Meydan Racecourse Hosts a Stellar Six-Race Card on December 2nd

Another day of quality action is set to unfold on the Tapeta surface at Meydan racecourse with six tricky handicaps to decipher.

18:35

This about-eight-furlongs contest is headlined by a number of contenders switching over from the turf at Abu Dhabi. Sticking with proven AW performers is generally the best play in situations like this and RAFED (Tahar De Candelon) has been knocking on the door long enough to get the nod with blinkers on here. He earned an OR of 62 last time out at Meydan, finishing third by ¼ of a length. 

19:15

Top-weighted ALWAYS EMIRATES (Danzig) boasts a score over the Meydan surface from 11/11 and he’ll be looking to deploy a similar set of tactics again for this 6f dash. Punters are expecting him to cope well with the turn back in distance. The biggest challenger appears to be bottom weight AB Include (Include) who has taken second place twice on the bounce against similarly-rated company but the switch from dirt to AW could prove a thorn in his side.

19:50

A big field to deal with here but there are only a few performers proven over the Meydan surface. STREET ACT (Street Cry) comes in weighted well and could be set to progress against this field that boasts high ratings but a lack of consistency. Canwinn (Refuse to Bend) deserves respect but stretches out in distance.

20:25

Seven furlong specialist DASHES (Azamour) just missed on his Meydan debut last time out when topped by Always Emirates. It was only a half-length loss and he is well-positioned to make a statement today with an emphatic victory over relatively up in the air competition. There are a few getting their first taste of the Tapeta today and connections will have learned a thing or two from his last go.

21:05

DAHTEER (Bachir) looks a clear favourite after just missing in his last trip out and a jockey switch to Kieran Fallon could be just the ticket. Vincenzio Galilei (Galileo) conquered an AW race against similarly-rated company at Dundalk about a month back and should transfer well to Meydan. He is taking a sharp cutback in distance but this could actually serve him well if he gets a clean trip and is able to find room on the run-in.

21:40

A step down from a consistent run in graded company, INESTIMABLE (Mark of Esteem) should respond well to a cut back in distance to the 9.5f mark in his first attempt at the Meydan surface. Since the ground tends to play a bit like turf under these conditions, the lack of AW experience isn’t a significant mark against hm. A jockey change to Wayne Smith might make or break this runner but he looks set to capitalize, giving up just a small amount of weight here.