Meydan Overview & Selections – Week 4:
Two winners last week meant that we showed a profit here on the weekly Meydan Overview. Hopefully more of the same this week where Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge and the Group 2 Al Rashidiya take centre stage on an excellent card.
Four selections for you this week:
10:05am ET Meydan: Star Safari
I tipped this horse here at Meydan two weeks ago and on his first run for 11 months he shaped like he retains plenty of ability. He was outpaced briefly and hung left when he first came under pressure but then stuck to his task to finish third to Ya Hayati. The step up in trip here should suit given that there is plenty of stamina in his pedigree and he will surely go close to winning here providing William Buick can fashion a decent trip from Stall 11. He was most impressive here last year when beating the useful Franz Kafka and with a recent run behind him he should now be spot on to produce a similar effort.
11:15am ET Meydan: Cappezano
This horse needs to bounce back from two below par efforts this season but this race represents a good opportunity to get back on track. In Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge he went off far too hard in front from a wide draw and understandably paid for his early exertions and was well beaten. He is well drawn here in Stall 1 and will not have to work hard for the lead given the lack of confirmed front-runners in here. As long as Mikael Barzalona gets the fractions right, he could be hard to peg back. Dubai Warrior will be popular, but he has never run on dirt, is drawn wide in Stall 9 and is also not bred for the dirt. To my eye he is more of a synthetic performer. Thegreatcollection is a big danger after his second place in Round 1 of the Challenge where a wide trip didn’t help his cause, if he stays this trip he will be a danger. It is last chance saloon...