Last year's Cranbourne Cup winner Folkswood landed his first Group success at Meydan on Thursday night.
Folkswood held off Leshlaa (Street Cry) to score by a short head in the Group III Dubai Millennium Stakes (2000m) on turf to give Godolphin the quinella.
Folkswood was racing for the first time since finishing fifth in the Group I Emirates Stakes at Flemington last November after finishing third to Winx in the Cox Plate.
William Buick praised the Charlie Appleby-trained son of Exceed And Excel.
"The horse really deserves a lot of credit for that win," Buick told the Emirates racing Association.
"We were in trouble with nowhere to go for a little while, but when the gap opened, he really picked up in style.
"I knew once we were clear, it was going to be close and the horse has really battled to lead on the line.
"His last run was in Australia in November, so he was entitled to need this outing."
Folkswood is one of 142 stakes winners for Exceed And Excel and was conceived in the Northern Hemisphere when his sire shuttled to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.
Inbred 3 x 4 to Lomond (Northern Dancer), Folkswood is the first Group winner for his sire from 16 named foals out of mares by Galileo (Sadler's Wells) along with last year's French Listed winner Beau Ideal.
