On an intriguing Friday night card, former stars may make a comeback

On Friday, the seven-race dirt card at Meydan Racecourse returns with several potential stars of the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Race 5's featured Nakheel Handicap is a affair with a purse of AED105,000. Nine horses have entered the race. One of them is Meshakel, who, after winning by seven and a quarter lengths at a mile distance in March of 2021, drew attention as a possible contender for the Godolphin Mile. He is currently running off a mark of 104 and is within striking distance of the Carnival if he can just get past the layoff. Celtic Prince, who finished third here last week, and Zero To A Hundred, who won his most recent start at Meydan in March, are both formidable foes for Meshakel. The season's first Purebred Arabian Group race will go off at 6 o'clock on the card. There is a competitive field of 14 in the G2 Bani Yas, which will be run over a distance. The group is led by the G2 Mazrat Al Ruwayyah winner AF Alajaj, who lines up for the barn of three-time UAE Champion Trainer Ernst Oertel, who also sends out the filly Iridesse. Course winner Namrood and the reliable Gold Silver are also in the race, but the little raced Heros De Lagarde drops from Gr.1 company to compete against lower-level foes, making for an intriguing contest.

The second race, a maiden division of the 2YO The Pointe, features some of the most promising fillies in training for the 2019 Classics. Here We Are, ridden by Royston Ffrench, is the better of Bin Ghadayer's two runners; she was purchased for $250,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic Sale. Awasef, daughter of Cairo Prince, was purchased for $100,000 at Ocala Spring and is now racing for Al Rashid Racing under the direction of Doug Watson. Long Kiss, who made his most recent start at Maronas in Uruguay in August, is an intriguing contender in the third race on the board, a three-year-old maiden sponsored by Palm West Beach. Green Jacket, running for Bhupat Seemar, will be the first horse in the UAE to wear the silks of the famous American stud farm Three Chimneys. This is the colt's first start in the area; he finished second in his one previous start at Belmont in 2021. Violet R, another horse trained by Seemar, has been soundly beaten in both of her starts.

Already off to a strong start with four victories this season, Seemar enters three horses into the handicap at The View at the Palm. Connor Panas, the stable's claiming rider, will be aboard Zahau. Also in the mix are the reliable Rayig and the January victor Ranaan over this course and distance. Taking Names's eight-length victory in his first race was one of the more remarkable victories of the early 2017 season. He was unable to capitalise on that success, but he was gelded during the summer and still represents an intriguing possibility for trainer Watson. Watson also saddles up Qareeb, who returns quickly after finishing a disappointing fourth over last week. The Palm Beach Towers Handicap is the final event of the day, and trainer Michael Costa will be rooting for Tahdeed to improve on his second-place finish in last week's event.