Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Meydan Racecourse – Track Analysis (Dubai Super Saturday):

The lavish, state-of-the-art Meydan Racecourse features two left-handed tracks of almost immaculate precision: a standard inner dirt oval that measures 25m in width all round with a 400m homestretch, enveloped by a 30m wide turf track that spans 450m from the top of the lane to the finish, which is further augmented with a 1200m turf chute to accommodate sprints. Smooth and hardly undulating, both tracks still present tight turns winging both ends of the course, particularly the inner dirt oval, where its slightly banked turns are often a challenge for big movers from out wide. Except for the 1200m, 1800m and 1900m trips on dirt, where a short stampede to the first turn makes outside-drawn runners to work further, both courses, in general, do not particularly favours front-runners or deep closers.

Meanwhile, getting fiercely sun-baked right on the edge of the desert, both the dirt and turf courses at Meydan – even installed with the watering systems in the world – are fast and firm almost year-round, and is a remarkable feature that often gets deep closers in deep trouble, especially in middle-distance or routing contests.

For the night’s contests on the turf course, the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint will utilize the full straight course stretching from the 1200m chute back to the course proper – one that generally favours middle or outside speed. Whereas in the 1800m Jebel Hatta, runners will likewise navigate an extended backstretch before reaching the far turn; coupled with the presumably pedestrian early pace in middle-distance or routing contests, horses breaking from out wide still have plenty of time to contend with a nice spot. Rather, in the 2410m Dubai City Of Gold, outside-drawn runners will invariably tuck further back than they would otherwise in general. Back onto the dirt oval, fields for both the 1900m Al Bastakiya and the 2000m Al Maktoum Challenge R3, likewise to their Dubai City Of Gold counterparts on turf, will race for the first turn after a swift stampede, and outside-drawn runners need to be taken back – often way further than what their usual running styles suggest – again to save ground. By contrast, the 1200m Mahab Al Shimaal and the 1600m Burj Nahaar are both ‘one-turn’ races only; with a long backstretch to travel, a bad post from far outside is still manageable.

In the 2019 edition of the two G1 prizes, DREAM CASTLE trained by Saeed bin Suroor, trailing the field early, routed the entire field from out wide to strike in the G1 Jebel Hatta, while the Charlie Appleby trained WOOTTON, likewise rallying from off the pace, checked in second, and his stablemate FIRST CONTACT, winging it out front for most of the trip, held on to complete a Godolphin trifecta. Whereas another G1 the Al Maktoum Challenge R3, CAPEZZANO making every stride a winning one to wire the field, as Godolphin’s THUNDER SNOW, though hounding the winner with a rail-skimming trip the whole way, never managed to take command, was only second-best, and DOLKONG surged late from out wide to settle for third.

As sunny weather would extend right through this Saturday yet again, ‘fast and firm’ will most probably be the order of the day at Meydan. Therefore, pacesetters and speed horses up front are still expected to dominate the competition.

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