James Willoughby assesses the G1 action at Meydan – using TRC Global Rankings as his guide
All 
Group 1s are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Meydan racecourse in Dubai stages a stimulating card for its so-called ‘Super Saturday’, but the truth is that its two Group 1 races don’t have the strength-in-depth normally associated with top races round the world.
This doesn’t mean they are routine to solve. The stronger of the two is the G1 Jebel Hatta over nine furlongs on turf. This is how TRC Computer Race Ratings (TRC) rates the leading contenders (their current rankings are denoted with a ‘#’ before
the horse’s name).
Lord Glitters, now a nine-year-old, is a remarkably tough horse. Granted a good gallop, he can produce a powerful, sustained finishing burst capable of cutting down many top rivals. What’s more, he is a consistent animal and has twice landed in front in well-contested G1s, including this race last year. We caught him running to TRC 114 when winning the G2 Singspiel Stakes and the world #92 should run another bang-up race.
Runners and riders for Super Saturday at Meydan
Though Barney Roy’s peak ratings of 122, 121 and 118 are all ahead of the selection’s, he is past his best now. His last three performances all rate 115, and for that reason he is ranked only #292 compared with a Top 30 berth at best. He ran well when last seen out in the G3 Bahrain International Trophy, but Lord Glitters made him settle for the runner-up’s berth readily enough.
Godolphin stable jockey William Buick has chosen #802 Zakouski over Barney Roy and it is easy to see why. He is getting better, though again we could not rank him above Lord Glitters owing to the latter having him nearly two lengths back in third when winning the Singspiel.
The other Godolphin runners, Highland Avenue and Land Of Legends are capable, but we would need to see a lot more from them. The former was ridden too aggressively last time and looked a very promising horse early in 2021. He wears a hood this time.
Earlier on the Meydan card, good quality form is thin on the ground in Round 3 of the Al Maktoum Challenge. The leading performers according to TRC Global Rankings are as follows:
Salute The Soldier is the highest-ranked contender, but it goes against the grain to put up an exposed horse who sits at #283 for a G1. At least Hypothetical has more upside, but, as his name suggests, this is only in theory.
The suggestion is #1606 Everfast because he has been with trainer Doug Watson for only two starts and only one Group race, depriving him of the chance of a higher ranking. Perhaps he is the horse to give the result an air of excitement for the future.
Certainly, the son of Take Charge Indy encountered a much better horse in Round 2 of this series than he meets here. In that G2, he had to settle for third behind world #10 Hot Rod Charlie, the American-trained four-year-old who had such smart from in the best company at home during his Classic season.
For The Top was just behind Everfast there and also rates a mention, though his other form isn’t as encouraging.
James Willoughby's rankings advice
In the Jebel Hatta, defending champion LORD GLITTERS is good enough to earn a third career G1. The bar isn’t set as high by those with established form in R3 of the Al Maktoum Challenge, however, and EVERFAST could step up.
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires
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