TWO features to the value of AED 105 (app R300,000 each), sponsored by Gulf News, top the bill at the Dubai meeting scheduled for Saturday. Mike de Kock has runners carded in both events.
He steps out the Hands On Syndicate’s five-year-old Red Duke (Johnny Geroudis) in Race 3, a handicap over 1200m on turf and said: “He won a Gr2 over 1400m earlier in his career, but hasn’t raced for a while and has lots of improvement to come. He is a nice type of horse.”
Frenchman Thierry Thulliez gets the ride on Specific Gravity in Race 5, a handicap on turf over 1600m. He ran a promising race over 1900m on his seasonal debut here last week and Mike gave him a chance, saying: “He drops in class and is doing very well at the moment.”
Final Button (Geroudis) will go to post with Specific Gravity. He failed to find his feet in Dubai last year, but the team has persisted with him, hoping that he’s settled during his time off. “He will need the run and we’re looking for improvement.”
Teofilio’s son, Tahadee (Thulliez), has placed over distances ranging from 1400m to 1800m in the UK. The three-year-old has his first run at Meydan in an all-weather handicap over 1600m and is probably best watched for now as Mike commented: “He doesn’t show much at home and needs more ground.”
The opposite holds for Sheikh Hamdan’s Almoonqith, a colt by Dynaformer who debuts for the yard in Race 6, a 1900m Handicap on all-weather. Paul Hanagan will hold the reins on this one and Mike commented: “He has shown ability in his prep gallops and he’s very well, he could well be better than his rating of 88 and is one to keep an eye on.”
Photo: Red Duke (black, yellow silks), winning at Newmarket in July, 2011. (Photo credit: zimbio.com)
