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AL QUOZ THEN COMMONWEALTH ON SPEEDSTER’S RADAR

AL QUOZ THEN COMMONWEALTH ON SPEEDSTER’S RADAR Mar 9, 2023

A 3yo has never won the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint but Al Dasim appears more than capable of at least going close to rectifying that grim statistic for the Classic generation after Saturday’s romp in the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, over the same 1200m on the Meydan Racecourse turf.

Tackling his elders for the first time, the 4yo Harry Angel colt treated them with disdain, storming clear under Mickael Barzalona in the silks of Kuwait’s Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah, the pair now winners of all three UAE outings. It was actually a memorable race for Kuwait with Miqyaas chasing home the winner for Kuwaiti Rashed Bouresly.

The Al Quoz Sprint is the next logical step and winning trainer George Boughey said: “He's improved notably since he's come out here and is a much more mature horse; doing things the right way round certainly helps him. "For the races we're looking at he needs to relax and stay well at this trip. As long as he's okay he'll go to the Al Quoz. It's kind of been a plan with him but you never think these things will come to fruition. He has taken all before him out here and he gets a nice weight allowance."

AL DASIM HAS GUINEAS ENTRY

Al Dasim is entered in the 2000 Guineas, over a mile, but is likely to be kept to sprinting according to his trainer. "It sounds crazy having won his last five but we're still learning about him and he's still learning to sprint," Boughey said. It was a big step up today and he's a horse who still has plenty of upside.

The fact he did hit the line hard gives us confidence going back to England. "A race like the Commonwealth Cup would certainly be on his agenda. I would be very tempted to give him a break after the Al Quoz and then hit Royal Ascot first up."


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