Al Quoz Sprint Guide 2022

A 7 year old Japanese raider, Entscheiden comes over with tons of experience but has found wins hard to come by.

Campaigned over 7 furlongs to a mile all his career has seen him run well in group races multiple times. Notably coming 3rd behind Space Blues in the Prix de la Foret last season.

His only win in a listed handicap in Japan over 7 furlongs. Dropping in trip isn’t guaranteed to suit and he’s got quality to prove too.

Kevin Ryan’s 6 year old gelding has been a highly consistent sprinter over the years. Winning a Group 2 sprint as a 2 year old, he then struggled as a 3 year old until being gelded.

Last season started relatively disappointingly but he ran well in defeat a few times before scoring a low grade conditions affair. He then ran a stormer to be 2nd in the Nunthorpe to Winter Power before a staggering effort to beat Starman in the Sprint Cup Stakes.

Despite being well beaten on return to racing a few weeks ago behind Man Of Promise, he’s got Group 1 form over this trip and will shape better with a prep run.

Trained by William Mott, Casa Creed is a 6 year old and highly experienced sort. He’s spent his career bouncing between 6 furlongs up to just over a mile and has been successful over each trip he’s tried.

Winning a Grade 2 level in America over a mile and winning at Grade 1 level over 6 furlongs, he’s highly versatile and has plenty of natural pace.

He has been beaten on his last 5 outings however but did shape well when last seen in Riyadh over 7 furlongs to be 2nd in the same race as Naval Crown.

Six year old Khuzaam started life with Roger Varian, winning over a mile as a 2 year old. As he progressed with age he was kept over a mile by Varian and scored all but one of his wins over 8 furlongs. Winning a handicap and a couple of conditions races.

Since moving over to Doug Watson he’s been tried at sprinting trips. Coming 3rd on stable debut he ran on well but was tapped for finishing speed. A drop to 5 furlongs saw him get his head in front in a listed race last month under aggressive tactics.

He’ll have to show real speed to handle better sprinters here however.

Trained by Osama Omer Al-Dafea in Qatar, 5 year old gelding Taxiwala started his career with Archie Watson. Winning a sprint novice for Watson was his only success in Britain and he then moved over to Qatar after being gelded.

Tried over further trips, he’s only recently come back to form when winning a couple of 6 furlong races. Winning last year’s Dukhan Sprint over 6 furlongs, he then repeated the same effort to take the race this year too.

He arrives in form and with a recent run under his belt. However, that was only at Group 3 level so he’ll have to take a step forward here.

A 6 year old mare making the trip over from France, Air De Valse has plenty of runs under her belt and has been successful 7 times.

Her last win was back in 2020 however when winning a Group 3 over 5 furlongs, beating the eventual Abbaye winner Wooded. Most of her form has been over 5 furlongs and she was an agonisingly close 2nd in last year’s Abbaye to A Case Of You.

She has won over 6 furlongs earlier in her career but can be hard to predict, her Abbaye run being her best for a while. But she does look held on form behind A Case Of You and Berneuil.

In the all blue of Godolphin for Charlie Appleby, Man Of Promise is a 5 year old gelding who’s lightly raced.
Only seen three times in the UK, he only won a maiden.

Last spring however he enjoyed a spell in Meydan, winning a listed handicap over there before running creditably in group races.

This spring has seen him step forward again. Winning a Listed race and a Group 3 easily over course and distance. Certainly the one to beat.

Another representative for Japan, Lauda Sion has picked up over £1.8 million in prize money in his 16 career runs.
Scoring a couple of times over 7 furlongs before winning the NHK Mile Cup and scooping up a £755,000 first place.

His form flattened out a little bit since. Only winning once over 7 furlongs in a group 2 since his big success.

His only tries at 6 furlongs have seen him well beaten and his most recent outing over 7 furlongs saw him keeping on well late.

Likely to be lacking the pace to get involved.

