Red Hot Simcock Could Strike At Meydan

I can have no complaints really about the ride given to Rossmore’s Pride at the weekend. He was ridden more forward, just as I hoped he would, but the swing in the weights with Urbanist made no difference and he faded out of it in the closing stages. Maybe slightly better ground will help his cause, and on yielding or better he might be worth giving one more chance to.

Majeed was just touched off at Ascot off 100. 

Although the national hunt racing is usually at the forefront of most racing fans’ minds at the moment, it is always nice to look forward to some high quality flat action at Meydan during the Winter months. For the next few weeks there will be high class handicaps and Group races galore, and the one I like on Thursday goes in the lucky last, a 12f handicap worth £71k to the winner.

Majeed went into my notebook at this meeting last year when he ran a super race behind Gold Trail over this evening’s course and distance. A muddling early pace didn’t play to Majeed’s strengths, but he stayed on strongly in the closing stages for 4th, beaten just over 3L off a mark of 102. He ran better than his finishing position suggests here on his next start too off 103, beaten just 3L in 8th having made his challenge widest of all. He also ran a huge race at Ascot during the summer, beaten a neck off 100 (10f gd/fm).

That run behind Gold Trail was his second start of the Winter after a quiet run in Dubai first time back. This time, Mr. Simcock chose to give Majeed a prep run at Lingfield last month. The young apprentice jockey on board didn’t cover himself in glory that day, and he was slowly away, challenged out wide and never landed a blow. However, that run should have taken the edge off him after his four month break and another cause for optimism is Simcock’s form, 4 wins and 4 places from his last 12 runners.

Luke Morris rides Majeed for the first time and he will need to be at his very best on this tricky customer from stall 4. Majeed travels so well through his races Morris might be best served to just drop him in and sit and suffer, praying that the gaps come at the right times. If he gets the rub of the green Majeed is well capable of making his presence felt off a mark of 98, and at odds of 25/1 I think he is worth chancing each way.


STEVOS’ SELECTION: 18.00 MEYDAN-MAJEED E/W @ 25/1