Dubai: Racing at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday provide several runners the perfect opportunity to qualify for the Dubai World Cup Carnival, especially those contesting turf handicaps over 1400m and 1800m.

Both have attracted the maximum field of 16 and in the Mina Hamriya, the weights are headed by Art Wave, trained by Musabah Al Muhairi who is the mount of stable jockey, Fernando Jara.

Third in last week’s Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile, he was fifth in a 1600m handicap, on the grass, here at Meydan the previous week and will be having just his fifth turf outing.

“He has been running well and should do so again,” said Jara. “Obviously he has a lot of weight but he seems in good form.”

Trained by Esmail Mohammad, Annunciation is making his seasonal debut and having his first start since finishing third in the National Day Cup Prep back in November 2015.

Stable jockey, Adrie de Vries, is in the saddle and he looks to hold good claims but the one to beat could well be Cross Grain, to be ridden by Richard Mullen for his main employer, Satish Seemar.

He missed a race at Abu Dhabi last Sunday, won by stable companion Akeed Champion, to wait for this and connections could well be rewarded. He has only had eight career starts and is clearly fragile but, as he showed when winning on his turf debut at Abu Dhabi last March, over 1400m, he has plenty of ability.

“He is a horse we have always really liked,” said Mullen. “He has not been the easiest to train and Satish and his team have done a great job with him. Hopefully he can run well.”

Mullen’s mount was in the National Day Cup, a race won by Championship, who landed this very race on his UAE debut, 12 months ago for Ahmad Bin Harmash.

He saddles Bear Faced this year on what will be his second local outing having been well beaten on his first start for the yard.

Earlier, in the DP World UAE Region, an 1800m turf handicap, Seemar and Mullen also appear to hold a leading chance, this time with Town’s History. He opened his local account, at the third attempt but first on turf in the UAE, two weeks ago over 2000m and looks open to plenty of improvement.

“We were very pleased with him last time,” said Mullen. “He seems in great form and hopefully there is more to come from him.”

Another to win last time was Baroot, the mount of Pat Cosgrave and trained by South African, Mike de Kock. He and Cosgrave won a 1600m turf handicap, on the same weekend as Town’s History’s 2000m victory, when chased home by the Seemar-trained Pupil.

“He did it well enough the last day and appreciated the return to turf,” said De Kock. “He should run very well again.”

Making his local debut and representing the might of Godolphin, who landed all bar one of the six Thoroughbred races at Thursday’s Carnival meeting, the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Classic Collection, to be ridden by Harry Bentley, looks sure to go close in the same race.