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Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in pedigree and overseas international racing. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Horse Racing – Results’, ‘Simulcast Preview'’ and Simulcast oversea races.

Meydan Racecourse – Track Analysis (Dubai World Cup Day):

The lavish, state-of-the-art Meydan Racecourse features two left-handed tracks of almost immaculate precision: a standard inner dirt oval, 25m in width all round with a 400m homestretch, enveloped by a 30m wide turf track that reaches 450m from the top of the lane to the finish, with furthermore a 1200m turf chute running back to the course proper for sprinting contests. Smooth and hardly undulating, both tracks still present tight turns winging both sides of the course, particularly the inner dirt oval, where the slightly banked turns are often a challenge for big movers from out wide.

Meanwhile, getting fiercely sun-baked right on the desert fringe, both the dirt and turf courses at Meydan – even facilitated with one of the best watering systems in the world – are listed as fast and firm almost year-round, and is a remarkable feature that often throws deep closers in deep water.

For the night's contests on the turf course, the 1200m Al Quoz Sprint on the turf chute would see the middle or outside stalls getting a slight edge. Then, in the 1800m Dubai Turf, runners will likewise navigate an extended backstretch before reaching the far turn; yet with a more sedate early pace in middle-distance or routing contests, horses breaking from out wide still have plenty of time to find a cozy spot. Rather, to save ground heading into the first turn after a brief run-up in the 2410m Dubai Sheema Classic, outside-drawn runners will invariably tuck further back than they would usually do. Finally, for the gruelling 3200m Dubai Gold Cup, runners will travel an extended 900m section of the homestretch before tackling the clubhouse turn, and stall assignments, be the riders sending their mounts forward, or taking back behind other horses, bear only minimal ramifications.

Moving on to the dirt oval, fields for both the 1900m UAE Derby and the 2000m Dubai World Cup, likewise to their Dubai Sheema Classic counterparts on turf, will scramble for the first turn after a brief run, and outside-drawn runners need to be held back – often way further than what their usual running styles indicate – yet again to save ground. In contrast, both the 1200m Dubai Golden Shaheen and the 1600m Godolphin Mile are 'one-turn' races. With such a long backstretch to navigate, a bad post from way off the rail is still manageable.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 running of the Dubai World Cup Day was regrettably cancelled; reviewing instead the Dubai Super Saturday card shown just weeks ago, front runners did enjoy a slight advantage on turf, yet LORD GLITTERS, victorious in the Jebel Hatta, and MOTAFAAWIT, who ran second in the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, were both surprisingly rallying from way off the pace, while the dirt oval, favouring pacemakers or speed horses up front, played accordingly to its old self.

With sunny skies and minimal chance of precipitation through Saturday, according to the local forecasts, 'fast and firm' will again be the track listing comes race night at Meydan, thus on the dirt oval, race selections would still gravitate towards forwardly-placed horses; yet for the turf contests, winners can emerge from anywhere.

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