Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting taking place at Meydan Racecourse.
Race 2 NAKHEEL GODOLPHIN MILE (Group 2)
No10 MUBAKKER
Trainer: Doug Watson – Jockey: Dane O’Neill
AL NEFUD sets a good standard after his effort to chase home Hot Rod Charlie in Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge, but a value bet against him is MUBAKKER. Jockey O’Neill knows how to get the best out of the grey who is 2 from 3 here this year. On a first attempt at this trip the selection couldn’t match Desert Wisdom, but from a very good draw tonight he can bounce back. Veteran SECRET AMBITION and US challenger SNAPPER SINCLAIR could earn at working man’s prices, but Al Nefud and Mubakker are the ones that should dominate.
Prediction: 1st MUBAKKER, 2nd Al Nefud, 3rd Secret Ambition, 4th Snapper Sinclair
Race 3 AL TAYER MOTORS DUBAI GOLD CUP (Group 2)
No12 MANOBO
Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick
In unbeaten MANOBO Charlie Appleby surely houses the banker of the night. The Sea The Stars gelding put together an impressive winning sequence in the UK which included a defeat of St Leger runner-up Mojo Star on his debut at Newbury. He then took out the Prix Chaudenay at Longchamp on Arc weekend and resumed with an eye taking triumph in the Nad Al Sheba Stakes over a mile and threequarters here. It will take something very smart to stop him, though STAY FOOLISH showed greatly improved form to score as he liked in Saudi and has clearly turned a corner. His compatriot VELOCE ORO could also earn, but at much longer odds.
Prediction: 1st MANOBO, 2nd Stay Foolish, 3rd Veloce Oro, 4th Baron Samedi
Race 4 AZIZI DEVELOPMENTS AL QUOZ SPRINT (Group 1)
No16 SUESA ( Each Way)
Trainer: Francis Rohaut – Jockey: Olivier Peslier
A horse that has greatly impressed me on the training track this week is French filly SUESA. The daughter of Night Of Thunder has done all her winning when there’s been cut in the ground but is untried on a faster surface. If she adapts to the conditions she can get right into the mix, though a formidable foe is Godolphin’s MAN OF PROMISE. He is the choice of William Buick over CREATIVE FORCE and has looked the real deal in successive course and distance triumphs at the Carnival. Creative Force comes back off a break and could easily cut the mustard on this first appearance in Dubai, having taken out the Group 1 sprint at Ascot last autumn. Prix de l’Abbaye winner A CASE OF YOU is another must include in what promises to be a sizzling contest.
Prediction: 1st SUESA, 2nd Man Of Promise, 3rd Creative Force, 4th Case Of You
Race 5 MUBADALA UAE DERBY (Group 2)
No11 PINEHURST
Trainer: Bob Baffert – Jockey: Flavien Prat
PINEHURST looked good in his final blowout for this on Thursday. The son of Twirling Candy has a no-nonsense approach to his work and looks ready to confirm his narrow superiority over Japan’s SEKIFU shown in a Group 3 at Riyadh at the end of last month. Gilded Age can make it even more interesting for the Americans, as he stood out galloping in white bandages on Thursday and might well take a big step forward from his placed effort at Aqueduct for trainer Bill Mott.
Prediction: 1st PINEHURST, 2nd Gilded Age, 3rd Sekifu, 4th Bendoog
Race 6 ATLANTIS DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN (Group 1)
No3 DRAIN THE CLOCK
Trainer: Saffie Joseph – Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr
The aptly-named DRAIN THE CLOCK has a first-time tongue-tie as he engages in what could emerge as an all-American finish to this top-class sprint on the straight 1200 metres course. The selection is a seven-time winner from a dozen starts, with Ortiz having partnered him to a couple of those successes in New York. He can exploit any weaknesses in DR SCHIVEL, who succumbed by just a nose to Alpha West in the Dirt Sprint at Del Mar and is a dual Grade 1 winner in his homeland. For value at longer odds, the Japanese runner RED LE ZELE might be worth inclusion in the exotics.
