Imbongi - John Bovington Memorial Criterion Stakes Gr3, Newmarket UK
(Photo : Chris Bourchier)

MEYDAN RACECOURSE
5 FEBRUARY 2010

In Zulu, Imbongi means “praise singer”, and we hope that, following a successful Graded Stakes-winning season in Britain, we’ll be singing his praises come the end of the Dubai Carnival.

The former Champion Three Year Old miler came out of his last race in England a touch on the sore side, and the maestro, Mike de Kock, gave him a long rest at Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum’s private establishment in Dubai.

He’s apparently come back full of the joys, and in his entry in the US$150,000 Jaguar XJ Trophy over 1400m on Friday at 19:10pm (SA time), he has two principle hurdles to overcome. The first is his condition, as nobody knows how fit he is, and it will definitely count as he takes on a pretty accomplished field to whom he gives weight all round (he goes to post with 60kgs). The other of course, is the fact he’s never competed on an artificial surface, and the new Meydan track has been laid with Tapeta. While the reports are that the track is riding well, it’s a matter of individual preference as to whether a horse takes to it or not.

An indication of the mountain he has to climb is that he has to give more than a stone to the accomplished South African Graded Stakes winner, Wonder Lawn, as well the highly performed Irish runner, Stubbs Art. He needs to get this one under his belt though, if he’s going to have any impact on the Carnival, and so we hope he has the condition to make a sort of race of it.

JAGUAR XJ TROPHY
MEYDAN TAPETA 1400M
FINAL FIELD