Timeform Dubai SmartPlays: Jebel Ali, Friday February 21

Richard Mullen will be aboard Baransky at 10:45.

Timeform's Dubai handicapper, Stephen Molyneux, suggests a number of plays at Jebel Ali on Friday...

"The opening thoroughbred handicap at 10:45 is high on numbers but low on interesting horses and a pair of recent maiden winners seem sure to go well with Baransky taken to come out on top..."

The opening thoroughbred handicap at 10:45 is high on numbers but low on interesting horses and a pair of recent maiden winners seem sure to go well with Baransky taken to come out on top. He took a while to get off the mark but did so at Abu Dhabi in January (race worked out well) and followed that up with a good run at this track last time when third to Periphery. He travelled well for a long way that day and will find this drop to a 0-80 (from a 0-90) very much up his street and he looks the one to beat.

Latching on to progressive horses at this relatively late stage of the Dubai season seems a sensible ploy and Latkhaf should make a bold bid to complete the hat-trick in the 12:15. He has been a model of consistency this season, runner-up 3 times before winning his last couple of starts over this course and distance. He may only have won by a head last time but it was a similarly progressive sort he got the better of and pleasingly the pair where nicely clear of the rest. This is obviously a stronger field but Latkhaf has more to offer himself and he is worth sticking with until he's beaten.

It's not easy to find potential value elsewhere with small fields very much the order of the day but Curzon Line looks interesting in the final race at 12:45. He was trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni last year where he won 2 of his 3 starts and has made a reasonable start for this yard despite only finishing eighth behind Innocuous and Discoverer. The main angle with him is that he could be allowed an easy lead in a race that looks devoid of early speed, and whilst this will be his first start on dirt his pedigree firmly suggests he will handle it.

Timeform Dubai Smartplays
Back Baransky in the 10:45
Back Latkhaf in the 12:15
Back Curzon Line in the 12:45

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