MEYDAN RACECOURSE DAY 2 TIPS AND FULL BETTING PREVIEW

Day Two of the Dubai International Carnival kicks off tomorrow and, while we don’t have any prestigious Grade 1’s or anything like that today, we have some absolutely fascinating handicap puzzles to decipher before tomorrow’s action. The eight race schedule includes two spins on the turf- one of which is the solid-looking Group 3 Al Rashidiya which pits the globetrotting Saeed Bin Suroor runner Alexandros against a tough field of 9.
The opening race is an 18-strong field going 1M over the Tapeta surface. The standouts here appear to be Ceremonial Jade (Jade Robbery), Godolphin’s Sovereign Remedy (Elusive Quality) and upstart five year-old bay gelding Swift Gift (Cadeaux Genereux). Kieran Fallon takes the mount on ‘Jade and, despite carrying the most weight, I think he’s got a chance at this one. Widely-experienced, this horse brings plenty of handicap skill and wins on the all-weather. I don’t see him as especially stronger than any of the other contenders and a runner a bit lower in the weights may be the wiser selection. He’s listed at around 6.0 on an undeveloped Betfair market. Sovereign Remedy is a lightly-raced 4 year-old who had three trips out in Godolphin colours this year in Europe. He scored on October 18 in a handicap at Southwell on the all-weather against a solid field of 13. I think he’s a real contender here and with Ahmed Ajtebi coming back from his fall last week, I get even more confidence. These two teamed up for a solid 2nd place at Epsom and they were going about a furlong too long there. I think Sovereign Remedy is much-better suited to the 1M distance. He trades at about 4.0. Swift Gift is considered to be the betting favourite at 3.35 and he’s been seeing a bit of success on the heritage handicap circuit in England. He’s scored at Newbury and Ascot in the past calendar year, and despite the fact that these were both 7f victories he was leading by a considerable margin in each-one and should do well over the mile distance. The score at Ascot back in May was against a massive field of 27 and I think that bodes well for his chances in today’s opener at Meydan.
The 3:10 at Meydan is the Dubai International Billet Trophy- a 7f dash over the Tapeta. Based on form, you’re immediately looking right at the Darley-bred 4 year-old bay gelding Stoic (Green Desert). He has three wins on the bounce at Sandown, Kempton and Newmarket. My only issue against him, aside from only 5 career races under his belt, is the fact that his victories have always come at 1m and he tends to close late. The timing will be key here and his last victory was in a photo. This is a step-up for him, but he definitely knows how to find the wire first. He is trading around 2.5 on the exchanges. The frustrating Gallagher (Bahamian Bounty) has raced multiple times at every graded level, but has only scored in Conditions and when he broke his maiden at Chepstow. He is running against quality competition like Ouqba, Zacinto and Balthazaar’s Gift but he just doesn’t seem to win very often. I think he’s a place bet, nothing more, and trades at a slim 5.2 on the exchanges. If you’re looking for an outside shot, try Khor Dubai (Kheleyf)- he blew it on the opening day in the Mustanfar Handicap, finishing dead last in a field of 11. I had actually won money on him in his previous start at Kempton back in November and he looks a specialist at 7f. That loss last week out was a major step up to 1m2f and that’s an irresponsible decision to race under those circumstances-especially on a new surface. I really like his 11.5 price on the exchanges. This is a one turn-horse and with some mistakes from the front-runners, could have this race on a plate. He is also well-weighted at 9-1.
The 3:45 is a prep for the UAE 2000 Guineas and this conditions race boasts some very talented (and in some cases- undefeated) runners. Judging from the exchange prices, Musir (Redoute’s Choice) looks the one to beat. The Mike De Kock-trained 4 year-old bay colt (owned by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, himself) comes in 121 with scores at Clairwood and Greyville- both of which were emphatic victories. He is extremely lightly-raced and has never finished outside the top 2. You’ll find him at 2.5 on the exchanges. I especially like him coming out of the 1 stall with some early pace. This is a mysterious under-the-radar type of runner and could be well-suited to the Tapeta. The second favourite is a Godolphin-owned 3 year-old colt named Mendip (Harlan’s Holiday) who only has one run under his belt- a maiden victory at Kempton over a field of 7. It was a very dramatic victory and he looked a few steps above his competition. He’s well-priced at 5.2 and I expect him to run at a shorter price. 
