Meydan Betting Preview for February 24

We have another day of racing ahead of us in Dubai on Thursday as a number of classy contests are set to unfold at prestigious Meydan Racecourse. We have the usual assortment of high-class handicaps and the days card is anchored by the UAE Oaks where over £96,000 is up for grabs.

2:25

Mike De Kock will be looking to get the day off with a bang in the opener – a short field of six going 1m2f on the grass. Hunting Tower (Fort Wood) produced a solid performance a few weeks back to score at Meydan for his first time in eight attempts. The nine year-old chestnut gelding was switched to Christophe Soumillon for the ride and the Frechman retains the mount here. Lolamar (Martino Alonso) scored on his Meydan debut and then ran a disappointing sixth in the Balanchine last week. The four year-old bay filly will likely try to sit just a bit off the pace and unleash another big run in the last 110y or so.

3:00

Prizefighting (Smart Strike) is a quality runner who tends to see some support from the betting public but the simple fact is that he hasn’t won since a maiden break at Kempton back in October of 2009. He’s really been knocking on the door this season at Meydan running 323 in his three attempts. A seemingly endless series of jockey switches looks set to continue with Godolphin putting Mickael Barzalona in the irons this time out. He looks lukewarm. Expect Mike De Kock’s Star Empire (Second Empire) to take some money despite disappointing last time out in listed company.

3:40

There’s a tricky field set to contest this sprint over the Tapeta surface and the early choice looks to be Silaah (Mind Games), who just missed on his Meydan debut two weeks ago. He showed career-best figures by a considerable margin and he was headed on the final few gallops. Look for him to be in contention if he gets another quality trip. Sir Gerry (Carson City) is back for another kick at the can and he’s been known to flash a surprise from time to time. The real one to watch appears to be Godlphin’s Global City (Exceed and Excel) who is set for a his first race after a four-month freshening. He scored on his Meydan debut last year but had a relatively indifferent 2010. He gets Dettori and should be firing on all cylinders.

4:15

One of the larger fields of the day is set to contest this one and Sweet Lightning (Fantastic Light) could be an interesting selection if you’re looking to back a horse that could continue to progress. He’s flashing career-best ratings and nearly scored last time out with Johnny Murtagh up. The one to watch is a good friend of mine named Halicarnassus (Cape Cross). This Dubai veteran has been rolling back the years this season to run 242 when sent off at some pretty lengthy odds so far this year. He wasn’t far off last time and he gets a bit of weight to work with here.

4:55

This grassy 1m listed contest has a number of recent winners set to go and the pick appears to be Lord Of The Stars (Speightstown), who conquered last time out against a slightly easier-looking field. He really showed what he was made of that day and if he gets a bit of luck there’s no reason why the three year-old won’t make it home here either. Krypton Factor (Kyllachy) hasn’t been finding the line lately but still has plenty of acumen. Lightly-raced Janood (Medicean) looks to make a statement for the Blue Team.

5:35

Only seven contenders are here to tackle the talented Mahbooba (Galileo) as Mike De Kock’s four year-old bay filly looks set to stamp her seal as the dominant female of the Meydan 2011 season. She ran second in a UAE 1000 Guineas Trial and then wound up winning the proper race in her very next effort. She flashed a career-best 110 OR on the day and her connections will be seeking another feather in the cap here. Godolphin line up Khawlah (Cape Cross) for a seasonal debut and this Group 3-placed Darley-bred needs a big step up in performance in order to factor here. Prince Sultan Al Kabeer has a three year-old chesnut filly named Electric Waves (Exceed and Excel) who is set for a seasonal debut after scoring at Group 3 level at Ascot last October. Look for her to get up for a slice.

6:15

A tricky group of non-winners are set to go 1m on the turf in this one and the play could be Swop (Shinko Forest) who ran second last time and will look to keep things moving forward here. Lightly-raced Kavango (Cape Cross) has plenty to offer and a pair of place showing in Dubai gives lie to what he’s capable of if he gets the right type of race.