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Mentally mature Solow blossoming ahead of Dubai Turf at Meydan

The Grey Gatsby has already racked up wins in England, France and Ireland in his 11-race career, most notably when lowering the colours of Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown
The Grey Gatsby has already racked up wins in England, France and Ireland in his 11-race career, most notably when lowering the colours of Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown

Freddy Head will look to run Solow at Royal Ascot and at the Breeders’ Cup if the grey pleases him in Saturday's Dubai Turf at Meydan.

Solow has won seven of his last eight starts over distances ranging from 12 furlongs to a mile, but Head is now of the opinion that shorter trips bring out the best in the Singspiel gelding and he tackles nine furlongs in the Group One event formerly known as the Dubai Duty Free.

Head said: "He's by Singspiel and it was my fault that I ran him over longer trips early on because he's a true miler.

"I think he's an ideal horse for the Dubai Turf and I've aimed him for the race. He's improved in himself, but most importantly in his mind."

Reflecting on what turned out to be a hugely successful season for the horse in 2014, Head added: "He did amazing things at Deauville and again at the Arc, but he'd had a hard season and so we stopped him.

"We've enjoyed a very mild winter in France and so at home we were never stopped, and then he had a very nice prep at Chantilly. He's the right horse for the right race and I think he could do something special.

"If we do well here it will be Royal Ascot next, then the States at the back end of the year."

Solow will be facing a stiff challenge with British runner The Grey Gatsby boasting the highest rating going into the race.

Kevin Ryan's charge won the Dante last year before going on to land the French Derby and Irish Champion Stakes, where he claimed the notable scalp of English and Irish Derby winner Australia.

Ryan Moore teamed up with the four-year-old colt on four occasions last year, including his Chantilly and Leopardstown triumphs, and the pair will be aiming for a third Group One victory.

The trainer said: "We took (The Grey Gatsby) on to the grass and some of the clockers thought he was galloping full tilt but that is misleading.

"He's such a talented horse, he can give the impression he's going faster on the canter that he actually is, and that was the case on Thursday.

"We look to have found a good spot for his first run of the season. His form stacks up and makes him the one to beat, but only the race itself can tell us that he is."

A confident Moore said in his Betfair blog: "People have been trying to knock his form from last year, but it is top class. He won the Dante and the Prix du Jockey Club, he was only beaten two lengths by Australia in the Juddmonte International, and he beat him in the Irish Champion Stakes.

"That was a top-class race, with top-class horses like Trading Leather and Mukhadram and Al Kazeem behind us. If Australia was in this race instead of The Grey Gatsby, he would be a 1-3 shot, and he would deserve to be a 1-3 shot.

"Solow has won his last four races, and he is the main danger, and Euro Charline worked well during the week, she could run a decent race at a big price. But this is not a strong race for a Dubai Duty Free. The only concern is that this is The Grey Gatsby's first race since last September, but Kevin is a top class trainer and he is very happy with him. That's good enough for me."

Euro Charline provides a second string to the British bow as she lines up for Marco Botti.

Fifth in the 1000 Guineas and third in the Coronation Stakes last term, she graduated to a Grade One win when landing the Beverly D Stakes at Arlington in August.

Botti said: "She's a Listed winner that has gone on to win a Group One in the States by three-quarters of a length and while it's been a long time since Arlington, I think I have her where she wants to be for this first run back."

Alain de Royer-Dupre saddles Cladocera in a contest French-trained horses have landed twice, and she is seeking her third Meydan victory of 2015 having already won both the Balanchine and Cape Verdi.

Jockey Christophe Soumillon said: "We know conditions suit her. She has won well both times and should go well in what is obviously a lot tougher race."

The David Simcock-trained Trade Storm finished fourth in 2013 and well down the field last year and he tries his luck again after finishing second in the Jebel Hatta on his warm-up run.

Simcock said: "He always needs a prep run and he has improved for the one he had on Super Saturday. Mind you, he will need to against this calibre of opposition.

"The plus for us is that it is a small but select field, which will suit his (come-from-behind) running style. He might just lack the ability of the top-grade horses but you know he will be staying on at the end."

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