French trained Berneuil. The 5 year old has been successful 3 times in his career, winning over both 5 and 6 furlongs.

Seeing improvement for being gelded, he was contesting mainly low grade affairs until stepping into group company for the first time and running well to be a close 2nd.

He kept hitting the post over 5 furlongs coming 2nd in a Group 2 and a listed event last summer.

A break saw him return and get his head in front to seal Group 3 honours before being well beaten into last in the Abbaye.

A comeback run at Chantilly early this month saw him shake away the cobwebs to be a never nearer 4th.

He’ll come on for that but might be lacking Group 1 quality.

Now trained by Mark Casse in Canada, this lightly raced 5 year old has scored in graded company in America. When trained by Thomas Bush he won a Grade 2 over a mile and has since gone on to win a Grade 3 over a mile too.

He made his debut for Casse in early February coming 2nd over 8.5 furlongs in grade 3 company.
Nothing about his form suggests a major drop in trip will suit, likely to be outpaced.

A 4 time winner as a 2 year old, Happy Romance gained group success over 6 furlongs when beating Alcohol Free only to have that form turned around at the end of the season in a Group 1.

Last season saw her try 7 furlongs but immediately step back down in trip and claim listed and a Group 3 win over sprinting distances.

She struggled to land a blow in Group 1 events towards the end of the season and was well behind Creative Force at Ascot.

She’s had a comeback run this season over in Riyadh over 7 furlongs in a Group 3 where she shaped well enough to be a narrowly beaten 3rd. Coming back down to 6 furlongs should suit.

Seemingly the second string for Godolphin and Appleby is Creative Force. The 4 year old rose to prominence last season after a gelding operation.

Winning his first 3 starts of the season over 6 furlongs saw him graduate from handicaps to a listed race. He then stepped up to 7 furlongs and won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Signing off the season with a Group 1 win in the British Champion Sprint stakes, he got the better of Glen Shiel. He’s gone well fresh before but is conceding fitness to the market leader.

A third runner for Charlie Appleby, Naval Crown only won once as a 2 year old over 7 furlongs. Scoring over a mile here in Meydan as a 3 year old highlighted him as a 2000 Guineas candidate and he ran well in the classic to be 4th.

He failed to win for the rest of the season. Coming 2nd to Creative Force in the Jersey Stakes, he then put in a poor showing in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville.

This season he scored in Meydan over 7 furlongs to scoop a Group 2 prize at short odds but found himself heavily beaten in Riyadh last time out.

Dropping in trip isn’t an obvious move for him.

Adrian McGuinness’ 4 year old was mainly seen at around Group 3 level last season and was a well beaten 11th in the Commonwealth Cup last year.

A couple more solid runs in group company then saw him spring a surprise when winning the Abbaye at Longchamp before a decent 5th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf sprint.

He’s already won at Dundalk this season in a low grade affair before a solid run over 6 furlongs here in maiden in a Group 3, but he was well beaten by Man Of Promise there.

A 4 year old filly trained by Francois Rohaut, Suesa won a brace of Group 3 sprints over in France easily over 6 furlongs before going off favourite for the Commonwealth Cup but settling for 8th.

She bounced back from that however when winning the King George Stakes at Goodwood. She failed to uphold her form in the Nunthorpe though and was a well beaten 4th behind Winter Power.

Signing off the season with a well beaten 6th in the Abbaye in Paris. Going back up in trip might suit her and she went well fresh last season.

The last of the Godolphin battalion. Mutafawwig is trained by Saeed bin Suroor and despite being 6 years old, has only ran 6 times in his career.

Winning on debut over 6 furlongs in a novice, he then had 2 years off the track but won again over a mile well. He’s been gelded since then but has been running well in races over in Meydan this year.

Coming 4th over 6 furlongs in January, he’s been 2nd to Storm Damage twice over 7 furlongs in a listed race and a conditions event.

Looks to be lacking the speed needed for 6 furlongs.