Meydan Thursday Preview - 30/01/20

Meydan host a superb day of racing on Thursday and it starts off with the Group Two Al Rashidiya over 1 mile 1 furlong and we have sided with the superstar Barney Roy.

The six year old has had a very strange career being a very consistent horse back in 2017 landing the Group Three Greenham Stakes at Newmarket and also winning the Group One St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot which was the pinnacle of his career.

He also placed in other black type races that year which then saw him being sent straight to stud but it did not work out when his connections found out he was infertile.

He was gelded after that and put back on track on May 2019 where he was a decent second in a Listed contest before getting back to winning ways at Longchamp.

He was poor in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on his last start but if getting back to his peak form he should not be beat.

Another familiar face that has made the trip over Dubai and has now officially moved over to Abu Dhabi is Dee Ex Bee who was formerly with leading British trainer Mark Johnston.

The five year old is a proven stayer being very unfortunate last season running credibly in behind Stradivarius in the big Group one and Group Two contests in Britain last season.

He holds the leading form off the back of his season in England and if being as good as he was after a short break he should start his life in the Middle-East with a win.

After two races on the turf we have our first handicap contest on the dirt with the one mile Mina Hamriya event and the British raider Assimilation takes the eye.

This Ed Walker trained four year old looks a very tasty each way price off the back of his first run at Meydan earlier on in the month when finishing a bright fifth over course and distance.

He came from along way off the pace to stay on stoutly down the straight and if getting to grips with the pace earlier on in this race he should be in the mix.

Back to back dirt handicaps at Meydan and this time the one mile Mina Rashid sees plenty of familiar raiders from the British flat season take to post.

We have gone with the ex Clive Cox trained Salute the Soldier who has recently been handed to trainer Fawzi Abdulla Nass who will race him at Meydan and also in Australia.

However, the five year old looks a big player on his debut for the new yard, being a smart handicapper over in Britain and being sold for 380,000gns makes him a big player.

The Group Three six furlong sprint contest sees a speedy field of runners enter the equation and Gladiator King looks a very bright four year old.

The colt on his first start at Meydan last time out got off the mark in could style over course and distance and he should come on for that experience.

He is an ex US horse that has won some very credible events and after beating many of these runners last time out makes him very hard to overlook once more.

NO BET