Meydan Betting Preview January 9, 2014 Pt 1

The first really big day of the Dubai Racing Carnival kicks off on Thursday and we will have the pleasure of watching Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge getting things off with a real bang. There is plenty to like about this card and there is a good assortment of quality contenders lining up to take a stab at things. Many of them have been racing at Meydan or at Jebel Ali over the past few months and will come into this one bang in-form.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BET WITH BET365! 

The first contest of the day is the Longines Master Collection - a 5f handicap on the turf.  This follows the opener, which is a purebred Arabian race. The opening thoroughbred contest sees Fityaan come in as the top weight following a massive 50/1 coup at Meydan exactly a year ago. Making his debut at the top weight after such a long period on the sidelines doesn’t make him the most attractive option and he doesn’t get a break from the handicapper. 

Hamdan Al Maktoum’s contender hadn’t won since taking a 9k at Newmarket back in mid 2011 when he managed to beat the others in handicap company. 

The real one to watch is likely to be Rafeej, who won at Meydan back in mid-December and looked pretty good doing it - defeating a field of nine by a one-length margin after being sent off at a 7/1 price tag. He really does appear to be a synthetic track specialist and he will relish the distance here. 

Godolphin saddles Desert Law for this one and he is winless since August of 2012 and makes his debut after running tamely in three contests at last year’s carnival. This is likely a prep for him so he is to be avoided. 

The second thoroughbred contest of the day is the Longines Saint Imier, which is a 1m1f110y contest that sees some real veterans of the turf take each other one. At the top end of the weights, we’ve got Submariner who is an eight year old son of Singspiel. Sweet Lightning, who lines up for David O’Meara’s yard, is nine years of age. Neither of them look in especially good sorts here so it’s best to take a look at the five-year-old El Estruendoso who represents Mike De Kock’s yard and gets Soumillon. 

The son of Giant’s Causeway finished second in an age restricted contest last year but remains unraced since February of 2013. Should he take to the track in a similar manner as last year then he has every chance and De Kock tends to have them looking good earlier in the season. He is definitely one to consider. 

Godolphin’s Clon Brulee looks likely to get the main bulk of the money as he has been freshened since September and demonstrated some form running against similar types of contenders at Doncaster and Ayr as he closed out his season. He emerged as a real force to be reckoned with back in May, having jumped onto the handicap circuit and gradually moved up the ranks. 

Look for him to team up nicely with Mickael Barzalona and deliver here at a tidy price to boot.