Dubai Future Champions Festival Day Two – Copybet

Distant Storm and Gstaad are duelling for Dewhurst favouritism at the time of writing but perhaps that is an undue slight on ZAVATERI, who is a perfect 4-4 after battling to beat the latter in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh last month.

Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, the son of Without Parole is perhaps not yet gaining the star tagging he might be due were he carrying the colours of his main market rivals today.

He came from off the pace in Ireland and got in front of Gstaad with a couple of hundred yards to run, only for the Ballydoyle runner to rally and get back in front. To his eternal credit, the terrier-like Zavateri redoubled his effort and got the verdict on the nod.

His trainer believes he'll soon want a mile and the stiff finish at Newmarket should be to his liking. He can floor his more vaunted rivals to take this 2YO Championship crown.

The Group 3 Emirates Autumn Stakes over a mile has attracted a field of seven contenders, two of them representing Aidan O'Brien. Christophe Soumillon partners Listowel debut winner Straight Up but, at a juicier price, it could be folly to overlook NEW ZEALAND and Wayne Lordan.

The Frankel colt scored in a Curragh maiden over 7f in July despite showing plenty of signs of greenness on his second start. Ballydoyle have won that Curragh contest with Henry Longfellow and The Lion In Winter in the last two years and it was a one-two-three last time for O'Brien.

Stablemates Isaac Newton and Action chased home New Zealand. Both won maidens at Glorious Goodwood and Galway on the same afternoon on their next starts and have subsequently gone well in much stronger races.

New Zealand steps up in grade now and should be capable of a decent leap forward as he does. He looks overpriced in a wide open contest.

The Cesarewitch has become a real plaything for top jumps trainers, with the last seven runnings going to yards much more closely associated with National Hunt racing, six of them based in Ireland.

Gordon Elliott has two contenders in this line-up and MORDOR looks interesting. The five-year-old son of Running Lion is far from exposed on the Flat and was a winner over 2m1f at Killarney in May. He was a solid second over 2m4½f at Glorious Goodwood off a mark of 88 behind a winner that was far from disgraced next time in Group 2 fare at Doncaster.

He prepped for this with a spin around the Curragh (1m4f), finishing a clear second in a charity race, and turns out now off an unchanged mark of 88 with the experienced Jamie Spencer taking over in the saddle. They can run well at a big price.