The Meydan Punt: Nick Driver with two to follow

BANKER

First View (3.40 Meydan)

First View looks like an ideal type to take the honours in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial for Godolphin, Saeed bin Suroor and Christophe Soumillion. A winner of two novice contests at Kempton, he won the second of those carrying a 7lb penalty, dispatching some potentially promising juveniles. His early pace from the stalls and battling abilities towards the finish shown in his novice races are golden attributes for winners at Meydan. The only question mark is whether he can handle the dirt surface, but he's a half-brother to Heavy Metal and his damsire Singspiel also won the Dubai World Cup back in 1997.

GOOD THING

Zakouski (4.50 Meydan)

The Longines Conquest Classic Handicap has been split into two divisions and competitors in division one may be ruing their luck that Zakouski has been drawn in with them. He made his debut in November 2018 beating Headman (a two-time Group 2 winner now rated 115) by two lengths before faltering in the 2019 Craven Stakes finishing fifth. The horses he was in behind at Newmarket are now rated 114, 109, 110 and 104, while Zakouski has been given a paltry rating of 100 for this handicap.

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