Best bets for the Dubai Carnival Meydan Thursday 1st February 2018

They get underway out in the desert at 2.30 with the G.1 for Arabs the Al Maktoum Challenge R2 Sponsored By Mina Hamriya which will be fun to watch but I won’t be punting.

I am all about Godolphin again horses again but I think for good reason.

The Group Two Al Rashidiya Sponsored By Jebel Ali Port at 3.05 is the first thoroughbred race of the day and it looks to be all about Benbatl. The Godolphin colt trained by Saeed bin Suroor won the G3 Singspiel Stakes over course and distance nicely (tipped on here) beating Emotionless by two and a quarter lengths. He is being aimed at the Group One Dubai Turf on World Cup night and this should prove nothing more than a stepping stone in that direction. Evens is the best price you will get.

They go on the Dirt mile at 4.15 for the Mina Rashid Handicap. Charlie Appleby saddles Boynton who was a Group 2 winner at two. His three-year-old campaign never really got going after injury and he is interesting trying dirt for the first time; members of the family have won on the surface. Cheekpieces are on for the first time and with the stable flying I have taken a chance at 2-1 that the chestnut might ne able to turn over odds-on shot Kimbear.

Friend to Triple G D’bai goes again in the Group Two Al Fahidi Fort Sponsored By DP World-UAE Region at 4.50. The Charlie Appleby inmate showed he was back to somewhere near his best winning a handicap here 3 weeks ago (tipped don GGG at 7-1) and that makes him the one to beat in this. 7-4 is short enough but I am on. 

Be lucky