Dubai Carnival 2010

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By Howard Wright 4:27PM 19 JAN 2010
TURF racing has been scrapped on the opening night of Dubai's new billion-dollar racecourse Meydan on January 28, and the schedule of races on grass before World Cup night has been reduced from 23 to 14.
No formal announcement has been made but Dubai Racing Club warned in the Racing Post late last month that "some minor adjustments" would be made to the programme.
Meydan: course opens January 28

It is understood the alterations have been made to avoid wear and tear on the newly-grown turf track, which is a 1m4f oval and has been laid on the outside of the Tapeta artificial surface.
Part of the turf course chute was visible during the running of last year's World Cup meeting, but the main circuit, for which turf was grown off site, was laid in September.
However, remedial work had to be carried out the following month after constructors' vehicles left the site and track staff were allowed a clear run.
As well as the opening night, February 18 is also a blank for turf racing, while only one race will be run on grass the following day.
Five other carnival fixtures will feature two turf races, before three are staged at the Meydan Masters meeting on Friday, March 5, the last day of the six-week festival. World Cup night, featuring three turf races, is on Saturday, March 27.
 
It's Gal's favourite meeting of the year. :D

Absolutely love the carnival, it used to be a gold mine at Nad Al Sheba but hard to say what will happen now it's moved to Meydan. Opening night should be interesting anyway.

Does anyone know if Gladiatorus has gone back out there?
 
Gamla Stan said:
It's Gal's favourite meeting of the year. :D

Absolutely love the carnival, it used to be a gold mine at Nad Al Sheba but hard to say what will happen now it's moved to Meydan. Opening night should be interesting anyway.

Does anyone know if Gladiatorus has gone back out there?
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Me too. The last couple of carnivals were like a license to print money.

Don't think i'll be diving in early on this year until we see how the track rides.
 
Mathiss said:
According to this guide on the Dubai Carnival, Ger Lyons is hopeful Berg Bahn will be his strongest prospect, but I'm new here and seems del_boy has some info...
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Ah now Berg Bahn is the better horse, and apparently a very nice prospect, but Palazzone has a forum connection and isnt going out there to have a look around him!! Be great so see him give a good account.
 
Indeed Palazzone arrived safely and is in flying form. Dirt races will most likely become very (more) competitive now with the switch in so many turf races, but please god he gives a good account of himself.
 
Dubai World Cup prices from Coral....

Gio Ponti 7/2
Twice Over 6/1
Vision D'Etat 6/1
Presvis 8/1
Vodka 12/1
Mawatheeq 14/1
Espoir City 14/1
Gitano Hernando 16/1
Cavalryman 16/1
Eagle Mountain 16/1
Richards Kid 16/1
Crowded House 33/1 (Who's he?) :p
40/1 Bar

Gitano a standout price for me there at 16s, goes on synthetics and is being aimed at the race unlike the majority of that list!
 
Crowded House could surprise everyone not saying i'm going to back him but he's hard to oppose on his juvenile form
 
A nice pullout in the RP today on the carnival and worth picking up.

I see the cards are out for Thursday - I'm really looking forward to seeing Whispering Gallery.
 
I see Red Rock Canyon has gone to Mike De Kock he's always a funny horse to watch racing as you dont know what to expect
 
Presvis? I know that name .....
Oh yes, always held up, won some lost some.
Why always held up? (I think, pretty much always)

At least 2 times not held up & did just as well.

Does it become some kind of mantra?
-- has to be produced late ... has to be produced late ... has to be produced late ...
 
mrussell said:
At least 2 times not held up & did just as well.
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Depends on your definition of "just as well". The last couple of times he wasn't held up were handicaps which saw him run off a rating which gave him up to a stone in hand.
 
2.44 Meydan

Not a race I have any interest in really, the De Kock horse will probably give a good account of herself and the South American filly Talenta should be able to cope with her penalty. I'll be putting these two in the placepot and that's it.

No bet.

3.20 Meydan

I'd quite like Black Eagle to get into this as a reserve as he has form on synthetics with some good speed figures to back him up. The favourite of De Kock's looks terrible value at forecast 9/4 and it's another no bet race for me. Charlton's Good Again should handle the step up in trip well after her win in a fast time at Pontefract. I'd probably also side with the German runner Takhir to go with her in the placepot as he's one of the few unexposed runners.

