Meydan betting preview & free tips for Dubai World Cup night - including Thunder Snow and Almond Eye
Meydan stages a top-class feast of racing on Saturday with the Dubai World Cup the headline act on a card that also features Japanese superstar Almond Eye and Blue Point.
Recommended bets: Dubai World Cup Night
1pt win Sands Of Mali in the 13.30 at Meydan at 9/1
3pts win Divine Image in the 14.05 at Meydan at 11/4
This year's Dubai Carnival draws to a wonderful crescendo on Saturday with a host of world-class performers descending on Meydan for a card that is as rich in quality as it is prize money.
The winner of the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (16.40) will pick up over five and a half million pounds and last year's winner, Thunder Snow, bids to reclaim his crown having finished a fair second to the reopposing Capezzano on his reappearance in round three of the Al Maktoum Challenge earlier this month.
With that pipe-opener under his belt, expect Thunder Snow to be cherry ripe for the big night but stall 12 is a potential nightmare for Christophe Soumillon, for all it must be remembered that he was drawn out in 10 when winning this race 12 months ago.
Stall two for Capezzano and three for North America - mightily impressive in winning both of his starts here this winner and bidding to atone for a poor showing in this race last year - are favourable berths and both line up with solid claims.
A strong American contingent adds further depth to a terrific renewal but unusually for proven dirt performers, Yoshida, Seeking The Soul, Audible and Gunnevera are all closers who like to make up ground off fast early fractions.
Regardless of the early fractions, the Meydan dirt surface continues to prove unfavourable to closers and in the case of Gunnevera, stall one might not be as beneficial as it would ordinarily be.
Yoshida's strong turf form - fifth in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer - has generally come when he is held up for a run and when switched back to the dirt for last season's Breeders' Cup Classic, he came from the rear to grab fourth late in the piece.
Pegasus World Cup runner-up Seeking The Soul is well berthed in stall five but he is also likely to adopt similar hold-up tactics and with that in mind, there is every chance that the forward-going Thunder Snow is able to get over and claim a prominent early pitch, just as he did when winning slamming West Coast last year.
While stall 12 does clearly handicap the five-year-old son Helmet, the running styles of his respective rivals might give him a chance and his drifting price certainly dangles the carrot to his supporters.
If Thunder Snow is the star attraction for the locals, Japanese racing fans will have high hopes that Almond Eye can maintain her superstar status with victory in the Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World (15.20).
The four-year-old was simply breathtaking in winning the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown last year and is the next big hope from the Southern Hemisphere, following in the footsteps of the likes of Deep Impact and Orfevre.
She looks potentially exceptional but this will be her toughest test yet and at the prices, I'm keen to take her on with Dream Castle who can be backed at 7/2.
A son of Frankel, Dream Castle has always been held in high regard by those at Godolphin but it has taken time, and a gelding operation, for him to really to deliver on his early promise and his performances in Dubai this winter have been flawless.
Stylish victories in Group Three and Group Two company earned Dream Castle a crack at the Group One Jebel Hatta and he passed that test with flying colours, quickening up smartly from off the pace to beat Wootton handsomely.
Like Almond Eye, this represents the acid test for Dream Castle but he looks ready for it and I'm keen to keep him on side at these prices.
The Group One action doesn't stop there and the boys in blue will have hopes for Old Persian in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (16.00).
Last year's Sky Bet Great Voltigeur victor was a good fifth in the St Leger a month later and returned with a hard-fought success in the Dubai City Of Gold here three weeks ago.
Another son of Dubawi who looks to be improving with age, Old Persian looks set for a big year and is preferred to Japanese challenger Rey De Oro who might have been a shade unlucky when beaten in a Grade One at Nakayama back in December.
However, the one who stands out like a sore thumb in here is last year's Ribblesdale heroine Magic Wand who proved herself to be a top-class filly when getting ground last summer.
Following her Royal Ascot success, she pushed Wild Illusion close in the Prix de l'Opera before showing up well on unsuitably soft ground at the Breeders' Cup in November.
She wasn't beaten far into fourth there and that run was enough to persuade trainer Aidan O'Brien to return to America for a crack at the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup Turf with this daughter of Galileo.
While the 9 1/2f trip was always going to be on the sharp side for such a strong stayer, O'Brien will have been banking on the prospect of fast ground at Gulfstream Park so it will have been to his dismay to see the Group One event run on tacky going following heavy rainfall on the day of the race.
To her credit, Magic Wand still ran another fine race, plugging on gamely for second behind impressive winner Bricks And Mortar and although always coming off second best, she might have finished a bit closer had she enjoyed a clearer passage in the straight.
That form is not to be underestimated - Bricks And Mortar has always been held in the highest regard by master turf handler Chad Brown and has won again since - and to my mind, it hinted that Magic Wand might have even more to offer this year.
The return to 1m4f will be much more to her liking, as will a decent surface, and she looks to have everything in her favour to suggest a bold bid can be expected from stall three.
At 6/1, she has to be a bet.
The Godolphin Mile Sponsored By Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City-District One kicks off the action at 12.15 and Muntazah should prove hard to beat following to easy victories in his last two starts, the most recent of which came when winning the Group Three Burj Nahaar by 10 lengths.
He is going from strength to strength on this surface and though I'm not mad keen to put him up at 6/5, he is certainly one for any weekend multiples.
Many will put Blue Point in that bracket when he lines up in the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments (13.30) but this is no penalty kick with Champions Sprint winner Sands Of Mali in opposition.
Sands Of Mali did nothing but improve last summer, kicking off his campaign with victory in France before winning in Group Two company at Haydock, flashing home for second in the Commonwealth Cup on quick ground at Royal Ascot before beating older horses easily back at Ascot in October.
He is a top-class sprinter in his own right. In fact, he is only rated 1lb inferior to Blue Point on official figures and there is a strong possibility that his four-year-old career could be his best yet owing to likely physical development and trainer Richard Fahey's past success with older Group One performers, a point illustrated so well with Ribchester in recent years.
With all that mind, and the fact that I'm convinced a stiff 5f suits Blue Point better than this 6f trip, Sands Of Mali has go into the staking plan at 9/1 with the Godolphin runner looking awfully short at around 8/13.
Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter is vying for favouritism with fellow Charlie Appleby inmate Ispolini in the Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors (12.50) but both face a strong French opponent in Call The Wind.
Freddie Head's Frankel gelding has done nothing but improve since going up in trip, winning the Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend in good style, and he warmed up for this with a nice spin at Chantilly recently.
He could ensure this one isn't dominated by Appleby but the Newmarket handler should be smiling after the UAE Derby Sponsored By Saeed & Mohammed Al at Naboodah Group at 14.05.
In Divine Image, Godolphin look to have another horse to follow in the footsteps of Thunder Snow and compete in the very best dirt races around the world.
The Scat Daddy filly was a taking winner at Chelmsford back in December and has progressed rapidly since, finishing second on her Carnival debut before overcoming a troubled passage to land the UAE Oaks with a monster finish before routing the colts in the Al Bastakiya last time.
What sets this filly apart is that she has the heart to face the kickback and then make up significant ground in the straight, something we rarely on the Meydan dirt.
Her performance in the UAE Oaks was staggering given she was shuffled back early and then picked up strongly despite William Buick dropping his whip two furlongs out.
She looked more professional through the middle part of the race last time but still had to switch and quicken before putting the race to bed in dominant fashion, producing a performance that marked her down as a top-class filly in the making.
This is another step up for her but it's one she can cope with and I think she'll extend her winning sequence before targets in America are considered.
Preview posted at 1630 GMT on 28/03/2019