Hello & welcome along, in this blog I will look back at the 2nd night of the Dubai International Racing Carnival from Meydan;
from a punting perspective it was a case of knocking my head against the crossbar for the the first 3 selections or in Mr Pommeroy's case having certain victory taken away at the very last minute.
The opening race produced a tremendous finish as the front running Ad Idem was worn down by the favourite Local Time as both fillies pulled 10 lengths clear of the rest of the pack. Paul Hanagan set about making the running on Mike De Kock's lightly raced filly who had never encountered dirt before, she seemed to be fine on the surface & the lack of any real pressure from the runners in behind helped her get the run of the race in a relatively steady time. It was an excellent first effort after her long break due to the extended quarantine rules, she can only improve for it especially with the promise of more to come the further she goes.
Local Time is only small but has a big heart, she broke smartly & quickly found herself on the heels of Ad Idem travelling well within herself but as the pace quickened on the home turn she got caught flat footed & took plenty of rousting along to get her going but with the leader not stopping the performance is all the more meritorious as she ground out the win looking as though the mile & even a bit further would be within her compass.
Sure to take plenty of beating in both the Guineas & the Oaks.
Good Place badly fluffed her lines at the start although due to the pace being relatively slow she got herself back into contention quite quickly but as a result she was lit up doing far too much on the back on the leading group.
She was stoked up early on the home bend to try & get into contention but in truth looked slightly laboured after her early antics which is no real surprise, those suggesting she is an eyecatcher should bear in mind that on ratings she was entitled to be in front of the fillies she was. Will need to learn to break correctly if she is to get involved in the upcoming Classic.
Runner Runner ran on in the closing stages to collar the tiring Good Place for 3rd but that was limited promise, she would need the front pair to badly underperform to have any hope in the Guineas.
None of the others ran with any real promise.
The 1m2f dirt handicap went the way of La Bernardin for his second course win & his first from his new mark of 100. He broke smartly & was quickly on the pace behind the keen Zain Eagle, from there onwards it was relatively simple as Royston gave him his head & he strode away for a convincing win, he will go up again for this but is clearly thriving on the new dirt surface.
Famous Kid was drawn next to La Bernardin but had a much more untidy start as he seemed to almost fall out of the gate & seemingly got stuck in some form of toffee as he struggled to gain any momentum being shoved along to get into an even keel which took him a full furlong. After that he was always going to be up against it but it was still impressive how he travelled into the race on the wide outside for his first start on dirt, he appeared to be really grabbing the ground & has plenty more to offer if breaking better next time out.
Energia Davos stayed on late in the piece after never really travelling with any real fluency, he remains hard to place.
Storm Belt fancied by many sat too far back in the pack & found his new mark much too tough as he was no more than one paced at the finish.
Duke Derby couldn't go with them over a trip well short of his best, he was scrubbed along when interfered with by the fading Zain Eagle who was himself hampered by Castle Guest which cost him some momentum but her merely stayed on for 5th, he will be hard to win with as the distance races on dirt just aren't available to him.
Pinzolo's run wasn't as bad as it looked at first glance, he was never truly happy on the surface but travelled well enough to the home turn but as he tried to get out of the rail he was impeded by Castle Guest coming slightly of the fence & Beyond Empire keeping him in he then lost his position & still hadn't been asked although he did immediately come off the bridle, switching to the outside as the pace began to quicken he appeared very ungainly & merely coasted home.
I doubt he will be tried on dirt again but back on turf he may well have enough to get involved at a bigger price than you would expect.
Zain Eagle was hampered when dropping away he gave himself little chance by going off too fast & refusing to settle.
Beyond Empire the ex US horse never looked happy & dropped away tamely.
The non carnival race produced a decisive winner in Layl who had not been seen since New Year's Day 2014 when finishing 2nd at Southwell, he became another winner for Doug Watson who has really adapted to Meydan's new surface which is no surprise given his US background & dirt training centre. He will go up to a mark of at least 95 so should get into a Carnival handicap next time & may well if not bouncing win again.
Street Act wasn't particularly well placed throughout towards the rear of the pack, he was outpaced as they turned for home & merely stayed on through beaten horses at the finish, he looks held by his new mark on that run.
Jeeraan travelled well in behind the leaders & looked a player on the home turn but quickly came off the bridle & found little to stay on at his own pace.
Stormadal did well on his first start on dirt travelling well on the outside of the pack before finding little in the straight, his mark remains a problem.
Simon Crisford's first runner Knavery was well backed before the off & duly attempted to make all under Oisin Murphy, he set no more than fair fractions but did use up plenty of energy to get on the lead which could be a reason he found very little as the field turned for him & he dropped away tamely.
Shibab was found to be lame afterwards so to be fair ran very well back in 5th.
The colts Guineas trial was a dramatic race as red hot favourite Maftool blew the start horribly like stablemates Good Place & to a lesser extent Famous Kid had done earlier in the night. Its worth bearing in mind that Maftool was next to Wild Citizen in the stalls & the Scandinavian raider became quite restless before the off which appeared to slightly spook Maftool which may well explain why he reared as the stalls opened thus sacrificing his chance.
