Newmarket Cambridgeshire meeting – Saturday 28, September

Saturday’s racing at Newmarket brings us one of the most valuable handicaps in the flat season calendar, the Cambridgeshire, netting a handy £99,600 for the winner. We’re also treated to some of the feature races in the Two-Year-Old season, via the Royal Lodge, Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes.

Tom Wilson in collaboration with GIVEMEBET brings you a look through the card.

1:50 Newmarket 1m (Row) Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (Group 2) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 1) (2yo)

Aidan O’Brien brings a strong record to the Royal Lodge Stakes, he’s 3/15 +10.75pts in the last 10 years, winning the race with Mohawk in 2018, Daddy Long Legs in 2011 and Joshua Tree in 2009. This year I’m going to oppose his runner Year of the Tiger with the favourite KIMEKO from the Andrew Balding yard.

KIMEKO has the same sire (Kittens Joy) as the sadly recently deceased superstar Roaring Lion, who himself won this race in 2016. That’s an incredibly interesting parallel with Roaring Lion winning here in the colours of Qatar Racing prior to enjoying a hugely successful three-year-old campaign.

KIMEKO was impressive when beaten a nose by Positive in the Solario Stakes at Sandown last time out, when recording a strong speed figure for a two-year-old at this time of the year. He will relish the step up to 1 mile for the first time and I think he will have the class to win this race here.

TO WIN KIMEKO @ 6/4 with GIVEMEBET

2:25 Newmarket 6f (Row) Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (Group 1) (Fillies) (Class 1) (2yo)

The best of the two-year-old fillies come together in the Cheveley Park Stakes. RAFFLE PRIZE from the Mark Johnston stable heads the betting and is a deserved favourite after impressive recent runs at Deauville and Newmarket. Interestingly for the upcoming Middle Park Stakes, Raffle Prize was a neck behind Earthlight that day and can frank the form for the colts race next on the card.

Here I am going to side with the Aidan O’Brien record in the race. He’s won this race for the last three years with Fairyland (2018), Clemmie (2017) and Brave Anna (2016). I’m going to side with ETOILE, ridden by Aidan’s son Donnacha. We haven’t seen ETOILE since her impressive first time out maiden victory back in May. She recorded an impressive debut time figure that day and I think she can go close here if she can improve from that effort. The time off the track between May–September is a concern, especially for a two-year-old. However, if Aidan manages to have her right then I think she has a great each way chance at 9/1.

EACH WAY: ETOLIE @ 9/1

3:00 Newmarket 6f (Row) Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (Group 1) (Colts) (Class 1) (2yo)

This year's renewal of the Middle Park Stakes is absolute rocket fuel, bringing together most of the best two-year-old colts that we’ve seen this season. That is aside from the leading two-year-old light, Pinatubo…

A side note on Pinatubo, based on my speed figures, he recorded a Group 1 winning time for a three-year-old in his latest race at The Curragh – he’s an absolute machine.

Back to the Middle Park. The market is currently headed by French raider, EARTHLIGHT, coming over the channel for the Andre Fabre stable after success in the Prix Morny. 

EARTHLIGHT is by Shamardal, a sire who has rightful claimers to be hailed the sire of the season (note that he’s also father of Pinatubo…). His mother Winters’ Moon was third in the Fillies Mile at Newmarket in 2014, so there’s also a decent amount of class on the dam side also.

The form of his Prix Morny victory has been working out incredibly well. A number of quality horses were behind EARTHLIGHT that day; Raffle Prize, Golden Horde, Arizona, A’Ali. A’Ali won the Flying Childers at Doncaster comfortably enough at the St Leger festival and Arizona was third LTO at the Curragh in the National Stakes when destroyed by the machine Pinatubo. 

Andre Fabre will be hoping that EARTHLIGHT takes a liking to the quirks of the Newmarket course with an eye on a Classic campaign next season. 

To touch on some of the other contenders…

MUMS TIPPLE was mighty impressive when destroying a field at York back in August. He steps up to Group company here from Stakes company and Richard Hannon will be hoping that he continues with his progressive upward curve. On a class angle, I’m happy to take on MUMS TIPPLE when compared to the rest of the field here today. His mother Colomone Cross was quite a poor horse, rated only 58 and I normally like to see good pedigree on both the dam and sire side when looking for Group 1 level horses.

Ger Lyons sends over SISKIN after a dominant two-year-old campaign over the Irish sea. Again, on pedigree he’s a horse that I’ll be taking on here, his father is First Defence, who’s only had 1 other Group winning horse. That horse was Dundonnell in 2012, who had an Official Rating at his peak of 116 and with Siskin currently sitting on an official rating of 113 he may not be far off his ceiling.

EARTHLIGHT is the one for me!

TO WIN: EARTHLIGHT @ 7/4 with GIVEMEBET

3:40 Newmarket 1m1f (Row) bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo+)

Onto the Cambridgeshire. Three-year-olds dominate the market this year, with the top 4 positions being occupied by the younger horses.

GOOD BIRTHDAY has been prominent in the market all week for the Andrew Balding yard. He comes here from a success at Beverley last time out but would be a horse that I would take on. There is a chance that his winning Beverley run is flattered due to the Stall bias that can exist at that course. In the last 12 runnings’ of that race at Beverley, Stall 1 has won it 3 times, with Stalls 1-3 have winning 7 of the last 12. I’m inclined to take him on at a shortish price for a 35 runner handicap.

LE DON DE VIE for Hughie Morrison, looks like a very progressive horse to me. He’s been in fine form all season. He beat some nice horses last time out at Goodwood in Great Example and Harrovian, who has since won. It’s his run at Epsom in June that really sparks my interest, beating fellow progressive three-year-old Nayef Road. Ryan Moore takes the ride and Hughie Morrison will be hoping that they can land the valuable prize.

An older horse that catches my eye is the four-year-old BERINGER. He was a mainstay of the valuable early season Saturday handicaps and returns to the same track as his handicap success in April. He’s ½ at the track with 2 places and with valuable claimer Thore Hammer Hansen taking off 5lbs I feel he can go very close.

EACH WAY : LE DON DE VIE @ 7/1 with GIVEMEBET

EACH WAY: BERINGER @ 22/1 with GIVEMEBET