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| Staff Writer |
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Swing Vote, trained by the father-son duo Simon and Ed Crisford and ridden by William Buick, has won two consecutive races over a mile on the challenging Jebel Ali track. The 5YO Shamardal gelding is now set to compete in the Gr.3 Jebel Ali Mile, the season's biggest race at this venue. This upcoming race will determine whether Swing Vote can live up to the hype surrounding him.
Many racing enthusiasts at Jebel Ali are betting on Swing Vote to win the race, and for good reason. He has defeated several strong divisional milers who have proven themselves on the UAE's most demanding finish. His first two performances were outstanding, especially his second race, the Prep for the Jebel Ali Mile. In that race, he teased and toyed with the field before leaving them behind in just a few strides. While it may seem that Swing Vote is the clear favourite, it is still important to assess his rivals.
The opposition includes American import Home Brew, a 5YO Street Sense gelding trained by Michael Costa and ridden by Ben Coen. Home Brew finished 10th in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in November 2023, but he may have had little time to acclimate to the new environment. Still, defeating Swing Vote will require a significant effort, and Home Brew's record of 9:5-1-0 will mean nothing if he cannot perform on the day.
Other contenders include Daramethos, who won last year's Listed Jebel Ali Stakes and finished third in the Gr.2 Dubai City of Gold, and In Crowd, who was third behind Swing Vote and Tenbury Wells in their last race. Tenbury Wells has finished second to Swing Vote twice this season, but lacks both stamina and spirit. Al Jaddaf, trained by Ahmad bin Harmash, is a two-time winner over the Meydan mile, but has little experience on the challenging Jebel Ali track. Qareeb, trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, won over 1950m at Jebel Ali, and this outing was likely a way to prepare for next month's Listed Jebel Ali Stakes.