Start of Dubai International Racing Carnival at Meydan

the Dubai International Racing Carnival starts today with 8 races at the new Meydan racecourse, the first of which is for Arab-breds and the rest for thoroughbreds. 4 races are on the tapeta track and 3 on turf. As there is no betting in Dubai, all bets will be settled at the British bookmakers industry prices. Today´s races are very competitive but difficult to bet on, as most of the runners are coming off a break and are being prepared for more valuable races later in the meeting. It might be a good idea to watch the first few races to see which trainers already have their strings in good form.

In the UAE1,000 Guineas Trial at 16.15, the South African trainers Mike de Kock and Herman Brown each have 3 runners; it would appear that Mahbooba (Christophe Soumillon) and Chocolicious (Ryan Moore) are respectively their best chances. If they go well, we suggest that Happy Valley (de Kock/ Soumillon) at 18.05 and Bankable (Brown/ Moore) at 18.40 are worth support.

Today´s main feature is the first round of the al Maktoum Challenge, a Group Three race over a mile at 19.15. This has a very strong entry with 14 runners (and 4 reserves). Godolphin have taken aim at this race with 6 runners, 3 trained by Saeed bin Suroor and 3 by Mahmoud al Zarooni, including Frozen Power (Royston Ffrench), winner of last year´s German 2,000 Guineas but a disappointment since. Mendip (Saeed/ Frankie Dettori) looks their best hope, although he has not run since finishing third in last year´s UAE Derby. Mike de Kock´ s Imongi (Soumillon) looks a big danger, but ex-German Win for Sure (Xavier Nakkachdji/ Gregory Benoist) needs to improve to play a prominent role in this company.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Dynamite (A) - Kandar Du Falgas (A) - Nirwan (A)
2. Race: Najoum - Energia Cintilante - Chocolicious
3. Race: Atlantic Brave - Hujaylea - Il Grande Maurizio
4. Race: Rochdale - Rock N Roll Ransom - Meeriss
5. Race: Equiparada - Trois Rois - Wajir
6. Race: Alo Pura - Bankable - Dohasa
7. Race: Frozen Power - King Of Rome - Mendip
8. Race: Steele Tango - Enak - Across The Rhine