Six More Tricky Contests From Jebel Ali

The winter racing season in the UAE adds another chapter on Friday, as we’ve got six more handicap races to navigate.

We’ll be taking a look at each race and providing a bit of insight and analysis on how we expect things to shape up at Jebel Ali.

14:30

We’ve got a 9f (1800M) handicap as the opening race here and the race features some talented handicappers in the 60-84 range. The track is playing fast so we’ll be opting for ZEMARIO (Dalakhani) to get us off to a winning start as the lightly-raced bay gelding gets another crack at the dirt surface after a third place finish in his debut at Jebel.

He shipped over for the winter meet after breaking his maiden at Windsor on the first try back in August. Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum will be hoping his Irish-bred continues to build on his solid performances at 1m1f. He’s rated near the bottom but looks to be well-weighted against the rest of the field.

15:00

CHO CHO FEVER (Skycruiser) got things off to a roaring start when he absolutely routed a maiden field in his debut at Jebel back on November 5. He’s going for another crack at his preferred distance, and he’s tackling some rather up-and-down contenders here so he looks a solid bet for a win.

Seeking An Alibi (Storm Cat) looks to be the biggest threat, and he’ll be looking to build on his two straight wins over the Jebel surface. He’s in the form of his career at the moment but we expect luck to catch up with him here.

15:30

We’ve got a 6f (1200M) sprint that looks to be setting up nicely for 8 year-old warhorse MANNJAL (Storm Cat). The Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum-owned gelding has William Buick up for this one and boasts a 105 rating over dirt which really places him head and shoulders above the field here, with the possible exception of Blackat Blackitten (Inchinor).

Buick looks to have a good rapport with Mannjal, having executed a really nice final furlong in their last race. Look for the pair to build on positive momentum at course and distance. This is the feature race for the day, prize-wise.

16:00

We’ll be sticking with the same jockey and connections as we head into the fourth race at Jebel Ali as OTAARED (Storm Cat) looks set to exert his influence and move himself in a more positive direction. He just missed out in his last race at Jebel, finishing second by 2.5 lengths after recovering nicely down the stretch. From a ratings standpoint he’s tough to beat as the other triple-digit contenders look out of form at the moment.

16:30

Stepping down in grade for the fifth race, we’ve got a 1400m (7f) handicap that could be dominated by MY VERSE (Exceed and Excel). This four year-old bay filly tends to prefer the shorter distances and she moves up just out of her comfort zone but we reckon that connections feel she can get the best of this rather limited field. She’s scored at 1200M and 1000M at Jebel Ali in the past calendar year so this looks to be the right race at the right time.

17:00

The final race on the Jebel Ali card for Friday really looks to be anybody’s guess but the best selection looks to be PLANETARY MOTION (Gone West) as he boasts a solid record over the dirt at Jebel Ali. He finished third in his seasonal debut a few weeks back and the cut back in distance could suit him here as it really was the last furlong that did him in. Not a huge amount of proven talent here so Planetary Motion should scrape this one.