From strong early fractions he did so well to catch back up to his field within 2 furlongs & travel just of the back of the pack. He stayed wide travelling around the outside of the fast pace but as it quickened again on the sweeping turn he was slow to go with it but his class got him into contention to the 2 furlong pole which was his most impressive part of the race as he made up 5 lengths in a furlong to almost get to Ajwad who had set the strong early pace. He is nailed on to go better in the Guineas itself given a better start.
The winner Mubtaahij had won an average maiden over the course in December but he took his form to a new level here travelling well in behind his stablemate he shot up the inside on the sweeping home turn to quicken away from his field in impressive style especially as he appeared to go even quicker in the last furlong as trakus shows.
Improving at a rate of knots it will be fascinating to see if he can back that performance up in 2 weeks time against a hopefully unhandicapped Maftool.
Ajwad ran a terrific first race in the UAE setting a strong early pace before lacking the depth of fitness of his stablemate, he will come on for this & will be better up in trip. He might well be the perfect horse for the UAE Derby.
Zephuros did well finishing 4th after travelling well on his dirt debut, he is not quite up to the grade of horse he faced here & will be hard to place.
Padlock struggled to keep with the front runners & was off the bridle for a long way in the middle of the pack, he stayed on slowly at his own pace.
Volatile had been expected to go on but he was held back by Hanagan which he appeared to resent as he never truly settled on the inside, there was little left in the tank as the field turned for home & his ungainly head carriage worsened.
Debutant Anbar is worthy of a mention, he missed the break with Maftool but soon made that ground up to sit in 6th place on the home turn travelling reasonably for a horse who had never seen a racecourse before. He dropped away in the home straight to finish in the last few but he will have learnt a lot from that & could well pick up a ordinary non carnival maiden at some point.
The first race on turf of the night was run at a very fast pace set by the Norwegian raider Without Fear who was kept honest by the impressive & fit looking Mr Pommeroy who was under a tight rein throughout.
As everything in behind came off the bridle Mr Pommeroy was still travelling within in himself & slid up the inside on the home turn to quicken just over a length clear of his field extending well up the straight but as the mercurial young frenchman Barzalona went to give his game mount a 2nd slap of the whip disaster struck as at the 2 furlong pole his whip flew out of his hands so he was forced to revert to hands & heels which saw Mr Pommeroy's stride gradually shorten so Barzalona reverted to slapping his mount with his hands up to the finish it then became a live slow motion affair with the last 50 yards feeling like an eternity as Mr Pommeroy bravely stuck his neck out only to collared right on the line by Haafaguinea who had taken an age to get going.
I believe there is no real doubt had Barzalona not flung his whip away that Mr Pommeroy would have kept responding & won which is disappointing from a punting perspective but you have to be pleased with such a run by a horse who has clearly relished the fast ground. He will most likely go up to near 110 which puts him back into pattern company as you wouldn't want him carrying top weight in a handicap, clearly versatile regards trips between a 1m to 1m2f he has to be of interest again next time & that race for me will most likely be The Dubai Millenium Stakes Listed over the same trip of 1m2f in 5 weeks time although it wouldn't be the biggest shock should he turn out again next week in the Group 2 1m Al Fahidi Fort a race his sire won twice.
Haafaguinea was the most obvious danger in the race & he duly gained a deserved Carnival success although he did make very hard work of it, he will struggle to win again as the races in the next few weeks will get tougher.
Old Star Empire ran another superb race over a trip too short for him, he has the fast pace to help for stringing his rivals out & he will now step up to the staying distances, despite his age that division could be quite weak so he needs respecting on his next start.
Elleval looked in need of the race & duly ran in that style sitting out the back travelling ok before getting caught on the home turn as the pace quickened again. He took a stride or two to get going switching to the inside to run on promisingly, he can win again in a similar race next time.
Ocean Tempest looked much more at home on the turf, he was out the back the whole way to get the trip. He ran on slightly in the home straight but was easily beaten, he will be better dropping back to the mile but will struggle to win from his current mark. Sennockian Star needed the race & will come on for it, he looked well beat at one stage but ran on again towards the finish.
The feature race went the way of the old boy Reynaldothewizard who produced a sparkling display back on dirt to run out a ready winner in a well run race especially early with the speedster Caspian Prince only knowing one way to run which set the race up perfectly for a closer such as old Reynaldo,he showed good early pace to sit 4th but was then quickly on the back foot after the first 2 furlongs & looked to be going nowhere, he then appeared to come slightly back on the bridle off the turn as his stablemate & Caspian Prince dropped away but he still had the strong travelling Muarrab to beat which he did in a matter of strides as Muarrab quickly stopped finding little in front. Whether Reynaldo can now back this run up is open to question with the likelihood of more to come from those in behind & from any US raiders that will ship over in the next month or so. Muarrab travelled like the winner throughout the race, a winner of 5 from 6 at Jebel Ali he looked set to win easily as they turned for home, the fact he stopped quite quickly is disappointing but he was extremely close to the fast early fractions & he did actually run on a little to cement 2nd place so it was an extremely meritorious effort. Perhaps also having had a year off & only coming back a few weeks ago caught up with him towards the end of this race so he is at least worth another chance next time when he will likely be a better price.
