Awab best on tough Meydan card

Racing returns to Meydan today for an eight-race card that is short on quality but high on quantity as four of the eight races have attracted maximum fields, and finding winners will be tough.

- Ed Marnane

Race 3, the 1400m dirt conditions race for three-year-olds, looks a fine opportunity for lightly raced Awab, three weeks after finishing a respectable fourth behind Saudi Derby hopeful Golden Vekoma in the UAE 2000 Guineas.

Trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, Awab kept on well to finish less than six lengths behind the winner, showing a likeable attitude for pressure in the closing stages on just third run of his career. He will appreciate the drop in grade, is open to further improvement and rates the best bet on a difficult card.

Quirky No Retreat, trained by Fawzi Nass, continues to frustrate his connections and punters, having finished second for the fourth successive time at Meydan seven days ago. He travelled strongly but idled in front in the closing stages and found little for pressure when failing to see off the late challenge of Folk Festival.

No Retreat, beaten favourite in all five lifetime runs, contests the final race, the 1400m handicap on turf. From a double-digit draw in a big field, Adrie de Vries will need all his experience and skill to get No Retreat to finally make the breakthrough.