Free racing betting tips: Preview & selections for Meydan, Saturday March 27

Racing betting tips: Saturday March 27

2pts win Mishriff in 4.10 Meydan at 11/4 (General)

1pt e.w. Jesus' Team in 4.50 Meydan at 6/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair 1/5 1,2,3,4)

0.5pt e.w. Felix in 3.30 Meydan at 25/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4)

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Saturday’s Dubai World Cup meeting will no doubt be overshadowed by the recent passing of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and one of racing’s most prominent owners for the past three decades.

Sheikh Hamdan’s famous blue and white silks will again be on show on one of the biggest days of the year, and in Khaadem, they hold strong claims of enjoying another major success in the Al Quoz Sprint as he kicks off a five-year-old campaign that promises much.

With the coronavirus pandemic having forced the abandonment of this meeting last year, Meydan officials will be thrilled with the strong turnout 12 months on and five Group Ones highlight a truly world-class card that sees runners from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Unites States also take part.

US challenge too strong to ignore in World Cup

The Dubai World Cup itself has attracted a bumper entry with Michael Stidham’s US raider Mystic Guide flying the flag for Godolphin following his deeply-impressive success at Oaklawn Park four weeks ago.

Luis Saez makes the long trip to Dubai to take the mount and his no-nonsense style of riding should to be a good fit for a Meydan dirt surface that so often suits prominent racers. Expect him to sit hot on the heels of big home hope, Salute The Soldier, who continues to go from strength to strength and ran out a convincing winner of Round Three of the Al Maktoum Challenge last time.

I’d expect that pair to engage turning for home, but that could play into the hands of JESUS’ TEAM who should have a race run to suit and is in danger of being underestimated given the strength of his form in America.

The four-year-old son of Tapiture has chased home Breeders’ Cup hero Knicks Go twice in the last six months, with the facile victory at Gulfstream Park sandwiched between those efforts allowing him to claim a confidence-boosting success following a campaign undertaken in red-hot company throughout 2020.

His latest run, when running a fine second to the aforementioned Knicks Go in the Pegasus World Cup, was a career-best performance and while he was clear second best to a brilliant winner, I love how Jesus’ Team kept finding for pressure despite being forced four wide turning into the straight, before staying-on willingly to claim the silver medal close home.

There isn’t a Knicks Go to worry about in this field, and with that latest run confirming he ought to get this slightly longer trip well, there is plenty of upside to a colt who doesn’t have many miles on the clock and who can be backed at 6/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair (four places).

Make Mishriff your Meydan banker bet

Jesus' Team kicks off the staking plan, but the headline bet on the card comes in the preceding Dubai Sheema Classic with MISHRIFF a strong play at 11/4.

John Gosden’s French Derby hero went under the radar at the beginning of last season, announcing himself with a surprise success in Listed company at Newmarket before quickly progressing through the ranks and ending the year as a strong fancy for the Champions Stakes.

At the end of a busy campaign, Mishriff looked to have cried enough at Ascot but was right back to his best when reappearing with victory in the Saudi Cup just over a month ago, beating the highly-touted Charlatan in stoic fashion.

That was a monster performance given it was his first try on dirt, and that the European runner proved classy and resilient enough to get the better of a Bob Baffert-trained dirt specialist; no mean feat and one that hasn’t been achieved too often in the past.

Still, I think it underlines that in Mishriff, we are dealing with a very special colt – one whose potential rivalry with Love later in the season is already whetting the appetite – and I fully expect him to prove a class above the likes of Mogul and Japan’s Chrono Genesis.

The latter merits obvious respect given a profile that is remarkably consistent, while that fact Aidan O’Brien has kept Mogul in training this term following his Grand Prix de Paris and Hong Kong Vase victories last season speaks volumes.

However, Magic Wand and Idaho both looked in need of the run when comfortably held in this race in 2019 and 2018 respectively and I wonder if O’Brien and his paymasters at Coolmore will be viewing this as more of a political exercise than a major early-season target, with Mogul’s campaign surely working back from the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.

A son of Galileo, Mogul clearly retains huge potential, but Mishriff might just be a superstar in waiting, one whose match-fitness is assured and who has no doubts surrounding his acclimatisation to the Middle East.

1m4f clearly represents a new test for him, but his brilliant victory over an extended 1m2f in the French Derby could hardly have been more impressive and he found plenty for pressure on a surface as demanding as dirt last time. I have no worries about his stamina and he rates the bet of the night at 11/4.

Mouheeb the pick in open UAE Derby

I’ll just about resist an interest in the UAE Derby, for all I was very tempted to take the 8/1 on offer for Mouheeb to take another step forward following his game 2000 Guineas triumph here early last month.

Having been made to pay for a slow start on his previous start, Mouheeb was much sharper from the gates last time and looked to be crying out for this stiffer test when dourly getting the job done.

He needs to improve again, and sharpen up in the early part of his race, but I do think he’s a colt going places and it’s only the wide-open nature of this year’s renewal that puts me off striking a bet.

Take feisty Felix in Dubai Turf

On first inspection, I had similar reservations about the Dubai Turf with Lord Glitters bidding for his third success of this year’s Carnival following victories in the Singspiel Stakes and the Jebel Hatta. He, like current market leader Lord North, will be hoping for a strong, end-to-end gallop, while Al Suhail probably boasts the most potent turn of foot, if not the most resolution.

This is another competitive Group One in which plausible cases can be made for any of the top three in the market, but none are bombproof and I’m going to roll the dice each-way with FELIX at 25/1, in the hope he can take advantage of the four places on offer with Sky Bet.

While Marco Botti’s charge has clearly got plenty to find with the principals on the book, I thought he was a shade unfortunate when a fast-finishing second in the Winter Derby recently having displayed steady improvement throughout the winter. Formerly with Sir Michael Stoute, Felix has really benefited from the patient approach adopted by Botti and new connections, and his best might still be to come.

Despite his success on the All Weather, Felix promises to be suited by returning to turf and the long run for home at Meydan ought to play to the strengths of a horse who, to my eye at least, was never happy at Lingfield until getting balanced and finding his stride in the straight.

While the likes of Lord North and Lord Glitters clearly have much stronger form at this stage, I’m not sure the rest are that far ahead of Felix and I think he’ll run a big race here, with the booking of Oisin Murphy an obvious plus. I’d prefer to take the four places on offer (25/1), but do note that bet365 go 40/1 if you’re prepared to take three places in return for the bigger price.

Godolphin have no secrets in Gold Cup

This meeting rarely goes by without Godolphin taking centre stage at some point and Secret Advisor holds strong claims for the boys in blue when he goes to post for the Dubai Gold Cup. His comeback run in Saudi Arabia was perfectly satisfactory and given the handy weight pull he enjoys with old rival Spanish Mission, his claims appear rock-solid.

I wouldn’t write off Spanish Mission, though, given the progress he has made since joining Andrew Balding and 6/1 about him is sure to lure in each-way thieves.

I won’t be getting involved, nor in the Al Quoz Sprint which I mentioned at the top of the piece, but I do think Khaadem is a sprinter capable of winning at the highest level, and hot favourite Space Blues might have to work harder than his odds of 6/4 suggest.

Victory for Khaadem would certainly be a fitting tribute to his owner, whose involvement in horse racing was typified by big days like this one, where the most illustrious names in the sport do battle for some of the most generous prizes on the international Flat racing calendar.

Posted at 1600 GMT on 25/03/21

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