Jim Crowley previews the Dubai World Cup 2023 card

1.15 Meydan – Al Quoz Sprint

Al Dasim is a horse who is very progressive. He has won his last five races now, including over this C&D in the Nad Al Sheva Turf Sprint last time out from a difficult draw. I do think the stand-side rail is a better draw in this race.

Ryan Moore’s runner, Sight Success, has a good draw, as does Flaming Rib. I think those two are going to run big races from the stand-side.

Danyah looks up against it a little here. He has not been drawn well and he will need to take a big step forward in this quality field.

1.50 Meydan – UAE Derby

Aidan O’Brien landed this race with Mendelssohn in 2018 and CAIRO won the same prep race as he did earlier this year. He probably doesn’t have the same form as Mendelssohn coming into this, but he still looks like a good horse. They would not be coming out here if they did not believe he could win this race.

2.25 Meydan – Dubai Golden Shaheen

Lemon Pep and Gunite are going to prove hard to beat here in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. The American horse ran a good race when finishing second in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, while the Japanese horse has hardly put a foot wrong in his career.

I’d love to see Switzerland run a big race. He is nine years old now, but he is still competing at the highest level which is great to see.

3.10 Meydan – Dubai Turf

The Japanese horse SERIFOS is the one to beat in the Dubai Turf. He is well drawn in the race, and he comes into it with excellent form.

Lord North has a good draw too from stall three. He has had a good preparation as he was successful at Lingfield last time out in the Winter Derby.

Alfareeq won over here a few weeks ago. He got the run of the race that day and he will need to step up again to be involved at the finish.

I’d have been happy to see Mostahdaf in this contest, as I think it would have been a slightly easier option for him than the Dubai Sheema Classic.

4.00 Meydan – Dubai Sheema Classic – Mostahdaf

I can’t wait to ride MOSTAHDAF in this race. He was so impressive in Saudi Arabia last time where he absolutely hacked up. In my opinion, this is the strongest race on the card, so he is going to need to produce more.

My horse likes to be ridden prominently, so I will be aiming to get a good pitch out of the stalls. He is stepping back up in distance which hopefully will not be a problem for him.

There is so much strength in depth in the race. You have the Japanese horse Equinox which the market says we all must beat. Then there is a Breeders’ Cup winner in Rebel’s Romance at around 6/1. That tells you how highly the Japanese horse is regarded.

Charlie Appleby would not be running Rebel’s Romance short for a race like this. Westover is an Irish Derby winner who has a similar profile to Jack Hobbs, who won this race in 2017. There is also last year’s winner Shahryar, who is double digits in the betting. It’s a brilliant race to be involved in.

4.35 Meydan – Dubai World Cup

I don’t fancy Country Grammer this year unless it is a burn up. He didn’t look like winning last year until the final 100 yards. I was not too impressed with him last time out in the Saudi Cup either.

ALGIERS has been a revelation since coming out here. I remember beating him on board Missed The Cut at Lingfield. He has looked so impressive on the dirt, and he is the one to beat. This is the best chance of a Dubai World Cup winner from an English stable for a long time.

Panthalassa put up a monster performance in the Saudi Cup, as they went very hard in that race. You cannot underestimate the Japanese horses. They are cleaning up in the big international meetings. For me, they are the number one in the world at the moment.

Dubai World Cup trends: Analysis of the last 20 races

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