Meydan Racecourse Preview for December 16

There is another day of classy action at Meydan racecourse and you know there won’t be any weather delays down there- unless we’re talking dust storms. We have six solid contests on the Meydan card for Thursday and we’ll be taking a look at each of the races in this update.

2:35

There isn’t a huge amount of form here but we’ll be siding with CHICAGO MAY (Numerous) who will be poised to benefit if connections make a small adjustment in tactics. She was likely sent up just a touch early on her Meydan debut and the French miss will benefit from being held up just a little longer. She acquitted herself well against a solid field and could be poised to progress here with Tadhg O’Shea.

3:15

Princess Haya of Jordan has a very talented four year-old set to score here in this race as GREEN BERET (Fayruz) has been knocking on the door for quite some time now. A third on his Meydan debut, he followed that up with a second-place finish a few weeks back. This is an accomplished handicapper who looks to be finding his feet and he has been coming quite close despite official ratings trending downward. If he runs anywhere near potential he should get the score today.

3:55

This is a 7f conditions race set to run over the Tapeta. MAATH GOOL (Dubawi) looks set to progress after a maiden score at Meydan last time out. The jockey switch to Wayne Smith paid real dividends in that comfortable victory and it will be interesting to see how he handles tougher company. Parvaaz (Rahy) ships in from the UK and boasts a solid record but contenders usually need a race over the Tapeta so we’ll be steering clear.

4:35

This fourteen-strong handicap is one of the trickier puzzles to solve on the day but the play appears to be DAN CHILLINGWORTH (Indian Ridge) who has taken to the Tapeta quite well and is running 252 in his last three. He is a diverse runner who has tackled dirt, turf and synthetic and his versatility should come out here.

5:10

Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum sends out ALO PURA (Anabaa) as the bottom-weight and she ticks all the boxes after scoring with Kieran Fallon up last time out. A Dubai-based six year-old, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with if she gets a clean trip against a slightly underwhelming group in this conditions race. Her course and distance score also stands out well.

5:45

We’ll be sticking with Ahmed Al Maktoum and William Buick as we opt for SWINGING SIXTIES in this 1m3f dash around the Tapeta. The five year-old bay was headed about 100y from the wire last time out and should get the benefit of a cleaner trip here with the inside draw. If he can assert himself early on then there’s no reason he won’t get the score.