DREAM CASTLE was one everybody in the yard was looking forward to seeing last week and he put in a brilliant performance to win the Al Rashidiya.
He’s a horse who has really turned the corner since coming out to Dubai. He’s had his setbacks along the way but he’s one we’ve always thought a lot of. We’ve been taking little steps and he’s banging it in every time.
It’s great for everyone who works with the horse and especially for Saeed Bin Suroor. Saeed’s great at picking up these lightly-raced older horses who have had problems and then getting them to thrive. All being well, this horse is on course to run for us on Dubai World Cup night.
Saeed is a very hard worker and deserves the success. He’s there every morning at half five as the first one in and he’s always the last to leave. He doesn’t leave any stone unturned and he puts the work in, which brings the success. Hopefully he can have some more success this week.
We have Dubai Beauty and Swift Rose in this race but Charlie Appleby’s horses look stronger than ours this week. From a value point of view I have to side with Lover’s Knot. Divine Image is the choice of William Buick and should like the conditions being by Scat Daddy, but I prefer Lover’s Knot. She’s doing good work at home and I like the look of her in this race.
I’d be disappointed it he doesn’t win this. I know connections were very disappointed with how he ran first time up here. He got left in the gates and was then rushed up to track the leaders before he got tired. He should do a lot better in this race. I do like our little horse Burj in this race but he doesn’t have the same level of class as Sporting Chance.
We’re not represented in this race but I think it’s between Switzerland and Drafted. My granny would’ve won on Drafted last time and having Pat Dobbs on board in a plus this time around. However, Ryan Moore has not taken the ride on this horse for nothing so I expect him to go very close.
This little horse would be our best chance of a winner on the night. He produced a good performance first time up over six furlongs and going up in trip is only going to help him. He’ll improve for that first run and hopefully give us that all important winner.
We run Silent Attack and Team Talk in this race but again I think Charlie Appleby’s horses are the ones to beat. I’m told Oasis Charm is the one they are most looking forward to on the evening and he’s got a very progressive profile coming into this race. He looks a strong runner.
This is the horse Ryan Moore has flown in to ride and it’s easy to see why. He finished fourth first time up and that was a lovely, promising run leading into this. You need to have a Group horse to win a race like this and this horse is one they’ve always thought a lot of. Bedouin’s Story is a good runner for us but I think it’ll be hard for him to beat Seniority. Hopefully he can chase him home in second.
One last thing before I go, if you’re into your golf at all then it should be worth having a little wager on Paul Dunne for the Saudi International golf this week.
