The winners of the last two classical races in Mauritius, Alshibaa and Twist Of Fate, will battle in The Winter Stakes (G3) which will be run over 1850m on Saturday at the Champ-de-mars racecourse.
Alshibaa won the Maiden Cup (2400m-G1) very easily in October 2020 and Twist Of Fate was far too good in The Duchess Of York Cup (1400m-G2) back in May 2021. Those two horses have met once in The Barbé Cup (1600m – G1) on the 4th of July with Undercover Agent finishing first, Twist Of Fate second and Alshibaa third.
Twist Of Fate is the highest rated horse in the field and he will carry the top weight of 61 kg. He has done nothing wrong since his first race in Mauritius with a great win in The Duchess Of York Cup and two places. He seemed to have made more progress at the track work where he was far better than his stable companion Wall Tag last Tuesday. He will be a hard nut to crack.
Alshibaa did very well for his first run after nine months when he finished strongly grabbing the third place over 1600m last time. He is a very good stayer who won the Maiden Cup by more than 6 lengths in 2020. The 1850m will be better for him. He has gone up in physical condition after his first race this season and he will be right there.
The horse of the year of 2020, Patrol Officer, was unlucky on his last race. His jockey made a move to the outside on the last turn when there was plenty of room on the inside. He then struggled to secure a clear run and finished second. Patrol Officer’s mission this year is clearly to win the Maiden Cup. He last win was over 2100m and his trainer is aiming at the 2400m. He will be one to be watched closely over 1850m this time.
Champion trainer Gilbert Rousset will have another big runner in the race with Alyaasaat. He is in a great shape and he won over 1850m last year. The only bad side of Alyaasaat is that he can be slow at the start as he did in his last race and lost some precious lengths. But, he will be battling to win if he breaks well from the gates.
Eyes Wide Open is one of the top horses bought for this racing season. He was highly rated in South Africa winning two G1 and two G2 Races. The Ramapatee Gujadhur’s trained horse was back to competition after nearly one year and did not finished far from the winner. He will be the ‘dark horse’ of the race and he can turn the tables.
Opera Royal and The Dazzler are two decent stayers who will carry the bottom weights. They will be good outsiders and they have great chances to finish in the quartet.
Selection: Twist Of Fate – Alshibaa – Patrol Officer – Alyaasaat
Tips
Race 1 – 1600m (0-25)
Overdose – Dreamforest – Brooklyn’s Choice – Seoul
Race 2 – 1400m (B26)
Bollinger-Ron’s Joy – Canary Island – Good Buddy
Race 3 – 1650m (B41)
G I Joe – Moschino – Viking Trail – Paddingtons Luck
Race 4 – 1500m (B46)
Kaydens Pride – Juniper Lane – Sea Dance – Steak And Ale
Race 5 – 1400m (B51)
Captain Flynt – Culture Trip – King Of Tara – Bassam
Race 7 – 1400m (B31)
Crazy Charlie – Al Jazeera – Sand Path – Nao Faz Mal
Race 8 – 1500m (0-26)
Amandla – Beni des Dieux – San Andreas – Oxford Blue
Tips
Bankers: Kaydens Pride – Captain Flynt
Value Bets: Patrol Officer – G I Joe
Outsiders: Crazy Charlie – Amandla
