Pasquier Steers 28/1 Piana to Jumeirah 1000 Guineas Win by Head

Stéphane Pasquier steered 28/1 Piana (FR) to a head victory in the Jumeirah 1000 Guineas, the Listed one-mile turf test for three-year-old fillies at Meydan on Feb. 28, 2026, sponsored by Emirates Skywards. The diminutive outsider nosed out William Knight's True Test (Time Test) in a head-bobbing finish that rewrote the early three-year-old mile picture on Super Saturday.

Piana raced for owner SCEA Haras Des Forets and was trained by Nicolas Caullery. The upset at 28/1 capped a power-packed late run as Piana waited on the inside before producing a strong finish to edge ahead in the final strides. TDN described the filly as a longshot whose late surge "denied William Knight's True Test (Time Test) by a head."

Trainer Nicolas Caullery summed up the tactical switch that produced the result: "It’s amazing! Perhaps the 1400metres was too short for her last time and the mile was better for her today. She waited on the inside and her finish was very strong." Caullery's stable has built a reputation for shock results this Carnival; TDN noted he recently saddled Riyabovka (Saxon Warrior) into a second in the G2 Balanchine.

Pasquier, registering his first Meydan winner, praised the draw and the ride after the finish. "It’s easy to ride like this as I had a good draw number so I traveled well and came inside. I’m very happy and proud to win here." The veteran jockey's inside travel and late angle produced the decisive gap in the final strides.

Reports agree on Piana and True Test as first and second but differ on the minor placings. A social media post captured the immediate reaction listing Sweet Sunshine third and Gela Note fourth, while Turfdiario referenced both Sweet Sunshine (Iffraaj), ridden by Francisco Leandro, and Mufasa (Practical Joke) as prominent closers into the frame, creating contradictory accounts of third place across outlets.

Turfdiario identified Piana's breeding as Piana (Zelzal), and Dubairacingclub noted she had been eighth on her previous outing, making the Listed score a notable turnaround in form. Emirates247 highlighted the owner SCEA Haras Des Forets and described Piana as having "cruised to a well-deserved win" under Pasquier for Caullery.

The Jumeirah 1000 Guineas formed part of a stacked Meydan card that also featured graded winners: Native Approach in the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint G3 for trainer Ahmad bin Harmash and jockey Connor Beasley, El Nasseeb in the Mahab Al Shimaal G3 ridden by Silvestre de Sousa for trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri, Title Role (Too Darn Hot) winning the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas Listed under Ryan Moore for Simon and Ed Crisford, and Commissioner King taking the Burj Nahar G3 for trainer Bhupat Seemar with Tadhg O'Shea in the saddle.

Piana's 28/1 triumph under Pasquier hands Caullery another headline-grabbing result and injects fresh intrigue into the mile division for the remainder of the Dubai Carnival, with the trainer’s comment that the mile suited the filly pointing to similar targets in coming weeks.