3/29 (MEY): Dubai World Cup

[pmayjr]

5th (11:03) Al Quoz Sprint (G1)

About 5 Furlongs (Turf) | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $1,000,000

1 1 Joy And Fun (NZ) Doyle B Cruz Derek 126 20-1
2 2 Sole Power (GB) Moore R Lynam Eddie 126 6-1
3 3 Sholaan (IRE) Buick W T Selvaratnam Dhruba J 126 50-1
4 4 Medicean Man (GB) Bentley H Gask Jeremy 126 15-1
5 5 Beat Baby (IRE) Graberg P Petersen Niels 126 50-1
6 6 Hamza (IRE) Callan N Ryan Kevin A 126 15-1
7 7 Berlino Di Tiger (BRZ) Goncalves L Caramori Eduardo 126 30-1
8 8 Amber Sky (AUS) Moreira J Yiu Ricky 126 8-1
9 9 Dux Scholar (GB) Dobbs P J Watson Doug 126 15-1
10 10 Catcall (FR) Peslier O Sogorb Philippe 126 15-1
11 11 Ahtoug (GB) Barzalona M Appleby Charles 126 12-1
12 12 Shea Shea (SAF) Soumillon C de Kock Michael F 126 1-1

Win / Place / Exacta / Trifecta (.50 MIN) / Superfecta (.10 MIN) Pick 3 (Races 5-6-7) / Daily Double [/quote]

Shea Shea is the big favorite in here, because he loves this distance and the surface. BUT! I'M STILL COMPLETELY PLAYING AGAINST. This is a very salty bunch he's going against. He's beaten some of these, but there are a lot in here that have pretty impressive resumes. There are 2 Hong Kong shippers in here. They have some of the fastest turf sprinters in the world there, and that's the angle I'm using here.

#8 Amber Sky has solely raced in the best sprint races in Hong Kong. He's in top form, and loves going 5f. If he takes to the Dubai surface, he'll be a monster here. I doubt he'll be 8-1 as the ML suggests, but I'd be happy with 9/2 if I could get those odds.

#1 Joy and Fun is also HK-based. He's 11 years old, but still going strong. He's run in this race the past 2 years, finishing 2nd and 3rd. Good horse to use underneath, because he's a gamer.

#4 Medicean Man has lost to a lot these entrants over the years, but is always a steady gamer and is in really good form right now. He has 2 1sts and a 3rd in his last 3 races, 2 of which were over this course and distance.

#7 Berlino di Tiger I think has a chance to make some noise in here. He hasn't done much inthe US over the past year, but there's a key distinction- He doesn't have to run around a turn in Dubai. He wasn't doing that in turf sprints in Brazil. The level of competition probably was a little inferior, but those are some fast times he was putting up in Brazil. If he just likes running straight, He could rebound and run a big one here.

I won't be putting much into this race, because Shea Shea is the real deal and deserves to be the favorite. But at the short price he'll be, I think he's definitely worth trying to beat.