MYSTICAL THE ONE TO BEAT IN DUBAI DUTY FREE

If anyone still suffered from the illusion that European horses were better than those bred elsewhere the Dubai Carnival must have been a rude awakening. The results have proven that horses from countries across the planet are basically all on the same level.

The latest affirmation of this idea came when Indian Champion MYSTICAL (42) won in sensationally fast time from a very strong field at Nad Al Sheba's latest fixture.

Mystical has now won 16 of his 19 lifetime starts and no less than his last ten in a row. He's broken course records at major Indian tracks over a mile and in the Indian St Leger. He's a multiple Group 1 winner that seems able to win in an amazing variety of circumstances.

Mystical's success in Dubai has enjoyed major news coverage in India. He's barely a blip on the radar for the European racing press right now. But that will all change if, as I suspect, he takes the Dubai Duty Free next time out and then goes on to tackle some of the continent's top middle distance races.

In the past India has not had a quarantine facility on its own soil. As a result its horses were effectively barred from foreign competition. That omission has now been corrected so we can expect to see more top horses from the country competing in Europe and elsewhere.

DIAMOND QUEST (41) won the Canon Gold Cup, South Africa's top staying race and improved markedly on what he'd shown in Dubai before to chase Mystical home. In doing so he pulled a remarkable eight lengths clear of The John Smith's Cup winner Fairmile (35) in third.

I do hope Diamond Quest makes the cut for the Dubai Sheema Classic as on this run he'd have a real shot of at least running into a place at big odds.

FOLK COULD EASILY BEAT THE COLTS IN UAE DERBY

FOLK (39) duly won the UAE Oaks. And she did so by a wide margin with her ears pricked in remarkably fast time. In fact I gave her the same speed rating as I awarded her for her brilliant win in the UAE Guineas the run before. That was the biggest speed rating I can recall giving a three year old filly this early in the year, so clearly Folk is just about as fast as a horse of her age and sex can be.

The plan now is for Folk to take on the colts in the UAE Derby. I rate her equal to the likely warm favourite for that race Asiatic Boy on my ratings.

The main concern is that Folk might 'bounce' off her two fast runs since there's only 23 days between this effort and the UAE Derby. But I'm always wary of opposing a horse that keeps on doing things they just shouldn't be able to do. Therefore I'm now thinking that Folk may well be able to beat the colts in the UAE Derby. Certainly after that she simply has to be aimed at America's top race for 3YO fillies, the Kentucky Oaks, as she'd be a slam dunk for the event on my ratings.

ASIATIC BOY NOW LOOKS UNSTOPPABLE IN UAE DERBY

ASIATIC BOY (41) had won two races in very fast time at Nad Al Sheba. However there was a big question mark over whether such a speedy horse could stay nine furlongs. He proved that he could when running faster than ever to take the key prep race for the UAE Derby by a wide margin. In doing so he ran faster than ever and now looks pretty much unstoppable in the UAE Derby. Maybe something will take him on for the lead there and force him to go too fast. But, more than likely Asiatic Boy will simply roll to yet another win.

It's interesting to note that Asiatic Boy won in fast time on grass in Argentina. So perhaps we'll be seeing him in Europe later on this year. If he were mine though I'd be shipping him to the US where he'd surely become a big player in their top dirt races.

EU TAMBEN LOOKS A BIG PLAYER IN WORLD CUP

EU TAMBEN (41) showed that he's going to be a big player in the Dubai World Cup when strolling to an impressive win in fast time over the course and distance of the big race. He won the Argentine Derby over 12.5 furlongs, so it's not surprising he got stronger as the race progressed. In fact he ran the last furlong in just 12.3 seconds. That's amazingly fast for the last eighth of a mile of a pretty strongly run ten furlong race on dirt.

I would not dismiss Eu Tamben's chances lightly in the Dubai World Cup. Unlike the current favourite Discreet Cat, he is certain to get the distance and has had an uninterrupted preparation for the big race. As I see it, he's the main danger to Invasor.

I should add that Eu Tamben's trainer floated the idea of taking on Asiatic Boy in the UAE Derby instead of going for the World Cup. But that doesn't sound like a smart plan for a proven mile and a half horse. Sectional times show that Eu Tamben ran the first nine furlongs 0.57 seconds slower than Asiatic Boy took to run that distance, and he was pretty much flat to the boards at that point so I doubt he could run the shorter trip any faster. It was only in the last furlong that his stamina kicked in here and he really began to assert.

In any event, whatever the immediate plans are for Eu Tamben he will surely be shipped to America where he will be able to exploit the weakness of the older horses and become a contender for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

MOFARIJ IS A CLASSIC CONTENDER

MOFARIJ (38) ran a seriously fast time for a three year old this early in the year to win a mile maiden at Nad Al Sheba. This run is fast enough to make him a classic contender. Whether he'll stay the mile and a half of the Epsom Derby looks open to question. But he's also in the French Guineas which looks a logical target. After that he's also in the Prix du Jockey Club over 10.5 furlongs. Right now he looks one of the top prospects for both those races.