No horse has ever won the Maiden Cup (2400 – G1) three times. Alshibaa will be the horse to beat this Sunday as he is running to make it three in a row after winning this race in 2020 and 2021.
The biggest sports event held in Mauritius. Hundreds of thousands of Mauritians will follow the Medine Maiden Cup with particular attention on Sunday. The vast majority will want Alshibaa to win this event for the third time and thus witness a historic victory.
Alshibaa will be the horse to beat after these two victories in 2020 and 2021, and also after his formidable performance in the Golden Trophy when he produced an excellent finish after being cut short in his action entering the final straight during his last outing. Champion trainer Ricky Maingard has done a tremendous job with Alshibaa who will be in top form on Sunday.
A race is never won in advance, and there will be tough opponents in this 2022 edition of the Medine Maiden Cup. Starting with Twist Of Fate. This classy horse trained by Vincent Allet took third place in this event in 2021. He won easily over 1850m during his last outing. Twist Of Fate will be Alshibaa’s main danger and he will have Rai Joorawon in the saddle. The Mauritian jockey knows Alshibaa well, as he won the Maiden Cup with this steed last year.
The Gatekeeper is the favourite. He is undefeated in three outings in Mauritius. He has never run over 2400m and he has only won over 1850m. The course remains a question mark, but he could handle the distance because he did fairly well over 2200m in South Africa. The Gatekeeper is at the peak and he will be a good chance with his second line at the start. Trainer Ramapatee Gujadhur will count on two good stayers with Holy Warrior and Favour. These two horses have shown signs of progress in their last outings over 1600m. They had a particular preparation for the Maiden Cup because they did not have races beyond 1850m in Mauritius. Both are good underdogs. We cannot eliminate the third representative of the oldest stable of the Mauritian turf which will be Shah Akbar. Seeing Million Dollar Man perform well or even win the Maiden Cup won’t be ome as a big surprise. It will even be a great story for this horse who started his career in one of the lowest category in Mauritius. Million Dollar Man remains on five straight wins.
Selection: Alshibaa – Twist Of Fate – Million Dollar Man – The Gatekeeper.
Tips
Race 1 – (0-15) – 1400M
Rochester – Jet Path – Misty Roller
Race 2 – Benchmark 36 – 1365M
Global Glory – Kalgoorlie – Short Cut – Lite Of My Life
Race 3 – (0-26) – 990M
Elmo – Hollow Point – King Of Colts
Race 4 – Benchmark 61 – 1650M
Prospector – Karoo Lark – Tsitsikamma Dance
Race 5 – Benchmark 51 – 1600M
Hakeem – Grand Vision – Var’s Elusion – Kaydens Pride
Race 6 – G1 – 2400M (Terms – WFA)
Alshibaa – Twist Of Fate – Million Dollar Man – The Gatekeeper
Race 7 – (0-25) – 1365M
Honokalani – Noble Trip – Wilde World – Moon Jumper
Race 8 – Benchmark 31 – 1500M
Betathantherest – Supreme Orator – Beni Des Dieux – Beleiveinthefuture
- Bankers: Global Glory – Prospector
- Value bets: Alshibaa – Hakeem
- Outsiders: Misty Roller – Lite Of My Life
Alshibaa last win
Alshibaa last trackwork
Twist Of Fate last win
Twist Of Fate last trackwork
Million Dollar Man last win
Million Dollar Man last trackwork
The Gatekeeper last win
The Gatekeeper last trackwork
Mezuzah scratched
Horse Mezuzah, number 6 of race 3 (The Sparc Cup) for Race Meeting 25 on Sunday 2 October 2022, has been scratched at 7.45. a.m. this Friday 30 September 2022 by the Racing Stewards of the Horse Racing Division, acting on veterinary advice. Mezuzah has been diagnosed with a cough. As per the rules for fixed odds betting, all monies placed on Mezuzah are cancelled and refunded, and betting is to be reopened. For the tote, the bets on Mezuzah will be refunded after the official results for Race 3 on Sunday 2 October 2022, except for all other types of bets where it is stipulated that it is replaced by the Tote favourite.
Horses’ weights:
