Newmarket hold the first of their three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting this afternoon beginning with a 19-runner juvenile maiden run over a mile. The race is invariably won by a decent sort and last year’s winner Ghaiyyath (10/1 for the Champion Stakes with BetVictor) made his belated seasonal reappearance at Longchamp last weekend when running away with a Group 3. He is one to follow not only between now and the end of the season, but also next term.
Kick On (1.50) has the best form in the book for John Gosden and Oisin Murphy and he can be considered an unlucky loser on debut when awkward leaving the stalls before making steady headway into second over 7f. Today’s additional furlong should suit, and the colt is entered in the Doncaster Group 1 formerly known as the Racing Post Trophy.
Indomitable and Rajinsky (2.25) are my two against the field in the Nursery with marginal preference for the Tom Dascombe trained juvenile who was last seen finishing third at Doncaster in a similar contest when well supported from a 1lb higher mark.
The Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes is today’s feature for two-year-olds over seven furlongs. I am a big admirer of both Too Darn Hot and Phoenix Of Spain who finished in front of Cardini (3.35) in the Gp 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last time and he meets nothing of their calibre this afternoon.
Dunkerron did finish second in the Superlative Stakes at Glorious Goodwood but the winner – Dark Vision – was well behind the selection in Yorkshire and it would be no surprise if Ryan Moore tried to get to the stands’ rail and attempt to make all. The only unbeaten colt is Prince Eiji and his Ascot form has been franked by the subsequent success of the fourth. The Roger Varian colt cost 2.6m guineas as a yearling and looks the main danger.
I’m not convinced Ben Vrackie or Sevenna Star are crying out for a step up to two miles with the latter surely going to be seen to better effect when the rain arrives. Sheikhzayedroad (4.10) finished third in the Gp 2 Doncaster Cup earlier in the month over an additional quarter of a mile and today’s listed Rose Bowl Stakes represents a drop in class for this veteran – I hope there is one last hurrah for the nine-year-old.
Sawwaah (5.20) won the Wood Ditton over today’s C&D back in the spring at 25/1 but has not been seen since disappointing over 10f back in June. The Owen Burrows yard have been in tremendous form of late, after a disappointing mid-summer, and the return to a mile should suit. His opening mark of 86 looks no more than fair, but after just three career starts he is open to significant improvement.
I expect a big run from Present Flight in the 2m 4f handicap Chase at Perth although I appreciate he may get taken off his feet over this trip on decent (good) ground. The nine-year-old is very well handicapped on some of his old form and a market move would be worth noting, but preference is for Kerisper (3.25) who has run well fresh in the past and this winning pointer has been dropped 10lbs for his last couple of starts – albeit over two years!
Nigel Twiston-Davies used to target this particular two-day meeting – pre-Gordon Elliot – and a market move for Kerisper would increase confidence.
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