/ Timeform / 25 March 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Twice Over: Favourite for the Dubai World Cup
"For all there is plenty of good racing in Britain, Saturday's best quality action undoubtedly takes place in Dubai, where Meydan is the venue for the ultra-valuable Dubai World Cup meeting."
Timeform look ahead to the weekend's best racing...
Starting on the level, the most interesting fare in Britain on Saturday takes place at Lingfield where the undoubted highlight is the ten-furlong Group 3 Winter Derby. Nideeb looks the likely favourite in his bid to give Clive Brittain a second win in the race, and his chief opposition comes from the like sof the mare Pachattack and the veteran Dansili Dancer. There are also a couple of listed races on the card at Lingfield in the shape of the Hever Sprint Stakes over five furlongs and the seven-furlong Spring Cup for three-year-olds. Richard Hannon won the latter race with Paco Boy in 2008 and he has a strong representation this time around with the unbeaten Vanguard Dream as well as last season's useful two-year-old Dubawi Gold.
Staying in Britain, there is also racing on the all-weather at Kempton to go with jumps fixtures at Bangor, Newbury and Stratford. The best card on the NH front is the one set to take place at Newbury, where competitive handicaps are the theme of the day, the two EBF mares' finales for novice hurdlers and novice chasers respectively being the most interesting events set to take place there.
For all there is plenty of good racing in Britain, Saturday's best quality action undoubtedly takes place in Dubai, where Meydan is the venue for the ultra-valuable Dubai World Cup meeting. The card there concludes with four consecutive Group 1 races - namely, the Golden Shaheen, the Duty Free, the Sheema Classic and the World Cup itself. There is plenty of European interest in the Duty Free, with the likes of Presvis and Wigmore Hall looking to hold major chances. The Sheema Classic has cut up a bit with the absence of dual Oaks winner Snow Fairy, but there are still some high-class horses in the field, not least Rewilding and Breeders' Cup winner Dangerous Midge. Twice Over currently head the market for the Dubai World Cup, having won his prep race out in Dubai, but he faces a number of significant challengers including the Japanese mare Buena Vista, the high-class American horse Gio Ponti and Mike de Kock's Golden Sword, who was a revelation at this year's carnival.
On Sunday there is jumping at Hexham and Wincanton in Britain, while there is also NH action at Downpatrick in Ireland. The day's most interaction action takes place on the Flat at Leopardstown, where the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas Trials take place, both of which hold Group 3 status. The 2,000 Guineas Trial has attracted a small field, but it includes one of Ireland's best two-year-olds from last year in Dunboyne Express as well as a fascinating prospect of John Oxx's in Cocozza. The field for the 1,000 has significantly more runners, and Oxx again looks to have a strong hand with three promising fillies, chief among them perhaps the once-raced History Note.
Understandably it's a somewhat quiet weekend after the frenzy of the Cheltenham Festival, but there are still some decent prizes on offer over jumps on Saturday, while Sunday signals the return of Flat racing to Ireland with the first meeting of the season at the Curragh......
Timeform brings you a review of both National Hunt and Flat racing from an action-packed and informative weekend which deserves more than to be in the shadows of the Cheltenham Festival....
As the Cheltenham Festival looms large, punters are provided a small taster of what lies ahead with a competitive National Hunt card at Sandown while Flat enthusiasts begin their slow build up to the new season with the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton....
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