Global Weekly Preview - 18.02.16

Godolphin hopes this weekend revolve around key races in three major racing capitals - and all in the space of 72 hours.

The Meydan meeting in Dubai tonight (Thursday, 18 Feb) features the reappearance of Tryster after a break of nearly five months, while in Australia on Saturday, Exosphere makes his comeback to the racetrack in the G1 Lightning Stakes in Melbourne, and the promising Astern tackles the G2 Silver Slipper in Sydney.

Three high-profile Godolphin runners, all carrying the famous royal blue colours, and all ready to establish their claims for major targets worldwide in coming months.

I doubt whether there have been many who have made such conspicuous progress through the ranks as Charlie Appleby-trained Tryster, whose career record reads: 7 wins from 10 starts.

He reeled off 5 victories on the trot on all-weather tracks in the UK last year, climaxing with a win in the lucrative Middle-Distance Championship at Lingfield Park on April 3.

Experimenting with a switch to Turf, he then finished last of five runners in the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. His only outing since resulted in another win on the all-weather, but the questions remain: was that his true running in the Brigadier Gerard? Does he reserve his best efforts exclusively for the all-weather surfaces?

Tonight's G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes, over 2,000m at Meydan on Turf, will go a long way to providing those answers. William Buick, who rides Tryster, later partners the Mick Halford-trained Toscanini in the 1,000m handicap on Turf, which appears a suitable starting point for the Irish sprinter, who finished fifth in the G3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last June.

Down Under, all eyes will be on Exosphere when he faces a strong field of 6 rivals in the G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, over 1,000m at Flemington. Big names such as Chatauqua, Terravista, Delectation and Japonisme line up against Exosphere, who will be out to re-establish his reputation following a disappointing 4th in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

There are times when a top jockey wishes he could be in two places at once - and this is the case with James McDonald this Saturday. He is in Melbourne to ride Exosphere, who he rates as potentially the best sprinter in Australia, but a part of him wishes he could also be in Sydney to partner Astern in the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill.

Instead, Hugh Bowman will ride Astern, a son of Medaglia d'Oro, who attempts to stake his claim for a crack at the G1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 19. The colt recently won a barrier trial at Warwick Farm and continues to please Godolphin trainer John O'Shea at home.

On the same Rosehill card, English import Arab Dawn will have his second Australian start, in the Listed Paramatta Cup, over 1,900m. He beat one home on his Sydney debut but is expected to make a better impression over staying trips.

Godolphin's Etymology, runner-up to Tarzino in the G1 Victoria Derby, reappears in the G2 Hobartville Stakes, over 1,400m, in which the stable are also represented by Shards, whose best run last Spring was a 2nd in the G2 Vase at Moonee Valley, and Tarquin.