Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Saturday’s racing, coming your way from the Dubai World Cup Meydan on 5 April 2025.
DUBAI WORLD CUP BEST BETS MEYDAN SATURDAY
Race 2 DUBAI GOLD CUP (Group 2)
No3 DOUBLE MAJOR (Each Way)
Trainer: Christophe Ferland – Jockey: Maxime Guyon
As Aidan O’Brien’s only runner at the meeting CONTINUOUS heads the market for the newest race of Dubai World Cup night. Last season’s St Leger and Great Voltigeur Stakes winner wasn’t sighted in the Arc or the Hong Kong Vase but finished best of all when third in the Red Sea Turf in Saudi, and can turn the tables with the second EPIC POET. One that could cause him more problems however is DOUBLE MAJOR, whose success in his homeland numbers two Group 1s and three Group 2s. Arguably he sets the crossbar for the others to aim at.
Prediction: 1st DOUBLE MAJOR, 2nd Continuous, 3rd Epic Poet
Race 3 GODOLPHIN MILE (Group 2)
No8 MUFASA
Trainer: Bhupat Seemar – Jockey: Tadhg O’Shea
MUFASA can with a win in this early card contest set up another big night for trainer Bhupat Seemar and jockey Tadgh O’Shea. The Chilean-bred gelding had top form in the United States where his triumphs included the Vosburgh and the Mr Prospector. He’s given all the right signals ahead of this first career run at Meydan, and in another wide open affair should prove too strong for Frankie Dettori’s mount RAGING TORRENT and a quietly fancied French challenger in NO LUNCH.
Prediction: 1st MUFASA, 2nd Raging Torrent, 3rd No Lunch
Race 4 AL QUOZ SPRINT (Group 1)
No7 REGIONAL (Each Way)
Trainer: Ed Bethell – Jockey: Callum Rodriguez
ISIVUNGUVUNGU has looked outstanding amongst the American horses with which he’s been barned since his arrival at Meydan. With Belgian ace Christophe Soumillon in the saddle he should give a good account, although the race has a wide open look. BELIEVING has been doing well in his work for George Boughey but of the five-strong UK runners REGIONAL can prove the best. The seven-year-old established himself as a proper Group sprinter last year, backing up his Haydock Sprint Cup triumph the previous autumn with a second in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. He has looked on his A-game in training and can provide his upwardly mobile trainer with his biggest career success.
Prediction: 1st REGIONAL, 2nd Believing, 3rd Isivunguvungu
Race 5 UAE DERBY (Group 2)
No4 FLOOD ZONE
Trainer: Brad Cox – Jockey: Florent Geroux
FLOOD ZONE is the only challenger from the United States in this Classic but in the colours of Wathnan Racing is strongly fancied to repel a four-pronged assault of Japanese-trained colts. Brad Cox can’t be more complimentary about his Gotham Stakes winner, who if winning this race will see his odds tumble for the Kentucky Derby. SHIN FOREVER endured a narrow defeat in the Group 3 Saudi Derby from which he can improve to pose a main threat to the favourite while GALACTIC STAR appeals as the best of the roughies for the Seemar/O’Shea combo, now that he gets blinkers added.
Prediction: 1st FLOOD ZONE, 2nd Shin Forever, 3rd Galactic Star
Race 6 DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN (Group 1)
No11 TUZ (Nap)
Trainer: Bhupat Seemar – Jockey: Tadhg O’Shea
TUZ was a brilliant winner of this race 12 months ago when launching what was an unforgettable night for his trainer and jockey. The eight-year-old has maintained a masterful level of sprinting with four subsequent successes on the 1200 metres track at Meydan. He is in the form of his life going into this, and should prove very hard to beat. Looming as a danger is America’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Riyadh Dirt Sprint winner STRAIGHT NO CHASER, who if successful would become the first horse to lift the unofficial Sprint Triple Crown. He goes to post with some powerful arrows to fire, and can chase home my Nap in what could turn into a strictly two horse affair.
Prediction: 1st TUZ, 2nd Straight No Chaser
Race 7 DUBAI TURF (Group 1)
No11 LIBERTY ISLAND (Each Way)
Trainer: Mitsumasa Nakauchida – Jockey: Yuga Kawada
Hong Kong champion ROMANTIC WARRIOR has spent much of the last four months in Dubai, leaving the Emirate only to contest the Saudi Cup in which he engaged in a titanic battle with Forever Young to be thwarted by a neck. James McDonald partnered the gelding in a pleasing gallop on Tuesday and the combination will go off as odds-on favourites to make it a nineteenth career win on Saturday. Having originally thought this would be a gimme for the seven-year-old I’ve come round to the view that last year’s Sheema Classic third LIBERTY ISLAND will in fact pose a major threat. The mare has been lightly raced since her Japanese Triple Tiara win in 2023, and after running here 12 months ago has needed both her subsequent races, having had a good blow after chasing home Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup. Though beaten a length and a half, she was doing her best work at the finish, and should now be cherry ripe to cause an upset and put the icing on her glittering career.
Prediction: 1st LIBERTY ISLAND, 2nd Romantic Warrior
Race 8 LONGINES DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC (Group 1)
No3 GIAVELLOTTO (Each Way)
Trainer: Marco Botti – Jockey: Oisin Murphy
GIAVELLOTTO appeared to come of age when landing the Hong Kong Vase in such impressive fashion at Sha Tin in December. What was so alluring about the performance was how smoothly the six-year-old came through horses to challenge and put the race to bed in a matter of strides. He’s looked very good in his training since reaching Dubai, and could easily still be improving. Godolphin’s globetrotting warrior REBELS ROMANCE has engaged in a glorious march since his 2022 UAE Derby triumph that has seen him bag the Grosser Preis Bon Berlin, the Preis Von Europa, the Breeders’ Cup Turf and last year’s Sheema Classic among other prestigious races. Francis Grafard’s runner CALANDAGAN might well get into the mix and has strong form in his own right, while if there’s a dark one in the field it may be DANON DECILE, who has relished his work through the week and looks fantastic.
Prediction1st GIAVELLOTTO, 2nd Danon Decile, 3rd Rebels Romance, 4th Calandagan
Race 9 DUBAI WORLD CUP (Group 1)
No1 FOREVER YOUNG
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi – Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
From being a nearly horse at the top level in 2024, FOREVER YOUNG put the record straight with his triumph in a pulsating Saudi Cup finish with Romantic Warrior to make him the outstanding form pick in the featured World Cup. Last season’s Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic third has taken those latest exertions in his stride and trainer Yahagi is looking forward to him going an extra 200 metres and negotiating four turns. I sense it could be a local hope, IMPERIAL EMPEROR, who for Bhupat Seemar gives the favourite most to think about. USHIBA TESORO is for me the pick of the other Japanese runners.
Prediction: 1st FOREVER YOUNG, 2nd Imperial Emperor, 3rd Ushiba Tesoro
