Best bets for the horse racing Thursday 26th September 2024
The weather has certainly been autumnal at times recently and the Cambridgeshire meeting gets underway at Newmarket on Thursday as the Turf season begins to draw to a close over the coming weeks. It’s that time of year when many of us have one eye on next season's Classics and we may see a Guineas contender of two over the coming days.
They got the rain overnight at Newmarket and the official going this morning is good-soft with the chance of more rain this morning. I was looking forward to the meeting, with a few bets pencilled in, but it looks like it could be a wet couple of days at least and that changes things somewhat. We could see a number of non-runners Thursday and Friday plus there’s a few two-year-old heats on the card that are tricky enough without trying to guess if a horse is likely to enjoy the going or not. My fancies for Thursday follow.
Best bets for the horse racing at Newmarket
The Cambridgeshire meeting gets underway at 1.35 on Thursday. We were due to have two making debut from the yard of Charlie Appleby in the mile Rossdales British EBF Maiden Stakes which would have muddied the waters as far as my usual system of backing a Moulton Paddocks debutant at HQ! Naval Command, beautifully bred being by high-class juvenile and French 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Lope De Vega out of Listed winning Sea The Stars mare All At Sea making him a half-brother to Eldar Eldarov amongst other winners, is now a non-runner so the decision has been made a lot easier. Present Times, a 625,000 Guineas yearling purchase, is by Sea The Stars and out of a Lope De Vega mare Feliciana De Vega, a winner of a couple of races as a two-year-old in her career. The fact he has already been gelded before setting hoof on track suggests he may have been a bit of a monkey at home but there is plenty of hope on paper at least that he should be a winning juvenile. I am on at the 2-1 early. Seacruiser was sent off favourite on his debut when finishing fifth at Goodwood and looks the one likely to take advantage if the Godolphin owned gelding isn't up to the job on debut.
Next up we have the mile Federation Of Bloodstock Agents Nursery Handicap at 2.10.Another trained by Charlie Appleby Olympus Point is yet to win a race in three attempts but has run well to finish second and third at Haydock both over 7f in July followed by another second at Thirsk, again over 7f, in August and he certainly deserves to find an opening soon. A mark of 78 certainly doesn’t look harsh but there is a slight question mark about the trip; he is a half-brother to top sprinter Blue Point, there is plenty of speed in the pedigree, and with sticky conditions stamina will be tested. I think he is worth an investment here to get off the mark at the 9-4 this morning in the hope the ground isn't too testing just yet. Celeborn, a winner on debut, is considered the danger but I am not convinced he got home over the mile at Salisbury last time and was withdrawn at Doncaster before that due to being upset in the stalls; the snips were reached for after that.
The Group Three Tattersalls Stakes at 3.20 is the race of the day. With the softer going a bit of an unknown for most of those lining-up the one with form on soft is Diego Ventura. His debut victory at Naas was on yielding before being bought by Wathnan Racing. He came out at Ascot earlier this month in his new colours to win a Novice Stakes over 6f on soft, doing well to win having blown the start and finding some trouble in running. On breeding you wonder if the trip may stretch his stamina but I noted Richard Brown, racing adviser to Wathnan saying this week “We are slightly venturing into the unknown. His pedigree doesn’t scream seven furlongs, but his running style does and James certainly felt he’d be better over seven. We’re going to step up and see how we go, it’s a bit of a fact-finding mission for us.” Symbol Of Honour was headed in the closing strides to go down by half a length to Benevento in the 7f Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster earlier this month; The Waco Kid in third looking held. Having been sixth debut at Newmarket’s Guineas Festival the grey gelding won a 6f turf maiden at Lingfield Park before being beaten just over a length when sixth in the 6f G.2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. You’ve got to consider him but this is the most testing ground he has encountered. The Aidan O'Brien trained Monumental has been sent over again by ‘the lads’ having finished a close second in the 7f G.2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster earlier this month. He was arguably given a little too much to do there late on, was closing on winner Bay City Roller, and slightly more positive tactics here would surely see him go close. The son of Kingman won over seven at Gowran Park the race before Doncaster and was second to Ides Of March prior to that at the Curragh over six; the winner is likely to run in the G.1 Middle Park Stakes at the weekend. He is arguably the form pick but another that the going is an unknown for. With the going now having the word soft in the description and more rain likely during the day I have decided to take a chance with Diego Ventura as having watched his victory at Ascot a few times he wasn’t stopping over six and hopefully the Doyler is correct and he’ll appreciate the step-up in trip. I have the 7-2.
Be lucky