Meydan Overview & Selections – Super Saturday:

Super Saturday has always been an excellent meeting as well as providing plenty of clues for World Cup night.

I have five selections at a range of prices, three on the turf and two on the dirt:

7:45am (ET) Meydan: Man of Promise

You couldn’t fail to be impressed by this horse last time out here at Meydan. He travelled strongly and quickened up instantly when asked to beat the useful Lazuli. That horse has franked the form since by winning the Group 2 Blue Point sprint. Man of Promise failed to move on last year after winning a Handicap here. He was well beaten in this race and on World Cup night, but I am hoping that he can move forward now and back up that impressive win last time out. He is still lightly raced and when he is right, he looks to be a Group 1 sprinter.

8:20am (ET) Meydan: Bendoog

This horse has only had two career starts, yet he is already very useful and could have more to give. He won his maiden here, beating future winners, and then was an excellent 4th in the UAE 2000 Guineas. He shaped like the best horse in that race as he forced an overly strong pace and ultimately did much better than any of those who attended that pace. That he was able to keep on and finish fourth is a testament to his raw ability. A more judicious ride will bring out the latent potential that this horse possesses. He is likely to be ridden prominently from stall 2, and hopefully he will not be compromised by fierce early fractions this time.

8:55am (ET) Meydan: Go On

Hypothetical sets the standards here, but stall 14 is far from ideal so I will pass him by for Go On who hails from the in-form yard of Doug O’Neill. He has had 4 winners at the Carnival and this horse gives him a shot at winning another big prize. He was a bit of a disappointment on his Meydan debut where he missed the break, got caught in kickback and never got involved. That run will have sharpened him up and I expect a much more prominent display jumping from stall 2. He owns the best single piece of form in the race having finished 4th just 5 lengths behind Hot Rod Charlie in the Grade 2 San Antonio stakes at Santa Anita. A repeat of that effort will see him go well here at a big price.

9:55am (ET) Meydan: D’Bai

D’Bai goes very well at this track and was miles better than the bare result here last time out. He was held up from his wide draw in a steadily run affair. He then made an effort five wide turning for home and could not run down horses that were sprinting off steady fractions. He did travel very well in that race and looked to be in great form. He is once again jumping from a wide stall (15), but he will be held up and as long as he gets a decent pace to go at, I can see him rattling home here under James Doyle. He won the Grade 2 Zabeel mile here last season, but this 7-furlong trip is fine for him given the amount of pace that he shows.

10:30am (ET) Meydan: Barney Roy

I like the look of Barney Roy from stall 2 here. He should get a good trip tracking the pace and may get first run on some of the hold-up horses like Lord Glitters. That horse beat Barney Roy narrowly in the Bahrain International Trophy, but Barney Roy had done plenty of running close to the strong pace and saw off all the challengers until being mugged late on by Lord Glitters. He figures to get a good trip here and can reverse the Bahrain form under an aggressive James Doyle ride.

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