Meydan Group Action Features Oz Raider

[Wandering Eyes]

There are two group races on tap for Meydan’s Thursday card, and the $250,000 G2 Al Fahidi Fort, conducted over a grassy 1400 metres, features 2018 G1 Doomben Cup hero Comin’ Through (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the debut starter at the Carnival from the Australian barn of Chris Waller. Also the trainer of the superstar Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), Waller sent out the half-brother to four-time Group 1 winner Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) to take the 1400-metre G2 Tramway S. at Randwick on Sept. 1, and he was 12th last out in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile to the top-class miler Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock {Aus}) on Dec. 9.

“The distance should be fine for [Comin’ Through] while he’s fresh,” said Waller of the Sir Owen Glenn-owned runner. “He’s had a number of good wins over it. While the [barrier nine of 13] draw isn’t perfect, we’ll see how the race is run on the night. He is a horse who keeps [trying] and is hard to pass.”

The Al Fahidi Fort is by no means a potential cakewalk for Comin’ Through, as South African champion and MG1SW Marinaresco (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}) and MGSWs Championship (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who won the 2017 edition of this race and Shadwell’s Janoobi (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}) also take part. There is also a four-strong Godolphin contingent, with Group 3 winner D’Bai (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) bearing the blue-capped James Doyle from post seven.

Godolphin musters a full two-thirds of the entries in the nine-horse G2 Al Rashidiya earlier at Meydan on Thursday, with three horses apiece for Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor. Pride of place has been given to Blair House (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) from the Appleby yard, who won the G1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday last March. The chestnut gelding was only a nose behind MG1SW and fellow Godolphin runner Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the 2000-metre G1 Caulfield S. in October. He enters off of a seventh-place run in the Nov. 10 G1 Mackinnon S. Down Under and should relish the 1800-metre distance.

A Group 1 winner in the past for Aidan O’Brien, Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is looking to improve off an 11th behind Godolphin’s Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the course and distance G3 Singspiel on Jan. 3. Now racing for Victorious and trainer Fawzi Nass, the 6-year-old worked satisfactorily over the Meydan course last Saturday.

“He needed the race in the Singspiel quite badly and more than we thought he did,” said Nass. “We thought he would enjoy getting on the turf, rather than on the dirt, which I think he did.”

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