Dubai World Trophy Tips: Manaccan to continue winning ways at Newbury

We are set for a hugely competitive renewal of the Dubai World Trophy at Newbury on Saturday afternoon as some in-form sprinters line up for the Group 3 contest over five furlongs, and our man Steve Chambers previews the event here and picks out his best bet...

Clive Cox's Tis Marvellous maybe eight years old now, but the hugely consistent sprinter is still delivering the goods on the track, and he warmed up for this event with a stunning victory in the Beverley Bullet last time out. He showed a sparkling turn of foot to pull clear of Arecibo a few weeks ago, and the bookmakers fancy him to land this prize on Saturday as he's been installed the 3/1 market leader.

He contested this event 12 months ago where he was a narrow third to Hurricane Ivor, and he had previously won the Beverley Bullet before heading to Newbury, so the Cox team are following a similar path in the 2022 renewal, and he's sure to run a solid race, but could he just fall to a couple of rivals once again?

John Ryan's MANACCAN has been a hugely progressive sprinter this campaign and the three-year-old is a 4/1 chance to notch another victory, as he tackles Group company for the first time. A fine winner of the Shergar Cup Dash at Ascot a few months ago, he then finished third in a Listed event at Newmarket, however, he bounced back to winning ways with a stunning display in the Listed Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster last week and a repeat of that should see him go very close. He may have struggled with the six furlongs at Newmarket two starts ago, so a return to five here will play to his strengths and he quickened eye-catchingly well in the closing stages of the Scarbrough and he may just have a little bit too much toe for Tis Marvellous here.

There's no doubt the class act of the race is the Andrew Balding-trained mare Chil Chil, who is an 8/1 chance and lines up on the back of a fine run in the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park, where she finished fifth. Running a huge race at massive odds that day in Group 1 company, the six-year-old will drop down in grade significantly, but a drop back to five furlongs could be a worry and she may just lack that pace to deal with some out and out sprinters.

The Cox team will be doubly represented and the 8/1 chance Diligent Harry will add depth to the team and that raider was last seen finishing tenth in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury. Prior to that he was unable to land any sort of blow in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, so he will need to recapture the form that saw him finished second in Listed company three starts ago.

A winner of the Scurry Stakes at Sandown earlier in the season, Roger Varian's Mitbaahy (8/1) will attempt to recapture the winning thread, and he's another that drops back in class having been unable to figure in the King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, but if he can fire then he has to be respected.

Others worthy of a mention include Mountain Peak and Adaay To Remember, who both add depth to the race and are around 10/1, at the time of writing, but both could just find it tough to live with those at the head of the betting and it's Manaccan that continue to blossom over five furlongs and continue his progression up the sprinting ladder.