The 4:19 is a small-ish field of 11 (small-ish by Meydan standards) and we’ve got a heavily-raced 7 year-old as top weight here in Aspectus (Spectrum). He’s not scored since capturing a Grade 3 at Baden Baden. He’s been running against Grade 2 and Grade 3 competition all over the place and has run against quality opposition. This is a tough handicap to decipher but I don’t see Aspectus pulling this one off. He’s at 5.1 on the exchanges. Currently, the betting favourite looks to be the inconsistent Tartan Gigha (Green Desert). He finished fifth from fourteen last week in the Intadab Handicap and never really had much of a chance despite a strong finish. You’ll find him at about 4.1, but his lack of victories for the past while put me off backing him. Try having a bash on Soy Libriano (Ride the Rails) a Saeed Bin Suroor-trained colt who has Dubai experience. After being acquired from Argentina by Sheikh Al Maktoum he went 213 at Nad Al Sheba and his losses came in very tight races. I think he has every chance here with Ahmed Ajtebi aboard and he is well-priced at 5.0.
The 5:05 from Meydan is a real cracking handicap with last week’s Kayrawan winner Sir Gerry (Carson City) stepping back onto the Tapeta to do battle with the well-rated Alsadeek (Fasliyev) and Godolphin’s Global City (Exceed and Excel). Sir Gerry looked back on form last week and scored his first strike since April of 2008. He showed the power of late-wide runs at Meydan and I think that Ted Durcan will employ a similar strategy again here. He looks solid at 6f and this contest could be a repeat of last week. Alsadeek boasts a solid record and some great experience in Dubai, running at Jebel Ali since last January. He comes into the race 112 this season, but all those runs came on dirt. This gelding has no synthetic or turf experience and is too much of a wildcard for me. Global City comes into this one 201 on the season and should be up for a good day out here. He’s got 4 wins and 2 places from 13 life time starts and will likely factor into the equation. This race is the most competitive of the day according to the exchanges with 80% of the runners listed between 4.0 and 7.0.
The sole Group race of the day is the Group 3 Al Rashidiya which is a 1m1f dash on the turf. Godolphin-owned and Darley-bred Alexandros (Kingmambo) is back out after a brief run at Sha Tin where he finished 7th in the Hong Kong Mile to the impressive Good Ba Ba. He had a good session last year at Nad Al Sheba and looks at home on the turf in Dubai. He struck in two handicaps last Carnival and came 3rd in the Dubai Duty Free to the absolute quality Gladiatorus. If you’re going based on past performances and reference races, this is definitely your selection. He is paying under 3.0 on the exchanges. Mike De Kock’s Frozen Fire (Montjeu) is attracting some betting volume and has run and scored at Grade 1 level for a while now. He’s been beaten by talented runners like Ask and Conduit and this could be the right race at the right time. He trades at a slim 4.0 and could be an interesting punt. Lightly-raced 4 year-old bay colt Black Eagle (Cape Cross) could make an impression under the right circumstances and he is 1 from 2 on the turf lifetime.
The 6:15 Dubai International Trophy is another turf handicap and it’s a tough puzzle. My top three include Age of Reason (Halling), Sabotage (Halling) and Mojave Moon (Singspiel). Top-rated Age of Reason is a very-interesting 5 year-old Gelding who is Godolphin-owned and Darley-bred. He scored last year at Nad Al Sheba in a turf handicap and hasn’t really had much to write home about since his strike at Dohar last February. He hasn’t seen a huge amount of success on the all-weather listed circuit in England but his 5.0 exchange price is a decent bet. I think he may get back to his best on the turf once again in Dubai. Mojave Moon has done most of his racing in France and hasn’t had the best of runs on the Group 2 and 3 circuits at Deauville and Longchamp. I do include him in my top 3 because he’s run against high-calibre colts and geldings and looks to be on the progressive side. He’s well-priced at 6.2. Sabotage is my final shout here and this is his first outing since late August. This is a lengthy race at 1m6f and I think that a wildcard like Sabotage could come in true to his name.
The 6:49 is the final race of the day- a 1m2f handicap that sees us shift back to the Tapeta. The only thing here even resembling a form horse is the low-weighted Dancourt (Cadeaux Genereux)- a 4 year-old Godolphin-owned colt. He’s unraced since early August but ended 114 on the season. He’s never won on the all-weather but has put in a few good shifts in the past. This is a mysterious race with plenty of low-profile runners here. Dancourt trades at 6.4 on the exchanges. The current betting favourite appears to be King of Rome- a Mike De Kock-trained 5 year-old bay gelding. He was beaten last week in a well-fought contest between him and Lizard’s Desire. That was a solid performance last time out, but he hasn’t won in about 15 starts now. I think this could be the one, as do the punters on Betfair who have him trading at a mere 2.5. Cadre (King’s Best) looks an interesting bet at 6.0. I think this one could be anyone’s race and is one of the more difficult handicaps of the day.