flat racing thurs 12th feb

[richard-westwood]

3.55 meyd uae 2000 mubtahij 99.55 maftool 99.11 ajwad 99.11 mubtahij looks a ready made winner of this ......facile win lto was in the manner of a classy horse and if he comes on a bit for that then he could potentially win this easily for a race of this nature ......maftool is pretty useful on his day but hasn't really been firing of late and ajwad has nothing to suggest he can come to the fore unless the fav crumples .....13/8 with corals looks very generous mubtahij 4pts win 13/8 corals

[robertob]

Re: flat racing thurs 12th feb 18.15 Meydan: Range Rover Sport Trophy (Handicap, Class 1) This is a premier handicap and some really good horses are lined up here. Former Group winners all around, and that makes it a pretty interesting race over 9 furlongs. Consistent Mushreq is top of the market and ran already pretty well in two starts this year here at Meydan. He's bound for another good performance. De Kock's other hope Zahee has been places over 9.5f on the tapeta track in the past, but best forms came over shorter and he may struggle to get home. Ocean Tempest flies the flag for the UK, ran well lto and I'm sure he does well today too, but this trip seems to be slightly beyond his stamina as he usually is best over 1m. In general this looks a wide open race and a case can be made for most runners. I'm most interested in Vancouverite and Mujaarib though, as they seem overpriced in my eyes. Mujaarib is the third De Kock runner here. He didn't land a blow on his seasonal debut in Group 2 company lto, when fifth behind word class stablemate Vercingetorix. But it was a decent run nonetheless I thought, and if he can come on a bit for that, he must be in with a fair chance today. Nine furlongs seems to be his ideal trip, he won a big Group 2 at Meydan last year, beating Mushreq. Reportedly he is a pretty lazy horse, so no surprise to see blinkers on again, which may sharpen him up. He has done well with them fitted in South Africa, so they should help him to focus and 16/1 looks way too big for his chance, despite the fact that he has to overcome top weight. Talented Vancouverite is trading as high as 6/1 an in my eyes that is very generous for a horse that has been beaten less than two lengths to Vercingetorix in the G1 Jebel Hatta last season. He was in subsequent starts not quite as good as expected, with a second place Listed contest at Haydock (albeit a good one) the highlight. He's done well as a fresh horse in the past however, so chances are there that he goes well today again. Vancouverite @ 6/1 Coral - 5pts win Mujaarib @ 16/1 William Hill - 5pts win