Best bets for the Dubai Carnival Meydan Thursday 18th January 2018
It’s a cold but sunny January Thursday and it is Carnival day! As is the case at this time of year my thoughts are in Dubai at Meydan for the latest instalment of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
It is the second DWCC meeting this week and they kick-off at 2.30 our time with the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Sponsored By Al Maryah Island Stakes over seven furlongs on the dirt track. A plethora of potentially decent fillies line-up not least the two Saeed bin Suroor representatives Caring Touch and the full-sister to UAE Derby winner Thunder Snow Winter Lightning; both are worth watching. Charlie Appleby saddles Expressiy who has far more experience than any of these but she was found wanting on the 3 occasions tried in black-type company last season and I would expect at least one of these are better than her. One that really caught the eye on her debut was Rayya who trotted up by just shy of ten lengths on her debut which was here over track and trip in December. I don’t think she beat any world beaters that day but she really was impressive. Doug Watson mat just have a very live contender for the UAE 1000 Guineas in this chestnut and if he has she should win this. You can if you shop around get 6-4.
The feature race is the Group Three Dubawi Stakes over six furlongs on the dirt track due ff at 4.50 our time. Reynaldothewizard knows his way round this track and has won this race for the last three years - Muarrab second to him twice opposes again; he aint getting any younger at twelve but talk about horse for courses! Can he do it again? Murrab is hardly a spring chicken at nine but he looked in fine fettle when he blew away Comicas (2nd), My Catch (3rd), Yalta (4th) and Nawwar (7th) over C&D last month and will surely be very hard to beat if turning up in that mood again. That said Comicas could well reverse the form as the run would have blown away the cobwebs and he was second in the G.1 Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup night last year so is good when he is right. It really is a tricky heat but I have gone for Murrab at 5-4 to prevail off the back of that track and trip win last month.
Be lucky