Neil Morrice brings us all of his best bets for Thursday’s racing coming your way from Meydan, Kempton Park and Newcastle.
Check out Neil’s video preview for Thursday’s racing at Meydan below:
MEYDAN
Race 3 No5 SECRET PROTECTOR
Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick
As a son of the emerging stallion War Front, and having shown abundant promise in two all-weather runs in England, SECTER PROTECTOR is a name we should hear plenty about during the remainder of the Carnival. Last September he finished second on debut over seven furlongs at Kempton and three weeks later opened his account there when backed as if defeat was out of the question over the same trip. Buick was in the irons on each occasion and both the switch to turf and step up to an extended nine furlongs is going to suit the selection, who has been doing everything right in the training track.
Race 4 AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R2 (Group 2)
No2 BLOWN BY WIND
Trainer: Salem bin Ghadayer – Jockey: Royston Ffrench
Capezzano needs to smarten up his act after finishing out of the money in Round 1 of this series, and of his trainer’s three rolls of the dice at Round 2, BLOWN BY WIND is the pick. He took his form to a new level when bolting up in the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile on his second outing, and if maintaining his progress is the one to beat. Thegreatcollection steps up in trip for Doug Watson after his second placing in Round 1 and is one for all exotics, while John Gosden’s Dubai Warrior needs respecting on dirt debut under Dettori.
Race 5 AL RASHIDIYA (Group 2)
No7 ZAKOUSKI (Nap)
Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick
Godolphin have dominated this main support race in recent years and look to have the key to the 2021 renewal in ZAKOUSKI. The colt took an unbeaten record at Meydan into the Singspiel Stakes two weeks ago and might well have just needed it, as he couldn’t match the storming finish of Lord Glitters, and was in the end inched out of second by Dream Castle. The three engage in a re-run and of the trio Zakouski is possibly the one most likely to improve. Lord Glitters is an infrequent winner and in the Singspiel was suited by the fact a pacemaker was given too much rope, turning it into a messy race. Dream Castle has never really returned to the form of his 2019 Carnival Group 3,2,1 hat-trick, but Zakouski remains relatively unexposed, and gets a chance to bring his A-game to the table with no excuses.
KEMPTON PARK
Race 2 No10 SHEILA NASH (Nap)
Trainer: Harry Whittington – Jockey: Alan Doyle
SHEILA NASH made an inauspicious return to action when whipping round and losing her pilot at the start at Wincanton. Named after her trainer’s grandmother, the Flemensfirth mare ran well in two bumpers last season and would be a very welcome winner for him, with his string in the progress of emerging from a period in the doldrums.
Race 7 No6 SON OF CAMAS (Each Way)
Trainer: Nicky Henderson – Jockey: Nico de Boinville
Henderson fields three including the veteran Top Notch, a Grade 1 winner returning from wind surgery, but with finishing speed a vital ingredient in these jumper-bumpers stablemate SON OF CAMAS is preferred. The selection beat Timberman in a Newbury bumper that has worked out before undergoing two winds ops. He ran well over fences here on Boxing Day and looks the percentage play.
Race 9 No5 CALVA D’AUGE
Trainer: Paul Nicholls – Jockey: Harry Cobden
The toast of this nightcap is CALVA D’AUGE, seeking to complete a hat-trick for a trainer/jockey combo that were in double form here on Tuesday. The selection has won five times from nine starts for Nicholls and could hardly be in better form after his handicap hurdle triumphs at Taunton and Newbury. Importantly, he was considered smart enough to run in Listed and Group races on the Flat when trained in France.
NEWCASTLE
Race 3 No6 ULSHAW BRIDGE
Trainer: Ed Bethell – Jockey: PJ McDonald
Rookie trainer Bethell will have been encouraged by the way ULSHAW BRIDGE ran here a month ago on his return from a break. His third placing to Arctic Vega begs to be improved on as the assessor chose to leave him on the same handicap mark.
Race 5 No3 NICK VEDDER (Nap)
Trainer: Robyn Brisland – Jockey: Kieran Shoemark
Timing is the name of the game for multiple winner NICK VEDDER who seeks a fourth win in what has been a busy start to the year on the all-weather circuit. His rider leaves it late but gets it more right than wrong, and if granted a strong pace to aim at the combination can again swoop to conquer.
