Simon Clare is expecting a Grey day in Dubai

The doubters are out in force to oppose The Grey Gatsby. It’s his first run of the season and it’s really cold in Yorkshire so he won’t be ready is one of the doubts. Kevin Ryan has never proved that he can travel a horse to win a big prize, is another doubt. He worked badly at Southwell a few weeks ago is a third doubt doing the rounds. They all seem wafer thin to me. Kevin Ryan is an excellent trainer who gets his horses very fit and wins lots of races first time out. He took The Grey Gatsby to France and won the French Derby and he took him to Ireland and beat Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes. Kevin Ryan is very bullish that he has his horse fit and ready to run his best race and if he’s right then the Grey Gatsby will win. Having Ryan Moore on board is a huge asset. Incredibly you can back the best horse ridden by the best jockey in the race at around 3/1. He’s my best bet on the night.

The rest of the card gets harder. The Sheema Classic is a fascinating race. Graham Motion is a brilliant trainer and it would be foolish to assume that it is simply the more relaxed race-day medication rules in America that have reformed Main Sequence. Motion has proved himself a top class trainer of turf horses in America for many years, and showed he knows what it takes to travel a horse to Dubai when winning the Dubai World Cup with Animal Kingdom. Main Sequence must be respected. And if you fancy Main Sequence you have to fancy Flintshire. He has been a model of consistency finishing second in the Arc, second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and then winning in Hong Kong. He’s a late maturing type that could keep improving with age.

I have major doubts about Designs Of Rome being good enough and staying well enough in this top class race. Harp Star is another I’m keen to oppose. She was 6th in the Arc, 5th in the Japan Cup and only 5th in her prep in a Group 2. Is that form good enough to beat a Breeders Cup Turf winner, in Main Sequence and a Hong Kong Cup winner, in Flintshire? Yes, she’s now got Ryan Moore on board but he isn’t exactly oozing confidence in her.

No, the more I look at this race the more I’m convinced that we will see a repeat of the Breeders’ Cup Turf finish but this time on neutral territory Flintshire will avenge his defeat by Main Sequence and come home in front.

See it’s not that complicated after all. California Chrome, The Grey Gatsby and Flintshire are the best horses in the three big races and all should win at generous odds.

The rest of the card is however far tougher. In the Al Quoz Sprint I think the Hong Kong speedster Peniaphobia will get a perfect tow into the race drawn high behind Caspian Prince and Distinctiv Passion and can pounce in the last 100 yards. In the Golden Shaheen I really like Salutos Amigos. The American sprinter ran a decent race in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint but is in even better form now and looks primed to win this.

In the Gold Cup I hope and think Brown Panther can land the prize for Michael Owen and Tom Dascombe. He’s the best horse in the race and will love galloping round this big track compared to the tight turns at Santa Anita. Ryan Moore is very keen on Golden Barrows in the UAE Derby and that’s good enough for me, and Tamarkuz is a good thing in the Godolphin Mile. It now seems so simple.