Juvenile Watch: Dubai Future Champions Festival tips

1.15 selection: Spicy Marg 

Brussels is 9lb clear on official ratings, but he drops back a furlong in trip here and has previously raced over as far as 7½f, suggesting that his top-class trainer had not initially seen him as a speedster.

He raced freely when runner-up in the Middle Park on his latest start so dropping back in trip might be the way forward. Certainly, a reproduction of that form would be good enough to see him win this.

But he's a winner of only one of his five starts and this, coupled with the drop back in trip, means he's worth opposing at the prices on offer. 

At a bigger price, I prefer Spicy Marg. She can be forgiven poor effort on her latest start when taking on her elders in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, where she blatantly failed to cope with the hustle and bustle of such a race. 

Before that she had comfortably accounted for Revival Power at Goodwood in the Alice Keppel Stakes. There they raced off level weights and she now receives 5lb from that rival.

If she can reproduce her best form she could be the one to shake up Brussels, with the drying ground and this track likely to suit. 

2.57 selection: Queen Of Hawaii each-way at 9-1

Precise has progressed with each of her four starts, beating Moon Target in the Prestige on her third start before improving again to win at this Group One level on her latest outing.

That level of form would be more than enough to win this, but I do wonder whether she was flattered by being the most patiently ridden of Aidan O’Brien’s three runners at The Curragh. To my mind, she was the beneficiary of the most efficient ride in the race.  

She fully deserves to be a short price, but I'd prefer to look for an each-way alternative. 

Queen Of Hawaii won a Group Three at the Curragh over this trip on her latest start, in doing so maintaining her unbeaten record when racing over a mile. 

She was noticeably strong through the line at The Curragh, as befits her stout pedigree. A big field in a Group one contest should ensure this is run at a true gallop, and if that’s the case she'll be staying on better than most. Having had only three starts, she remains open to plenty of progression and Joseph O’Brien, has landed two recent editions. 

1.50 selection: Look To The Stars

Look To The Stars had shown signs of a poor temperament when runner-up on his first two starts before showing significantly improved form on his third start, his first after a gelding operation. 

He improved further on his latest start when upped to a mile at Newbury, winning comfortably under a penalty. A further step up in trip looks likely to bring out even more. 

Charlie Appleby has an excellent record in this race winning three of the past five editions while conversely Aidan O'Brien, trainer of the favourite Endorsement, has a poor recent record, last winning this race in 2018. 

This year's renewal looks potentially a deeper race than the past couple of editions, with the market  struggling to separate Distant Storm, Zavateri and Gstaad. 

Zavateri and Gstaad had a titanic tussle in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes a month ago, when the former prevailed. 

Zavateri may lack Gstaad’s size, but  nothing in heart or talent, and to my eye was the worthy winner.  

I have no doubt that of the pair Gstaad will be the shorter price on the day, given that punters habitually overlook Zavateri, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that The Curragh form will be reversed. 

Indeed, the fact that he is smaller and more compact might mean he’s capable of holding on to his form at the end of what has been a long first season for both colts. 

However, I think the pair will struggle to handle Distant Storm, who looked potentially high-class on debut at Newmarket before failing to deliver on that in the Acomb. But he was forced to race without cover at York and consequently raced inefficiently, pulling far too hard in the early stages. 

More patient riding tactics were utilised on his latest start over this course and distance in the  Tattersalls Stakes, with the result being a powerful display as he sprinted clear to score by nearly five lengths. 

He arrives here fresher than his two market rivals for just his fourth start and can make it back-to-back wins in this race for his connections.