Laura King

Little ‘uns no match for big guns from Dubai

13 January 2016

Columnist Laura King was on the mark last week with 3-1 chance Le Bernardin and followed up with One Man Band, who was sent off at 4-5.

Meydan hosts a super card on Thursday, with some useful three-year-olds on show in the two Classic Trials in addition to two competitive Listed events.

Although we didn’t see much of it during last week’s opening meeting, one of the Carnival’s best attributes is that it provides a platform for smaller trainers to thrive. Just look at what Brendan Powell did last year through Dark Emerald.

Even Powell’s string is bigger than that of Dubai newcomer Bodil Hallencreutz, however.  She trains just 20 horses at Jagersro Racecourse in Sweden. Let’sgoforit, an eight-year-old gelded son of Verglas, is by far the best of them and takes on the UAE’s top sprinters in the Listed Dubawi Stakes.

By Hallencreutz’s own admission, her stable star is up against it here, but that hasn’t stopped the recent Scandinavian success at the Carnival from encouraging her to have a go.

“Last year we had a horse called Volatile win here for Jessica Slack, who is a very good trainer”, she says. “That’s why we’re here, to test him [Let’sgoforit] against international horses, although it won’t be easy. He’s the highest-rated horse in Sweden but there he’s rated 97, and here he goes off 109, which is a little bit high.

“He’s very well though and he loves it here. I’ve brought Oliver Wilson over to ride as he can be a little bit tricky in the stalls so it’s best to have him ridden by someone who knows him.”

Let’sgoforit is well-named, as his trainer certainly evokes that sentiment and it would be a popular winner for the legions following him back at home.

Realistically, though, the Dubawi Stakes over six furlongs on dirt will stay with one of the home team. Ali Rashid Al Raihe saddled seven winners last week and his Kifaah won’t hang around, but it is tough to envisage him reversing form with Murarrab, who can add this to his Listed win last time, for which he escapes a penalty. Reynaldothewizard, who won this 12 months ago, is the obvious danger but isn’t getting any younger at the age of ten.

The Singspiel Stakes over nine furlongs on turf is the other Pattern race and it can go to Limario, who shaped well in his Carnival prep race, the Listed National Day Cup, at Abu Dhabi.

The form of that race has worked out well (first and third have won since) and he can continue Doug Watson’s excellent run of form. William Muir’s Big Baz has the right profile for the Carnival and is another to consider.

Watson runs the intriguing Polar River, an impressive maiden winner on debut, in the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, but Godolphin’s Promising Run won the Group Two Rockfel Stakes and is the clear pick on form, with dirt not expected to pose a problem in a race that her trainer traditionally dominates.

Saeed bin Suroor can complete a Guineas trial double in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial, with his Steady Pace fancied to get the better of Charlie Appleby’s Rouleau in the colts’ event. His Middle Park Stakes third behind Shalaa is by far the best form on offer and he will be hard to catch.

The concluding turf handicap over a mile is fiendishly difficult, with Musaddas, Belgian Bill and Wychwood Warrior all likely to have a say. It might be worth taking a chance on Mike De Kock’s Forries Waltz, who wasn’t able to show what he can do in just one start last year but who has reportedly improved for a summer in Dub

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