Acklam Express stays in Dubai for sprint targets

Keith Hamer
February 24, 2021 10:00 am

Tinkler plotting summer campaign with speedy stablemate Ubettabelieveit.

Acklam Express will have the chance next month to build on his excellent first run in Dubai, as runner-up to Equilateral.

Nigel Tinkler’s three-year-old stayed on strongly following a slow start to get within a length of the winner in the Group Two Meydan Sprint last week.

The Mehmas gelding will stay in Dubai and could run in either the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Super Saturday (March 6) or the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night (March 27) – or possibly both.

“He ran a marvellous race. He’s very well, came out of the race absolutely fine,” said the North Yorkshire trainer.

EQUILATERAL (GB) follows up his win in the Listed Dubai Dash last month by taking the Gr.2 Meydan Sprint for @cbhills and owners Jim & Fitri Hay.
Bred by @JuddmonteFarms, he is out of TARENTAISE (GB), the half-sister to BATED BREATH (GB) & CITYSCAPE (GB).pic.twitter.com/5gteSN7VDs

— GBRI (@GBRI_UK) February 18, 2021

“He’s entered for Super Saturday. He might run there. We’ll know in a few days if we’ve got an invite for World Cup night.

“If he gets an invite for that, he might just go straight there. We’ll see. There’s no need to make a decision at the moment.”

Tinkler has another speedy three-year-old in Ubettabelieveit, who won the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland.

Fantastic run from 🌟Ubettabelieveit 🌟in the GRADE 2 Juvenile Turf Spring @BreedersCup @keenelandracing for Nigel Tinkler @rowan_49 and Martin & Lisa Webb. A Breeze Up Grad from @StablesFarm . Brilliant result well done to all connections! #BreezeUps #Grade2 #quality https://t.co/cMsWdHtqcY
— BrzUps (@BrzUps) November 6, 2020

The Kodiac colt will stick to five furlongs for the time being – but Tinkler cannot think too far ahead yet, with limited details as yet available in the programme book because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“He went to Mark Dwyer’s for the winter. He’s been back three weeks, and we’re very happy with him,” he said.

“We don’t know what races there are, because we’ve only got the programme book until April. The next one doesn’t come out for a fortnight, so I can’t say anything concrete.

“In a normal year we’d look at the something like the Temple Stakes or a race at York at the May meeting, before going to Royal Ascot.

“I don’t think he’s going to go beyond five furlongs.”

Tinkler is so proud to have two speedsters in his yard.

“It’s just amazing to think one of them is rated 110 and the other is rated 109 – and they live next door to each other,” he said.

“They were two of the fastest two-year-olds in the UK last season – over five furlongs there won’t be many rated higher, and they are next-door neighbours. It’s unbelievable, it’s just fortune.”