No bet

4.05 Meydan

The market seems to have this covered to be honest, Drunken Sailor and Bab Al Salam are the most likely winners but this will be reflected in the market and therefore I won't be playing them other than in the placepot. Noisy Silence has been running well in decent times at Jebel Ali and could sneak a place. If I'm to have a bet in the race it will be on Petrovsky who looked like a nice improver last Summer and he has "Dubai type" (fairly lightly raced having been with a top UK trainer and running well the Summer before) written all over him, I'd be looking to play him at anything in double figures but nothing less given the strength of the market leaders on paper.

Back Petrovsky at 10/1 or over

4.50 Meydan

Again, the market seems to have this right. Aichi could be absolutely thrown in here off 110 against what are, moderate sprinters. If he reproduces his Newmarket Handicap run and handles the Tapeta as well as turf, it will be a question of how far he wins by to be honest. 5/2 seems the right price though and there's not going to be any value in him. I'll probably stick him in the placepot with Star Crowned who doesn't know how to run a bad race and if he handles the Tapeta as well as he did Nad Al Sheba's dirt, he'll follow the Godolphin horse home. Prohibit has an e/w chance but 5/1 is an absolute piss take!

No bet

5.35 Meydan

This is where the market has it all wrong in my book. How Whispering Gallery is forecast 7/4, I do not know. The form of his 2 handicaps is nothing special and he has been put up 8lb for those wins. He has to give 5lb to his stablemate Sopranist who put up some blistering times on the clock last year and looks every much an improver as the favourite, his proximity on only his third start to Laaheb gives him as much right to favouritism here as Whispering Gallery and he didn't seem to act at Goodwood that well.

However, the real value will lie in Topclas if he's 10/1, I'd have him in at about 6/1 max here, his form in the Niel is far beyond anything the boys in blue have. He missed the break that day too. He makes his debut for Mubarak Bin Shafya today and he improved lesser horses than this last year to win better races than this, he proved himself to be a master of the Carnival and if in the same form, I'd fully expect him to play a prominent role in the finish of this event.

Back Sopranist at 4/1 or over
Back Topclas at 10/1 or over

6.20 Meydan

A very tough competitive race in which Midshipman looks a worthy favourite given his BC Mile form and form on synthetics, I thought he'd be nearer 5/2 but he's forecast 9/2, I'd certainly be interested in him at anything around that price. His form is just a step above that of his rivals.

My other interest in the race will be Without A Prayer if he's over 9/1. He ran well at the carnival last year on the turf and the time of his recent Kempton win was exceptionally quick and certainly up to this level. He also holds Premio Loco on a run in Windsor last Summer although that rival has clearly also improved since then.

Premio Loco, My Indy and Otaared are probably the biggest dangers. I don't think Forgotten Voice is up to troubling a horse who finished infront of Mastercraftsman last time out and I can't see Gloria De Campeo handling the surface as well as some of this lot. Very tricky contest.

Back Midshipman at 7/2 or over
Back Without A Prayer at 10/1 or over

7.05 Meydan

Another very tough handicap with plenty with chances, Leahurst and Sirocco Breeze have obvious chances and can't be discounted lightly but they look short enough in the betting to me. Green Coast and Mutheeb probably stand the best e/w chances but they'd have to be pretty decent prices for me to get involved in a handicap this tricky.

One I am going to take a punt on though is David Simcock's Seachantach, he ran some decent races for Jim Bolger last year and whilst not many improve from that yard, at 25/1 I'm willing to give him a chance. He's drawn low and I suspect the track won't ride that quick early on in the carnival and there's a possibility of a pace bias which Seachantach will be able to capitalise on as a natual front-runner. I expect he'll run better than his price suggests anyway.

Pallazone would interest me if he got in as a reserve as he loves the synthetic surface at Dundalk so should handle Tapeta.

Back Seachantach at 18/1 or over
 
Whispering Gallery does look too short now at 5/4.

Good write up GS.

Midshipman still overpriced, and you'd wonder are you missing something - I thought he'd be much shorter.
 
I was really busy this morning and missed the 4s about him, will leave it now as they looked knackered at the end of the arab race.

You'd think he'd be 11/4 maximum which is what he is now.
 
I think my main bet of the day is Mutheeb in the last - I really liked this horse last year, and his removal (perhaps temporary) from Godolphin isn't a negative what with the amount of horses they let go for the carnival that turn out for another trainer and win.

I think My Indy is the main danger to his stablemate, and at 8 he's well worth a bet.
 
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