Meydan Sprint For Jungle Cat & Toscanini

Time/Date - 17.10hrs local time/Saturday, March 5, 2016
Racecourse/Country - Meydan/UAE
Surface/Distance - Turf/5f

Jungle Cat and Toscanini are out to enhance their Al Quoz Sprint claims in the G3 Meydan Sprint Sponsored By Arabian Adventures over five furlongs on turf at Meydan, UAE, on Super Saturday, March 5.

Both sprinters make their second Dubai World Cup Carnival appearances of 2015.

Jungle Cat (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) quickened smartly for an impressive victory in a six-furlong turf handicap on January 28.

The four-year-old Iffraaj colt lost a shoe when disappointing in the G1 Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, UK, in June but ran a better race to take second over the same trip in a Newbury Listed race the previous month.

Jungle Cat was among the UK's leading juveniles in 2014 with some fine efforts, most notably when going down by a nose to subsequent champion sprinter Muhaarar in the G2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes (6f) at York.

Toscanini (Michael Halford/James Doyle) made good late headway to finish fifth on his Meydan debut in a turf handicap over five furlongs on February 18.

The four-year-old Shamardal colt posted a pair of victories over six furlongs at Naas, Ireland last season and was runner-up in a pair of G3 races over the same distance at the Curragh in August.

He also ran to a very high level as a two-year-old in 2014, including a fine second to Gleneagles, who went on to win the British and Irish 2,000 Guineas, in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes (7f).

Charlie Appleby reported: "Jungle Cat showed a decent level of form in his two-year-old season, when he danced every dance and was very competitive.

"He ran very well at Newbury last season and we put a line through his Royal Ascot run, when he pulled half his hoof off leaving the gate.

"We gave him the rest of the year off and he was very impressive on his reappearance at the end of January.

"He has certainly come on for that run and, although he is dropping down to five furlongs for the first time, he showed plenty of speed last time.

"If he hangs on to the coat-tails of the leaders, he will be putting in his best work late on."

Michael Halford commented: "All is well with Toscanini. We feel that he should strip sharper compared to his first run of the season and we are putting the cheek-pieces back on him.

"He is loving being out in Dubai and looks very fresh and well at the moment. Our intention all along has been to run him in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1, 5f, turf, March 26) and this will hopefully be another stepping-stone ahead of Dubai World Cup Night."

Jungle Cat, drawn eight, and Toscanini, exiting from stall seven, face nine rivals and G1-winning sprinters Sole Power and Goldream are set to provide stiff opposition.