Impressive Handicap Card at Meydan on January 6

The dawn of the Dubai Racing Carnival creeps ever closer and we’ve got a few quality handicaps set to unfold at Meydan racecourse on Thursday. We’ll be taking a quick peek at each race in this article and trying to figure out just how things are going to shape up over the Tapeta surface.

2:25

We’ve got maidens going 6f in the opener and this is isn’t exactly the classiest line-up but the play appears to be PRIMARY COLORS (Nayef) who already boasts a spin around the Meydan surface after shipping in off a second-place effort at Kempton back in July. He likely needed the race and he’ll enjoy the cut back in distance for this one. Strecker (Sky Mesa) will take money but he’ll need a major step up to make a real impression.

3:00

Indian Skipper (Indian Danehill) looks a fairly obvious choice at the outset as he’s been knocking on the door for a while now. He has finished 232 in his three runs at Meydan and was just headed in his last one. He wasn’t putting up career-best numbers in those races and still acquitted himself well so if he gets the right type of trip from Tadhg O’Shea then he’ll likely be the best bet despite giving a few pounds to the field. However, mysterious Uruguayan contender CAT MIMOSO (Cloud Watch) will get our nod as the type of longer-odds South American contender that tends to emerge each season in Dubai.

3:35

This 1m contest looks to be setting up very nicely for BLITZED (Fantastic Light) who just missed on his Meydan debut back in November. He was likely a little too far back on the day so connections will be more apt to deploy a stalking trip closer to the front. Zafeen Speed (Zafeen) looks a decent selection if you’re looking for proven course and distance form as the key variable.

4:15

We’ll be defying convention a bit here by going with co-bottom-weight ACHILL BAY (Peintre Celebre) for the win in this 1m6f marathon. Longer distance types switching over from the turf can deliver at very solid prices and that’s what we’re lining up with here. He scored last time out in a tricky handicap at Abu Dhabi and he’ll be looking to push on from there. This Dubai-based warhorse should be able to take advantage of plenty of weight on the top contenders.

4:50

COMMANDER CAVE (Tale Of The Cat) looks set to get one over this tough field of milers as he’ll be looking to build on a game second place finish in his seasonal debut at Meydan. It was a nearly ten month lay-off so he should be able to find more here with three weeks of solid works. Palm Court looks attractive but dirt to Tapeta doesn’t pan out so well for most non-stand-outs. Try the aptly-named Saboteur (Shamardal) if you’re looking for a spoiler.

5:25

MARK TO MARKET (Clodovil) has the edge over the competition in this 18-strong handicap going 1m2f. He stayed on well to take second in his last effort and he scored at 1m over the Tapeta in his prior effort and he should be able to tackle the talent he’ll be facing off against here.