Saudi Cup 26/2/22

Mishriff – Do not lose the faith

I made a mistake last year.  I lost the faith. 

Mishriff is a favourite of mine and I was sure I could get him beaten after his runs at Sandown and Ascot.  I studied long and hard for the Juddmonte International Stakes Group 1 at York in August. After much thought I tipped Alenquer (who is racing at Lingfield on Saturday) to beat him.  Even then I advised EW as I knew Mishriff was a real danger.

Come the day of the race I was sure I had a good one.  I got in front of the TV and Mishriff looked awesome.  I stuck to my guns, sure that I had him beat. The race began and he slipped in behind the leaders. Alenquer (3yo allowance), Love (filly’s allowance) and Mac Swiney (3yo allowance) were racing at the front. He raced just behind them alongside Alcohol Free (fillies and 3yo allowance) with Mohaafeth (3yo allowance) and Juan Elcano in behind. Not much had changed coming in to the home straight with 4 ½ furlongs left to travel.  I was beginning to get very excited about my selection.

They stayed the same for a few seconds then Mishriff made an ominous move effortlessly sliding upside Alenquer who immediately responded along with the rest of the field.  The jockeys got to work. A few strides later he was at the front of the race in a line of 4 and David Egan was still almost motionless.  It was 2 ½ furlongs out when I realised i was about to witness something extraordinary. David asked his mount the question.  Mishriff simply took off like a scolded cat.  He left the others standing. With a furlong to go he was 4 lengths in front of a quality field and he was pouring it on, drawing even further clear. The commentator mentioned he had absolutely blitzed them and then David patted him on the neck and eased him down at the finish.  In a group 1.  It is why the time and the winning margin do not reflect the performance he put in.

Last year he was excellent in the Saudi cup. Mishriff got out the stalls really well and went to the front whereupon he got dropped in behind the leaders.

At the sharp end of the race if somebody had told me Mishriff would win coming out of the home turn I would have found it hard to believe as he looked under pressure. Knicks Go dropped back and Mishriff came up alongside.  Charlatan still looked to be the likely winner at this point. 200m to go and he had nearly caught Charlatan and was beginning to get the better of him. 100m and he was alongside.  He pulled out a length margin before the line.

I think barring trouble in running or if he comes out slow he will be very difficult to beat in the Saudi cup. He’s already proven he can beat the draw and I think he has improved since the last time he made an appearance here. He dwelt at the start in his last race.  It was at the end of a long season and I think it can be forgiven as generally he is better on turf with less cut in it.

He is incredibly versatile and runs well on every surface.  He can handle anywhere between 1m ½ f to 1m4f with ease. There is speed and stamina on tap and I believe he can win again.  There are some dangers in the field.

Mandaloun beat Midnight Bourbon, but so have a lot of horses. I know Mandaloun beat Hot Rod Charlie and Essential quality then Hot Rod Charlie beat Mandaloun. Essential Quality had been having an off day and beat Hot rod Charlie inbetween those two races. Essential Quality was then beaten by Knicks go who had been beaten in the Saudi Cup by Mishriff. It’s a sequence of events that casts doubt on the form of Mandaloun in my eyes. He is obviously fast but I don’t think it will be enough.

T O Keynes won a group one in Japan but really, who did he beat? I’m not sure.

Art Collector has been beaten twice by Knicks go who in turn was beaten by Mishriff in last year’s Saudi cup.

If there is going to be a fly in the ointment it would not surprise me if it was wearing blue. Saeed Bin Suroor has an interesting entry in Real World with Frankie Dettori booked to ride. Although he has won his last 5 races he has only won 1 from 5 on a dirt/aw surface. That was his debut race where he won a class 5 at Chelmsford. As Charlie Appleby and William Buick are attending the meeting it is very interesting that Real World is the sole Godolphin runner in the line-up. Charlie has many horses that could run here but he has left the race to Saeed.

Selection: Mishriff 5/2 Bet365 Bog

Danger: Real World 12/1 Bet365 Bog