Four members of the Dubai Racing Club team run their eye over a brilliant opening night of racing at Meydan Racecourse to identify future winners.
El Nasseeb was clearly the star act on Meydan’s opening night and made winning look effortless as he pulled clear in the straight to win by seven-and-a-quarter lengths. Musabbeh Al Mheiri will have to plan out the Profitable juvenile’s season tactfully as he points him towards the Classics. Western Symphony overcame a bump at the jump, but stayed on well despite coming under pressure to secure a win for his new owners. The Shamardal gelding is bound to roll along the Godolphin Mile path, but as his jockey claimed after his win on Friday, he has a long way to go before that dream can become a reality. Although I couldn’t agree more, he does look every bit the type because he represents a yard that’s known to get stronger as the weeks tick along.
With Meshtri you could simply tell that, despite lacking previous match experience, the Medaglia D’Oro gelding was going to do something special. To come from behind like that on his first-ever start and win the way he did tells us this boy is a gem! Nevershow Weakness also deserves to be applauded for his role in the race.
Duane Fonseca
- Assistant Editor
On a night where many horses found themselves winning from forward positions and it seeming harder for those coming from the back, one horse in particular caught the eye, the Fawzi Nass-trained and owned son of Cairo Prince, Legend Of Cannes. After stepping a little slow early, the three-year-old gelding was out the back in the last four or five for a good chunk of the race. That was until he began to weave a path through the field down the straight under the guidance of Adrie de Vries to find himself in the frame, running third, beaten just under two lengths.
This was a performance worth noting, a run that would suggest him being competitive and a genuine winning contender next start.
In the opening event for Purebred Arabians, I really liked the UAE debut of Asmaa who caught the eye with an encouraging effort.
The French recruit stuck to her task gamely in the straight despite being tight for room and she should soon be winning when she stretches out beyond Friday’s 1400m trip.
Pat Comerford
- Racecourse Commentator
El Nasseeb put on a dazzling show on his first ever appearance as the 1200m dirt maiden proved a simple task under jockey Bernardo Pinheiro. El Naseeb made light work of his rivals as he crossed the finish line well ahead of his nearest competitor. He looks very smart.
Despite falling short by quite a distance behind the leader, Gaassid is surely one to watch for this season as the Michael Costa-trained two-year-old showed a lot of heart during his first appearance. His sire Mendelssohn was no stranger to Meydan either as he won the Group 2 UAE Derby five years ago, the stallion is a good source of sprinters and Gaassid will surely live up to his full potential. After producing a stunning performance 10 months ago at Meydan which saw him put things to bed by over five lengths, Magic Petition simply wasn’t able to edge his rivals in tougher events such as the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas and the Mahab Al Shimaal. Gelded and returned to action, he managed a hard-earned second after being beaten by a neck in the 1200m handicap but we clearly haven’t seen the last of this three-year-old son of Kentucky Derby runner-up Good Magic.
Mehiar Elmahi
- Reporter and Form Analyst
Laasudood took to the dirt really well last week when finishing an eye-catching third over 1600m. Drawn in 13, he had to race without cover throughout and was trapped four wide on the turn which did not help his cause either. Being out of a Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winning mare Lahudood, it is reasonable to say that a step up in trip might bring about further improvement. With a very generous current official rating of 90, a couple of handicaps could well be within his grasp and who knows, he could be competing in Stakes company by the end of this campaign.
Seyouff's Classic campaign was cut short by a setback but on his return last week in the mile feature, it became apparent that he has not lost one bit of the promise he showed last season.
Connections will be happy in how he tackled his first assignment against the older horses and with more improvement to come, he is bound to be a serious candidate in the mile division for the remainder of the season.
Suleiman Altaf
- Form Analyst
