Who To Follow At Meydan On Friday - 04/02/22

Meydan 16:20

11(3)

Hot Rod Charlie

J: William Buick

T: Doug O'Neill

N/A

Age: 4

Weight: 8-13

OR: 122

Days: 40

The feature event on the card is the Group Two Al Maktoum Challenge and Hot Rod Charlie makes big appeal for Doug O'Neill.

The American exploit is a dual Grade One winner on fast ground last year over in the US over nine furlongs and if replicating that form in this could be very tough to pass.

Two starts ago in November he finished a narrow fourth of eight in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, which looks very strong form.

Last seen on Boxing Day in the Grade Two Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita he was a nose second and that would have set him up perfectly for his first run in Dubai.

Likeable profile on dirt and with William Buick in the saddle he looks solid.

Form: View

Date	Course	Distance	Type	Weight	Position
18/06/22	MON	8	Fs	8-12	2
26/03/22	MEY	10	Fs	9-0	2
04/02/22	MEY	9.5	Fs	8-13	1
26/12/21	SNA	8.5	Fs	8-11	2
07/11/21	DMA	10	Fs	8-10	4

Charlie Appleby has been the go to man in Dubai during this Winter Carnival season and we are siding with him again to have another strong week.

In the second race of the day he fields odds on favourite New Science and Sovereign Prince where he could have the 1-2.

In the Al Bastakiya King Of Conquest and Secret Image see him double handed again with both of them having similar profiles.

Finally in the last race of the day he again fields multiple horses in the Group Two Balanchine, with Creative Flair and Wedding Dance looking big contenders.

Appleby heads into the weekend in superb form having 10 winners from his last 28 runners managing a strike rate of 36% for the last two weeks.

Fresh out of quarantine having had Covid, Frankie Dettori has a superb book of rides on Friday that should see him back in the winners enclosure.

His first big chance of the day comes in the Listed Jumeirah Classic with Island Falcon looking to make it a hat-trick of wins and build on his latest success at Meydan.

He teams up with Doug O'Neill in the Group Two Al Maktoum Challenge with the colt holding some fair form in America but does need to build on it here.

Another one of his better chances comes in the final event of the afternoon with Soft Whisper a winner over 7f and 8f at the track and now tackling 9f should go close.

Dettori heads into the meeting with one winner from his last five races which sees him pose a strike rate of 20% for the last two weeks.