Lord Glitters has been a grand horse for a long time and he blew his opposition away over the Meydan 1800m last time, taking the Singspiel Stakes in dominant fashion, and that four of his six rivals in tonight's Al Rashidiya were behind him there makes his place at the top of the market fairly easy to comprehend. 

The win could hardly be considered a fluke. He was 9/1 and hadn't managed to win since the 2019 Queen Anne, the highlight of his career to date. But he had run credibly more often then not since then and his lone trip to the Meydan beforehand had also brought about a career peak when third in the Dubai Turf behind Almond Eye in 2019. 

The speed figure for the Singspiel was a strong one and the margins strung right out as would be expected from a fast time in a strongly run race. They all had their chance and Lord Glitters was far and away the best. But can he repeat? Or perhaps the better question - how often should we expect him to repeat? 

Zakouski was no match in second in that Singspiel but expectation there can't be ignored. He was 9/4 against Lord Glitters 9/1. Now it sits, generally, at 7/4 v 13/8. 

That may be an overadjustment for one run. Zakouski wasn't as good as Lord Glitters but he was very solid in a fast race that will surely bring him on.  

He was dynamite in a couple of steadily run races around here last season and that could be all important with the pace we saw in the Singspiel potentially missing this time around. The first five in running last time all miss tonight leaving Zakouski camped on a potentially slow pace with a quality turn of speed. 

That is enough to make him a standout bet in what should be a fascinating contest. 

Recommended bet: Back Zakouski in the Al Rashidiya at $2.75