Dubai World Cup Night Betting Preview Part One

While most punters will have their eyes firmly-fixed on the feature this Saturday, there are a number of other exciting contests set to unfold on Dubai World Cup night this Saturday. We’ll be taking an early look at the other major races that include a number of high-quality group level encounters on turf and Tapeta.

Al Quoz Sprint

This Group 2 turf clash has an early field of 16 set to go 5f as South African high-flier JJ The Jet Plane (Jet Master) has been dominating the wagering forecasts for this contest since his presence was confirmed. At this point in time he’s as low as 7/4 for the outright score, having improved markedly in his second attempt at Meydan to score over a talented group of 12. The globetrotter made a major statement by taking the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint on his first trip to Sha Tin. The seven year-old hits at career-high figures at the moment and his experience over the Meydan surface make him a justifiable favourite.

Happy Dubai (Indian Ridge) deserves plenty of credit but he’ll need to step it up big-time if JJ gets the right type of race. He’s been heavily-campaigned in Dubai since a Jebel Ali debut last January. Him and Royston Ffrench have a good thing going between them so look for him to complete your exotic selections. Jaipur Stakes winner Stradivinsky (Stravinsky) ships in having been laid-off since a disappointing thirteenth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. He trades at 8/1 but you have to wonder how he takes to the Middle Eastern climate.

Godolphin Mile

A very respectable field lines up for this Tapeta contest and it sets up as one of the most fascinating betting races of the day. Nearly every contender in the race can win this one and the early betting looks to have little between Red Jazz (Johannesburg) and the Godolphin pair Rileyskeepingfaith (Hunting Lion) and the Pennsylvania-bred Skysurfers (E Dubai). Of the three, Skysufers turned in the most impressive Dubai performance this year when capturing the ungraded Firebreak Stakes over a very tricky field. He had Frankie Dettori in the irons and that partnership looks set to continue. The course and distance score sets him up nicely for this one.

Red Jazz is unraced in Dubai and enters off a five-month lay-off. The four year-old colt had been battling it out with a number of top Group 1 contenders for most of last season before scoring in a Group 2 contest at Newmarket to achieve a career-high 120. Unraced in Dubai after a long lay-off has not been a credible reference for most contenders this year so caution is advised on Red Jazz. Rileyskeepingfaith deserves respect after taking the Group 2 Zabeel Mile last time out. There are a few tougher contenders parachuting into this field and the actual victory was a bit of an anomaly for the five year-old as he had gone winless in twelve races. His Group 2 score was a weaker race than Skysurfers ungraded effort, so keep that in mind.

American shipper I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) is very likable and could be a real surprise here. His career has gone into a stuttering phase ever since being scratched as the morning-line favourite for the 2009 Kentucky Derby. His jockey Ramon Dominguez makes the trip and the pair could pull off a high-profile victory for the USA. His 7/1 price indicates some vonfidence from the betting public.

UAE Derby

This is a very enticing race from a neutral perspective but it’s going to be a tricky one to wager on for some. A number of recent Dubai winners take on some interesting shippers here and the betting favourite is the lightly-raced UAE Oaks winner Khawlah (Cape Cross). It’s not often you have an Oaks winner headlining a Derby betting market anywhere but I guess that’s just how they do things in Dubai. She has run well in the past and you can’t fault the connections as she’s Godolphin-owned, Darley-bred and Dettori-pilotted. 5/2 does seem a bit short on her though.

Mike De Kock’s Zanzamar (Fort Wood) ran a disappointing second in the UAE 2000 Guineas when sent off as the 4/6 betting favourite after scoring in a trial race on his Meydan debut. The four year-old boasts a strong late kick and could take advantage of some early speed here. The Brazilian-bred Godolphin runner Xin Xu Lin (Wondertross) is getting some respect but high-profile scores in South American races don’t always transfer over to Group 2 Meydan contests.

The real value option here appears to be Sweet Ducky (Pulpit) who was recently acquired by the Chechen president and shifted off the Kentucky Derby trail after impressing in recent efforts. A hefty 25/1 price is in effect on Sweet Ducky and, if he takes to the surface, he could be the story of the day.