Prediction: 1st DRAIN THE CLOCK, 2nd Dr Schivel, 3rd Red Le Zele, 4th Meraas
Race 7 DP WORLD DUBAI TURF (Group 1)
No12 SCHNELL MEISTER (Nap)
Trainer: T Tezuka – Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
The presence of confirmed pacesetter Panthalassa is music to the ears of the connections of SCHNELL MEISTER, who always takes a while to warm to the task. Lemaire knows he is on the back of an improving horse who looks sure to appreciate going further on the distance ladder. The Frenchman was delighted with Schnell Meister after riding him on the turf track on Wednesday. William Haggas takes the view that MOHAAFETH can improve from what was a highly productive 2021 campaign in which he ran up a sequence of victories before coming away with excuses from an underwhelming effort in the Juddmonte at York. Jim Crowley partnered this horse in a pleasing gallop before he left Newmarket for Dubai. HAQEEQY is something of a wild card, having landed a Listed race in Abu Dhabi before enduring a foot problem in his warm-up race over seven furlongs here at the start of the month. If there was a horse to ramp up the returns in your exotics, this could be the one. Veteran LORD GLITTERS has never been better, and following a bountiful start to the year is in a position to pick up another decent cheque.
Prediction: 1st SCHNELL MEISTER, 2nd Mohaafeth, 3rd Haqeeqy, 4th Lord Glitters
Take a look at Neil’s video preview for the DP World Dubai Turf below:
Race 8 LONGINES DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC (Group 1)
No9 ALENQUER
Trainer: William Haggas – Jockey: Tom Marquand
Haggas could find that the ace in his very strong challenge for this sizzling contest is ALENQUER. The selection has the sort of upwardly mobile profile that makes the vision of him taking out what is probably the best race of the night far from illusionary. His Sandown defeat of subsequent Derby and King George hero Adayar last spring teed him up for a memorable season in which he chased home Mishriff in the Juddmonte and Sealiway in the Champion Stakes. He was then hugely impressive when trialling for this with a decisive victory in Lingfield’s Winter Derby Trial. Furthermore, he has developed a great understanding with jockey Marquand.
Stablemate DUBAI FUTURE showed a liking for cut in the ground when taking out a couple of Group 2s in France, but when fourth in the Hong Kong Vase probably found the quick ground less appealing. Factoring in that the Meydan turf course will ride pretty quick makes him a more risky proposition.
HUKUM has the advantage like Hot Rod Charlie in the World Cup of having a recent win at the course under his belt. Rider Jim Crowley thinks the giant will show considerable improvement, and in a strongly run race he can earn.
But the main threat to Alenquer should be AUTHORITY, who after chasing home Contrail in the Japan Cup was a decisive winner of a Group 3 in Saudi, and whose jockey thinks he can either stalk or lead, and if the former swoop to conquer in the final straight.
Prediction: 1st ALENQUER, 2nd Authority, 3rd Hukum, 4th Dubai Future
Take a look at Neil’s video preview for the Sheema Classic below:
Race 9 EMIRATES AIRLINE DUBAI WORLD CUP (Group 1)
No5 HOT ROD CHARLIE (Next Best)
Trainer: Doug O’Neill – Jockey: Flavien Prat
American horses look set to dominate the 26th running of this now-famous race, with HOT ROD CHARLIE a likely thorn in the side of odds-on LIFE IS GOOD. The four-year-olds lock horns in what promises to be an epic finale to World Cup night, in a battle that could also see fellow US raider COUNTRY GRAMMER having some sort of say.
HOT ROD CHARLIE deserves to take out a really big pot after placing in two legs of last year’s Triple Crown and also troubling the judge in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. He showed when storming home in a Round of the Group 2 Maktoum Challenge here that he’s fully acclimated to life at Meydan.
LIFE IS GOOD could be a horse of a lifetime for owners Winstar Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher, but the son of Into Mischief needs to break handily, and then assume an outright lead. The 2021 Dirt Mile winner impressed in taking out the Group 1 Pegasus in Florida, which gave connections a nice gap before this assignment. His training under the lights here has delighted Pletcher.
Frankie Dettori teams up with COUNTRY GRAMMER in a rare ride for Bob Baffert who is not in Dubai. The five-year-old stepped up on his good form in California when running Emblem Road to half a length in last month’s Saudi Cup.
MIDNIGHT BOURBON has ground to make on his compatriots on the book, but could easily get involved to make it an American clean sweep.
Prediction: 1st HOT ROD CHARLIE, 2nd Life Is Good, 3rd Country Grammer, 4th Midnight Bourbon
Take a look at Neil’s video preview for the Dubai World Cup below:
