Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Ertijaal (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) looms the horse to beat in the G3 Meydan Sprint over 1000 metres at Meydan Thursday. Victorious in the Listed HH The President Cup at Abu Dhabi in 2015, the turf speedster rattled off three more wins on the bounce–in February of that year and in a brace of Meydan handicaps last term–including a 1000-metre contest in February of 2016 prior to a tough-luck second to Aussie veteran Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint Mar. 26. Ertijaal resumed with a win in a Jan. 5 handicap at Meydan and appears to be in top form.
In his wake that day was bridesmaid The Happy Prince (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and third-place runner Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). The former, a winner of the G3 Renaissance S. at The Curragh Sept. 25, ran sixth in the Listed Dubawi S. over the dirt at Meydan Jan. 12 and reported home ninth transferred back to the local grass last out Feb. 11.
Caspian Prince was fifth past the post in a course and distance handicap behind Speed Hawk (Henny Hughes), with the venerable veteran Sole Power (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) one better Feb. 2.
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