United Color ran better than he had a Jebel Ali last time, he broke well but was immediately passed by the speedy Caspian Prince & he quickly found himself out the back in the kickback. He was never travelling but stuck on well down the outside to snatch 3rd & is another who can improve.
Muaanid stepped up markedly in company after a handicap win last time, he raced upsides his better fancied owner mate but lacked the crucial turn of foot at a vital stage, still a fair effort & will learn from it.
Russian Soul appeared to be hit by a freight train at the off as he lazily stumbled out of the stalls to immediately be 3 lengths down, scrubbed along the whole way he never gave up & ran on through beaten horses appearing to be fine on the surface.
He had little left near the finish & will need to break better if he is to get involved in the better sprints.
The final race of the night was a deep 16 runner 1 mile handicap & it gave the UK our first winner of the Carnival courtesy of the character that is Belgian Bill who appeared to be on his best behaviour travelling well in behind the leaders before unleashing a strong run down the outside to just last as Dark Emerald thrust at him from the inside.
Whether he can be trusted to back this run is doubtful & that may well be it for him until the the handicapper relents.
Dark Emerald has been the model of consistency in the last 12 months & duly ran another fine race in defeat unable to get as close to the pace as he normally due to missing the break slightly he settled in behind a wall of horses, he was held long enough in behind Captain Lars on the inside to cost him the race as when he finally got out Belgian Bill had flown after the leader.
Fine first effort & should remain competitive.
Free Wheeling got on the lead & James Doyle immediately stacked them up which gave his mount every chance of getting home over a trip that has been too far in the past, it was by far his best effort on turf since his days in Australia, races will keep getting tougher & he remains high enough.
Jawhar travelled well in mid division & was still going ok into the last 2 furlongs but was weaving inside & out for a clear run, when it came he ran on strongly to the line. May well appreciate going back up to 1m2f & looks as though he will remain competitive from his current mark.
Slipper Orchid was the biggest eye catcher, she slightly missed the break & sat last the whole way round, as they turned into the straight she was still last & had at least 10 lengths to make up on the leader. She made up all bar 2 lengths even though she was running through beaten horses it was still an impressive finish & she must go close next time out in a similar race although she could well make an attempt on the class fillies in the upcoming Cape Verdi which would require more from her.
Secret Admirer ran a decent first race for his new trainer, always wide in the rear he took awhile to get into gear but still finished to good effect, his current mark of 102 is prohibitive but he would be of interest if he were to be dropped a couple of pounds. Fellow Scandinavian the Norwegian trained Avon Pearl was in dire need of the run, he missed the start by design to switch from the wide outside to the inside, he stayed on nicely up the inside & will hopefully be dropped accordingly so that he is on his last winning mark which will make him of strong interest again next time out.
Former South African dual Grade 1 winner Slumdogmillionaire broke well & appeared to be travelling within himself for most of the way in 2nd place but as they turned for home the signs were there as he went from travelling to doing nothing & he dropped away very tamely before appearing to regather himself to stay on slightly near the finish.
Limited promise.
Billingsgate was hurried up early from his wide draw, he never truly settled on the outside & was beat as they came into the straight, he dropped away to finish last, plenty to prove next time despite not being beaten that far as you could have thrown a blanket over the whole field at the finish.
Captain Lars proved disappointing while Horsted Keynes showed very little.
Horses to follow:
Famous Kid - Showed enough to be capable of winning next time in a similar race.
Mr Pommeroy - Dubai Millenium Stakes likely next port of call, should be winning in Dubai after a big first effort.
Elleval - Needed his first run & showed enough to suggest he can win again in similar company.
Muarrab - Well worth keeping faith with next time out.
Slipper Orchid - Clearly in good form & can win next time out but for me only if she runs in Handicap company (if she reappears in the Cape Verdi I would leave her alone).
Avon Pearl - Should be dropped back to his last winning mark after this run which will make him extremely appealing once more.
#DWCC2015 Meydan NAPS Comp:
1). Gary Woods @fttfracing 1/2 50% +£40.00 Faulkner 4/1f
2). Adam Webb @AdamWebb121 1/1 100% +£22.50 Local Time 5/4f
3). Calum Madell @calummadell 1/2 50% +£16.25 True Story 13/8f
4). Luke Elder @Lukeelder13 0/1 0% -£10.00
4). Paul Nathan @paulnathan92 0/1 0% -£10.00
4). Scott Wilson @racingtalkuk 0/1 0% -£10.00
5). Calum Swanlaw @calumswanlaw 0/2 0% - £20.00
All selections settled to a £10 stake (Win or E/W).
@fttfracing
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