At stud, Dubawi has been a highly successful breeding stallion, siring major winners such as Ghaiyyath, Too Darn Hot, Al Kazeem, Makfi, Old Persian, Lucky Nine and Night of Thunder.
A month later in the Prix Thomas Bryon over 1600 metres at Saint-Cloud Racecourse he again set off in front and opened up a big lead but tired in the closing stages and came home third behind Normandy Bridge, beaten four and a half lengths by the winner.
[8] Appleby commented: "We pitched Naval Crown at Group level as a two-year-old because he was showing us the right stuff... We weren’t planning to run him in the UAE 2,000 Guineas but he was working nicely on the dirt at home and therefore we felt that we would give him a chance in that race, where he ran very solidly.
"[9] On his return to Europe Naval Crown started favourite for the European Free Handicap over seven furlongs at Newmarket on 14 April but after leading for most of the way he was run down in the final strides by the Queen's colt Tactical and was beaten a neck into second place.
[10] The colt was dropped back in distance for the seven furlong Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and started joint-favourite alongside his stablemate Creative Force.
Naval Crown set the pace as usual but tired badly in the last 200 metres and finished eighth of the thirteen runners behind Laws of Indices, beaten more than ten lengths by the winner.
He started favourite and led for most of the way but after being overtaken in the last 200 metres he faded rapidly and came home eleventh of the fourteen runners behind the Japanese filly Songline, beaten more than seven lengths by the winner.
[15] Naval Crown began his European campaign in the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs at Royal Ascot on 18 June and started at odds of 33/1 in a twenty-four-runner field.
[13] The Australian colt Home Affairs started favourite while the other contenders included A Case of You, Alcohol Free, Emaraaty Ana, Campanelle, Artorius (Blue Diamond Stakes) and Grenadier Guards.
In an echo of the Jersey Stakes twelve months earlier Naval Crown raced up the stands side whilst Creative Force ran down the centre of the track.
After racing prominently from the start, Naval Crown took the lead in the stands-side group a furlong out and overtook Creative Force on the line to win by a neck with Artorius and Capanelle dead-heating for third.