Best bets for the horse racing Friday 20th January - Dubai World Cup Carnival

With meeting after meeting falling foul of the cold snap here in the UK we have the racing from Meydan to enjoy on Friday afternoon. It's not been the best start to a Carnival for me, I actually tipped three losers last week, but I enjoy the meeting and I am involved again this Friday; hopefully with better results. 

Best bets for the horse racing at Meydan

The first race I have a bet in is the 5f ARN Handicap at 3.10 on the Turf. Boomshalaa looked like a sprinter with a future when with Roger Varian, won a couple of times on the All-Weather and at Windsor as well as finishing second in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot. Not seen for over a year he is now in the care of Doug Watson out here and the five-year-old has to have a chance if race fit; which I assume he is. Stall 8 of 8 is seen as a positive and hopefully Pat Dobbs can get him in a nice rhythm early before showing these a clean pair of hooves. I am on at 7-4 this morning.  

At 3.45 we are on the Dirt for the Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas over a mile. Mimi Kakushi won the 7f trial here a month ago with all this field bar Cite D'or behind her that day. She was a bit of a surprise winner and got a perfect trip throughout just off the pace before taking it up in the run-in. Cite D'or is the most experienced of these and officially top-rated but the surface is a total unknown. Sixth in the 1m2f G.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on heavy when last seen a return to this trip will suit. Unjokable was making debut in the Trial and led for most of the race. She had to be rushed up out of stall 8 and no doubt used a lot of energy to get across to lead. It wasn't a bad debut performance all thing considered and breaking from stall one for this she will have a far easier task of getting to the front this time. It is a speculative punt I am on her at the standout 12-1 with Power to make every yard. 

The Group Two Zabeel Mile on the Turf at 4.20 is the race of the day. There's a couple  in here I have talked of and tipped before not least Master Of The Seas, who will be odds-on. I have tipped him up more than once and he would win this if anywhere near his best but was only seen once last year, winning the G.2 Earl Of Sefton Stakes in April (I tipped him) and aint been seen since. He was of course 2,000 Guineas runner-up back in 2021 and it is interesting that team Godolphin are persevering with the five-year-old gelding despite his injuries. Charlie Appleby said on the Godolphin website "His preparation has gone well, although we are very much working back from Dubai World Cup night and Super Saturday, so there will be some natural improvement from whatever he does here. He looks to be in great order and we are very much looking forward to getting him back on track."  The trainer added  Modern News is a consistent horse, who showed some decent form in Group and Listed races in the UK last year. He goes into this fit and well, and certainly won’t look out of place in the field.” I can't back the jolly at the price but will be watching with  Dubai World Cup night and Super Saturday in mind. 

The 7f Dubai Eye 103.8 on Turf closes out the meeting and there are a few in here I have tipped before in what is a decent if tricky handicap. Silent Film is a bit of a favourite of mine and scored on his only previous Meydan appearance, over track and trip after a lengthy break, last year before going on and winning the Al Sakhir Cup in Bahrain. I tipped him in Bahrain saying at the time that I thought he might be running at Pattern level as the season progresses; he ran five-times in the UK in 2022 and didn't win once! The chestnut gelding appears to like it out in the middle-east though and he has dropped back to a mark of 100. He is another slight speculative punt at 6-1. Stable mates Bay Of Honour and New Kingdom are obvious dangers being the choices of Buick and Doyle respectively whilst Edraak can't be ignored even off top-weight. 

Be lucky