Dubai World Cup Carnival Meydan Thursday 28th January

More action from Meydan and the Dubai World Cup Carnival this Thursday with another decent card including two Listed races and a Group Two. The 2.30 is a Group One for the Arabian’s and I am not getting involved there but I am having three bets which I have placed overnight as I think the prices will only get shorter. (fingers crossed) 

At 3.40 we have the 1m2f Zabeel Turf Presented By Longines Listed Handicap on the Turf track. Royal Marine has cost me a few quid in recent times, in fairness won a few bob as a two-year-old, and his last effort at Newbury back in September, his first try at this trip, suggested some of the old fire still burns. Pat Cosgrove rides again here and Saeed bin Suroor and the team must believe the five-year-old still has something to give keeping him in training without winning since October 2018 when he won the G.1 Prix Jean-luc Lagardere as a two-year-old. I have taken a chance on him again at the 10-1. The biggest danger appears Star Safari a completely unexposed five-year-old from the yard of Charlie Appleby who won here last year and aint been seen since.  

We stay on the turf at 4.15 for the race of the day the Mile Cape Verdi Presented By Longines Group 2 Stakes. Godolphin's recent domination of this contest looks set to continue as they have five of the runners! Summer Romance is top rated and was mixing it with some decent one's last season.  A daughter of Kingman out of Serena's Storm she is bred for the job and beat a good field when winning the G.3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes last summer over an extended mile at Epsom. Her run in the G.1 Prix Rothschild at the end of the season was too bad to be true and for whatever reason she clearly was not right. I think she holds the best chance for Charlie Appleby on the card which is confirmed with William Buick in the saddle. Get on at 3-1, I have. Stunning Beauty was a late bloomer, didn’t get to the racetrack till July of her three-year-old campaign, but won both her starts last year and is surely open to bundles of improvement yet. She didn’t beat much in winning those races but did it impressively on both occasions; she could be anything but is she? 

At 4.50 we are on the Dirt track for the mile UAE 1000 Guineas Presented By Longines Listed Stakes. Not a lot of form to go on here and it is not the best ‘Guineas’ field you’ll see in your life! That said one catches my eye and it’s another trained by Saeed bin Suroor. Soft Whisper arrives with form figures of 2,2,1,1,1. Progressing nicely, she won back-to-back nurseries at Salisbury then Pontefract last season before coming over for the Carnival and winning the ‘trial’ here three weeks ago. She's short enough at 11-8 but I am on. Mnasek was impressive when making a winning debut over 7f here in December and is feared most.  

Be lucky