Girls take centre-stage with the 2019 renewal of the $250,000 Cape Verdi at the third meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan tonight.
The Group 2 for fillies has been won for the past three years by Saeed bin Suroor.
The Emirati trainer, chasing a record sixth victory overall, saddles Asoof, with jockey Christophe Soumillon sporting the Godolphin silks.
Asoof thrived in the UK last year, winning at Ripon, Notting-ham and Newbury and shaping like a filly that can be competitive in this grade. She demands respect despite fears that the 1600m could be on the short side.
Baroot caused a minor surprise last week when he gave Mike de Kock his first success this winter and the South African trainer is two-handed in the finale this week, a 1600m handicap, with US import Fire Away and former Meydan winner Suyoof.
Preference is for the la er, the mount of Dane O’Neill for his main employer Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.
The six-year-old went into notebooks on his seasonal debut here two weeks ago, staying on nicely in the closing stages to finish a creditable fourth.
Ed Marnane’s picks:Best bet: 7 Lavaspin (Race 1). Best value: 2 Settle For Bay (Race 6).Jackpot (Races 3-6): 1, 4, 8 x 2, 3, 7 x 6, 10 x 2, 3, 6, 10 (R72
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