Best bets for the horse racing from Meydan Thursday 14th January

Best bets for the horse racing from Meydan

It’s January, it is Thursday, it is racing from Meydan though as I mentioned last week it’s not actually the Dubai Carnival as yet. The Dubai Racing Club announced last year that the Carnival will commence this year on Thursday 21st January and will run over six consecutive Thursdays; slightly watered down from previous years. We then have Super Saturday on 6th March, with Dubai World Cup meeting itself on Saturday 27th March. It is though, a fair card and there are bets to be had.  

A 4.15 we have the 1m1½f Jebel Ali Port Handicap on the Dirt track. I have tipped up a Godolphin horse called Secret Victory in the past and Big Team beat that gelding on his one run as a two-year-old at Wolverhampton back in November over this distance. That looks solid form to me, the pair went clear that night and the second franked the form winning at Kempton next time. I am on the Saeed bin Suroor trained three-year-old to make it two from two at 4-1. He might be one to keep on side through the Carnival being by Breeders Cup Sprint winner Speightstown out of Kotuku making him a half-brother to a couple of decent Dirt winners in the US.  

The main event is at 4.50 on the Dirt track the mile UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Sponsored By Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal. Rebels Romance jumped off the page at me earlier this week and I still think the Charlie Appleby trained gelding is the one to be on. The son of Dubawi won both his starts at two overcoming greenness to win over a mile at Newcastle in a Novice Stakes on debut in October and followed up in a good time at Kempton, again over a mile, in November. He is a half-brother to two 100+ rated winners, Dubai Beauty and Petticoat, being by Minidress – herself a winning filly for Godolphin a few years back. I put up two trained by Appleby last Thursday and got my fingers burnt but have confidently taken the Evens about this one.  

Be lucky