Newmarket, England: The Grey Gatsby won the French Derby (G1) and Irish Champion Stakes last year, and he is a clear number one on Globeform ratings for the Dubai Turf (G1), having performed to Globeform 126 when upsetting the big favourite Australia in Ireland.
That makes him the highest-rated horse running at Meydan this Saturday and he has an excellent chance of adding a third Group One win to his already impressive CV.
The one worry is the distance, as The Grey Gatsby cuts back to 1,800 metres from having raced so well over 2,000 metres in Europe.
His team will be hoping for a strong pace, something that is not at all guaranteed here. But this big colt has a clear class edge on his rivals and don’t forget that he ran with great credit in defeat over a mile at Newmarket last spring, when beaten only six lengths behind Night Of Thunder and Wingman in the 2,000 Guineas.
The Grey Gatbsy, who gets Ryan Moore back on board, can run below his very best and still win the Dubai Turf. He is a clear selection.
Moore could also have ridden the filly Euro Charline, who he partnered to land the Beverly D Stakes at Arlington Park outside Chicago last summer.
This is her first start back and it’s a tough spot, but Euro Charline looked sharp to me when getting a racecourse workout in England earlier this month, and she could well be in the mix.
Solow is another interesting runner. He gained a smooth win in lesser company on his seasonal debut in France and may be the type to progress right up to Group One-winning form this term.
He was visually impressive in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G1) at Longchamp last October. Coming from off the pace, he was much the best in that mile contest. Taking in an extra 200 metres is unlikely to bother him.
Mshawish was fourth in this race a year ago, after having run even better to win one of the preps, and he has maintained such level of form to win two important turf events at Gulfstream Park in Florida this winter.
Recent form counts for a lot in this game and he should go well.
— The author is the editor of Newmarket-based independent racing and handicapping publication globeform.co.uk
