Four Manton horses, the four-year-old Mantoba and three-year-olds Burano, Mehdi and Right to Dream, have travelled over to Dubai to compete in the Carnival meeting at Meydan. The first runners for the stable are Mehdi and Right to Dream who go for the 4.25 p.m. race on Thursday January 12, a trial for UAE Guineas.
Brian Meehan has flown out to Dubai for the race, in which Mehdi will run from stall 14 of 18 and be partnered by William Buick while Martin Dwyer will be on Right to Dream, who is drawn six. Mehdi earned a total of £141,000 from his juvenile campaign, which brought two wins and six places, a number of those in valuable sales races.
He is rated 101 but has the second highest RPR in the field. Right to Dream won easily at Windsor in the summer but after finishing unplaced in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood in late July, he did not appear again as a juvenile. Both horses have been working nicely since touching down in Dubai.
Mantoba, third in a nice Listed race at Lingfield last month, is continuing his comeback after a frustrating time in Dubai last year. He was sent for the UAE Derby on World Cup night, but suffered an injury which prevented him coming back until last autumn. His rehabilitation – he was a smart juvenile in 2010 – is now complete and he looks the ideal type to pick up a nice handicap or two during the Carnival.
Finally we have Burano, placed in his first two starts in smart company and then a good second on his finale (of four runs) in a competitive nursery at the Doncaster St Leger meeting. As such he is going to be one of the best maidens on show this year at Meydan and should join his stablemates in further improving Manton’s great Dubai record with such as David Junior and Cat Junior over the past decade.
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© 2011 Brian Meehan at Manton