Meydan Masters: Fight to the wire

DUBAI:Twelve jockeys who between them won the world's greatest races in 2009 will provide a fitting climax to the Dubai International Racing Carnival when they compete in the Meydan Masters Challenge tomorrow night.

American Kent Desormeaux, winner of the Belmont Stakes last year on Summer Bird, is relishing the challenge. He told XPRESS last night: "If I were a racing fan I wouldn't miss it because you can't imagine what you are going to see.

"I'm going to be with these 11 other guys that are masters at finding the horse's absolute maximum cruising speed so that they reach that point where [the horse] needs to be to run its best. They're good at figuring that out. That's why they're here.

"The reality of that is it is going to be fun playing with the best of the best. The riders are going to have the horse at the quarter-pole all pretty much the same way. But when we let loose the object of the game is to get there first and we all do it in a very different way. So the fans should enjoy that."

The horses for the four handicaps that make up the jockeys challenge are drawn by ballot, but riding a horse you may never have seen before is no disadvantage, according to Desormeaux. "It is normal. It is what we do every day. I ride nine horses a day and seven of them I've never met before."

Desormeaux had never met Meydan before until yesterday, but already he wants more: "It's awe inspiring, jaw-dropping to say the least. What's more amazing is that it is here, because it was just 22 months ago that it was a model, and the structure is up and we get to play on it Friday. night and the fans get to enjoy it. It's just magical. You couldn't imagine a science project coming out like this with the lights and everything.

"I'll definitely be back on World Cup night."

Races one, two, four and five of the seven-race card tomorrow comprise the Meydan Masters.

Imbongi can keep mile in De Kock's hands

 -DAVID HARRISON

Friday's meeting may be all about the inaugural Meydan Masters but the three non-handicaps on the card are the best races with pride of place going to the Group 2 Zabeel Mile (1,600m) on the turf course.

Mike De Kock won it last year with Archipenko and should go close this time with Imbongi. The main dangers would appear to be Godolphin's Rio De La Plata, a Group 1 winner as a juvenile and Snaafy, trained by Musabah Al Muhairi and winner of a course‑and-distance handicap on his seasonal return.

The two conditions races are also on the grass and the 6f (1,200m) sprint appears the ideal opportunity for India's Oasis Star to get her head in front.

The other, the 1m Meydan Classic, is restricted to three-year-olds and Godolphin duo Frozen Power and unbeaten Tahitian Warrior look hard to beat.