Handicappers' Corner: Animal powers to World Cup glory

The World Cup took center stage on Saturday night.

Perhaps the Dubai World Cup meeting lacked a true star name this year but one or two certainly emerged, and there is the exciting prospect of several winners from Saturday night turning up at Royal Ascot. Timeform's Dubai Handicapper, Stephen Molyneux, analyses some of the performances...

The quality of the World Cup has undoubtedly suffered since the switch to tapeta, certainly in terms of depth, and there is no point dressing it up again this year, Animal Kingdom's rating (128) at least on a par with Monterosso last year but not the world class performance that was common-place on Nad Al Sheba's dirt track.

This rating fits in with the standard Timeform rating over the last 5 runnings, and it rightfully credits Red Cadeaux (now 123) with some improvement in finishing so far clear of Planteur (7 lb below the rating he achieved in the race 12 months ago), but far too many underperformed to be rating Animal Kingdom any higher. Ratings aside, one point worth making is that an American victory will do the profile of the race no harm, although, say it quietly, it was very quickly forgotten how poorly the likes of Trinniberg, Private Zone, Dullahan and Royal Delta had run elsewhere. 

The Dubai Duty Free looked the hardest race to solve on the evening but in event Sajjhaa (125 from 118) ran out a ready winner. Taking into account her mares allowance, this rating will entitle her to go close in most Group 1s back in Europe, though does Dubai form travel? Take the last 4 winners of this race (Gladiatorus, Al Shemali, Presvis and Cityscape) and only Gladiatorus could boast a subsequent win that year, and Group 1s in Italy can hardly be said to be the strongest.

Trade Storm (now 125) was the biggest eye catcher in the race, his rating now 12 lb higher than when he arrived in Dubai in January and both he and Sajjhaa can lay claim to being the horses of the Carnival.

The Dubai Sheema Classic was one for jockeyship, Joseph O'Brien riding the perfect race on St Nicholas Abbey (remains on 127, but still as good a performance this race has seen over the last 5 years) with Yasunari Iwata on Gentildonna (7 lb below form) looking so uncoordinated that he almost fell off at one point. My untrained paddock eye, backed up by some very trained paddock eyes, noted that Gentildonna looked very backward in her coat and clearly she remains a filly that can take all before her back in Japan, jockey permitting of course. 

The standard of the Godolphin Mile is getting better, African Story (ran to 125 last year) an impressive winner 12 months ago and whilst Soft Falling Rain (125p) only scraped home from Haatheq this time he did so despite plenty going against him. He was wide, keen and in trouble before most but showed guts a plenty to edge ahead late on. He is the apple of Mike de Kock's eye, now unbeaten in 7 outings and very much on course for Royal Ascot. Sarkiyla (113+) is worth noting further back, she had loads to do and it wouldn't be at all surprising where she to be posting figures nearer 120 in time. 

Elsewhere, Shea Shea (now 127+) burst on to the international stage with a comfortable victory in the Al Quoz Sprint, producing the highest Timeform rating in this race, albeit a race very much in its infancy. Already a Group 1 winner in South Africa, he is now being aimed at Royal Ascot and his current rating puts him bang in the mix, with the scope for higher given he didn't seem hard pressed to get the better of a couple from Hong Kong who can also boast success at the highest level. Sole Power (122) is the barometer for 5f sprinters in Britain and he would have run to form had he not been drawn away from the main action. 

The other sprint, the Dubai Golden Shaheen, wasn't quite so informative, Reynaldothewizard (122) producing one of the lowest Timeform rating's in the race's history. This has Balmont Mast (121) improving 7 lb, justifiable given how he has been shaping this year but any higher and he would be a force to be reckoned with at the highest level back in Britain, and that doesn't sit comfortably with me just yet. Krypton Factor (119 compared to 126 in winning it 12 months ago) hasn't looked the same horse this season, his Timeform rating reflecting that whilst the likes of Mental (127) and Trinniberg (124) were big disappointments, but still strike as being the best of these granted their conditions.

The Dubai Gold Cup can be summed up briefly, a race still trying to find its place on the card and suffering from a steady pace this year. Cavalryman (121) came back to his best in showing the best turn of foot, his speed for shorter holding him in good stead and hardly a performance that had me searching for his price in the Ascot Gold Cup.

The UAE Derby was won for a second successive year by Aidan O'Brien, the profile of Lines Of Battle (115 from 113p) remarkably similar to that of Daddy Long Legs who ran to 116 in winning 12 months ago. Both had run in America prior to Dubai, and that experience wasn't lost on either, Lines Of Battle showing a good attitude in seeing off Elleval (112 having been rated 92 at the start of the Carnival).

However, the real eyecatcher, probably of the whole meeting in fact, was Secret Number (116p) who has been rated as though he had won the race, which he really should have done. Inexperience cost him, slowly away (again) and meeting trouble before finishing best of all, sure to have won had he not been caught so far back and hopefully he can go on and make his mark back in Britain, the Dante reportedly next on the agenda. 

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