Best bets for the Dubai Carnival Meydan Thursday 22nd February 2018

There are some good races to be enjoyed out in Dubai at Meydan for the latest leg of the Carnival today – one thing is for sure it’s warmer out there than back here in the UK!

They start at 2.30 with the five-furlong Meydan Sprint Sponsored By District One Greenery Stretch Group 2 Stakes on the Turf. Ertijaal attempts to win this race for the second year running and will be odds-on. The seven-year-old holds the course record and kicked off this campaign when making a winning return in a handicap in January. The form has been franked when the runner-up Hit The Bid (re-opposes) won next time. One of my Dirty Dozen runs in the shape of Blue Point for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby and he has a chance dropping to five. He was mixing it with Harry Angel and Caravaggio last season and I think should have enough zip for this. At 9-4 with Power I am on.

At 4.15 it is the 1m2f Dubai Millennium Stakes Sponsored By District One Mansions Group 3 on the Turf track. Godolphin arrive mob handed and should lift the prize the question is with which horse? I could make a case for all four of their runners Leshlaa, Folkswood, Team Talk and Carry On Deryck but the one I have plumped for is Leshlaa who arrives match fit having won in very impressive style a fortnight ago over track and trip. The chestnut colt won a G.2 in Turkey last year on the Polytrack at Veliefendi and looks to have the edge on the other Godolphin trio. Paddy Power are 15-8 and I am on. Folkswood was in with some good’uns last season and is feared but hasn’t been seen since finishing third in the G.1 Cox Plate and fifth in the G.1 Emirates Stakes down under and he has a habit of finding one too good.

At 4.50 they line-up for the Zabeel Mile Sponsored By District One Legacy Group 2 again on the Turf track. I am convinced Dream Castle doesn’t want the mile so a line can be drawn through the Saeed bin Suroor runner leaving this open to Charlie Appleby inmate Bay Of Poets. He has been chasing home Benbatl thus far in the Carnival, 2nd in the 1m1f G.2 Al Rashidiya last time, and there is no horse of that class here. I have grabbed the 3-1 again with Paddy Power. Noah From Goa is a danger.

Be lucky