Dubai World Cup Carnival Meeting starts today

Today sees the start of one of the world´s best - and certainly its most valuable- race meeting - the Dubai World Cup Carnival, which goes on until the end of March. There has been racing in the Emirates since the end of November, but this is the first meeting of 2012 at the main racecourse Meydan. 3 of today´s races are on turf and 4 on tapeta, and 6 of them are handicaps. As there is no betting in Dubai, bets will be settled at the British bookmakers´ industry prices, but today´s card look very tricky, with little current form to go on.

Normally they race only on Thursdays in the early stages of the meeting, but this week there is a double meeting, today and tomorrow, with the Meydan Masters International Jockeys Championship in the focus of media interest, with one race today at 16.45 CET and 3 more races on Friday. Most of the world´s top jockeys are taking part with Germany represented by Andrasch Starke, who partners Shemoli from the Selvaratnam stable. It is hard to sum up his prospects, but he must have an each-way chance and the bookies make him second favourite.

Main event today is the conditions race over 9 furlongs on turf at 18.35. Mahbooba (Mike de Kock/ Christophe Soumillon), the only filly in the field and thus getting weight all round, is our selection, but Derbaas (Ali Rashid al Raihe/ Richard Hills), who won 4 races here last year looks a big danger, as is Sea Lord (Mahmoud al Zarooni/ Frankie Dettori), who won 6 races for Mark Johnston in 2010 but has been off for a long time. Al Raihe already has his string in top form and has another good chance in the 5 furlongs handicap on turf at 17.20, in which he saddles two runners, top-weight Happy Dubai (Soumillon) and Green Beret (Royston Ffrench). From the German point of view the 11 furlongs handicap at 16.05 is also of interest with ex-Peter Schiergen Lyssio (Mike Attwater/ James Doyle) entered.