberation, the judge announced that Poker Face had prevailed by a short head.

"I thought I was beaten! "said Dobbs. "I said well done to Danny Tudhope [on Holloway Boy] pulling up, so that's a nice surprise.

"We got racing from three [furlongs, 600m] out and I had a lovely position to keep things smooth with him. I got in behind William [Buick, on Noble Dynasty] halfway down the back and I was happy with where I was then. I thought a furlong out we'd pick up William and then I saw Danny on the other side was probably half a length in front of me.

"This horse has improved as a six-year-old."

Later on the card, Tuz made it four wins from his last five starts on the dirt when routing the opposition in the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes.

Bhupat Seemar's eight-year-old defeated Cover Up by six lengths to make a winning reappearance in the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint at Meydan last month and he once again got the better of that rival, with Tadhg O'Shea merely having to push him out to land the Group 3 prize by five lengths.

Tadhg O'Shea, who was enjoying a remarkable 800th UAE winner, said: "He's a special horse, a great horse for the barn. It's a great privilege to be able to steer him around for my 800th winner. I remember winning my 700th in this very same race on Switzerland.

"I had one slightly anxious moment going to the start when he saw something and slammed on his brakes but thankfully I stayed on."