Meydan Balanchine Tips & Betting Preview

IN SUMMARY: Furia Cruzada seems sure to run a big race while Tiaemah is intriguing and may well try to make all the running, but if PROMISING RUN has improved as reported by trainer Saeed Bin Suroor then she is the one they all have to beat and can take this before coming back on Super Saturday.

1 SINGYOURSONG – David Simcock’s Newmarket based five-year-old comes over looking for the prize money but needs to do significantly better than her first effort here when nineteen lengths adrift of Promising Run after starting slowly and never really getting involved in the Cape Verdi here last month. She has won three Class Three handicaps at Brighton, Ascot, and Yarmouth but this is a different level entirely and even a place would be seen as a major result by connections.

2 OPAL TIARA – Won this race last season for Mick Channon when beating Via Firenze by a neck at odds of 15/2 under Oisin Murphy but Silvestre de Sousa takes over in the saddle this year. last time out she finished fourth to Promising Run, six and a half lengths adrift of the winner and although she will be primed for this afternoon she clearly has a lot to find if she wants to become the first horse to double up in this prestigious contest.

3 ICECAPADA – Looks up against it here for Norwegian trainer Niels Petersen but hats off to connections for letting the daughter of Mastercraftsman take her place in the line-up in this prestigious race. She did win a Listed race at Bro Park in Sweden in mid-October but was put in her place here when ten lengths adrift of Promising Run and thus has it all to od to reverse that form with the winner as well as Opal Tiara here.  

4 FURIA CRUZADA – A lovely filly who has already won her connections over £363,000 in win and place prize money but whether she is up to winning this seems open to question. She has only had the one run for Erwan Charpy when fourth to Thunder Snow here in the Group Two Al Maktoum Challenge Round Two last week and with that run under her belt she could well do better now though all her best form recently has been over further.

5 TIAEMAH – Last seen winning the Group Two Prince Bader bin Abdualaziz Cup at Janadriyah in Saudi Arabia and has her first run for South African Neil Bruss this afternoon. She may well be the likeliest front runner this afternoon but it does seem questionable that form can be good enough to win here, but if she gets a soft lead under the ever popular Frankie Dettori then she could take some catching with a place a possibility.

6 PROMISING RUN – Hard to knock after winning the Cape Verdi here three weeks ago, a race that has thrown up the winner of this contest four times now. She had four of these behind her that day when winning by a comfortable four and a half lengths and if she can repeat that this afternoon she has a favourites chance. Saeed bin Suroor reports she has improved since that race with the target of this contest, the Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday, and the Dubai Turf on World Cup night the current plan.

7 ABSOLUTE BLAST – Lambourn trainer Archie Watson sends the daughter of Kodiac here but she was well-beaten when last of eight behind Promising Run here last time out and has to find thirty-one lengths here to get to the front today. Her best UK form is over further and she will need this to be run at breakneck speed to have any chance, though she will be running on through beaten horses late on with a place a remote possibility under Oisin Murphy who is very popular out here in Dubai.

8 ALJULJALAH – NON-RUNNER.