Arc, Champions Day, Breeders Cup lots to look forward to in the horse racing world

It’s a busy week ahead, in fact a busy few weeks as the Flat season reaches a crescendo with Arc Weekend, Champions Day and the Breeders Cup all now on the horizon. First up is the Arc this coming Sunday and as I write I am yet to have a bet but do keep checking back as it is a day I enjoy and I will be getting involved in every race I would expect.  

As for bets I have had coming up over the coming weeks. I have backed Adayar for the Champion Stakes at 14-1 each-way and the colt is now 6-1 best behind Baaeed in the market. Charlie Appleby has always seemed likelier to send his four-year-old to Ascot rather than Longchamp but the Arc isn’t ruled out just yet. “He worked well this morning and I couldn’t be happier with him,” Charlie Appleby said, speaking at Newmarket on Saturday. “We’ll leave him in [the Arc] on Monday and we’ll be on weather watch more than anything. If it’s turning soft this time of year then it’s really soft, which we wouldn’t want. If it’s good to soft then we’ll have someone over there walking the course so we’ll know ourselves this time.”

I have a bet on Run For Oscar in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on the 8th October at 10-1 each-way. As I mentioned when I tipped back on 30th August Run For Oscar has been rated as high as 147 over the sticks and his Flat rating of 90 means he is pretty much guaranteed to get in the 2m2f Newmarket race; now 30th on the list (was 37th) with a relative fly-weight to carry. I think this one could go off far shorter come race day, now 8’s generally.  

I mention the Breeders Cup, which will be the first weekend of November at Keeneland, as Aidan O’Brien has mentioned the meeting a potential target for Blackbeard – still kicking myself for deserting him on Saturday and backing Mischief Magic. "He came out and was on his toes this morning. We were a little bit worried going to Newmarket that it was stretching him too far, but we saw what the result was and he looks like one of those horses that the harder you give it to him, the better he takes it,” O’Brien said. “Because he has so much personality, it probably suits him to be busy. We’ll take every day as it comes, but the lads (owners) are thinking about the Breeders’ Cup.” Modern Games is certainly on my mind for the Breeders' Cup Mile and may well be my first ante-post punt for the big meeting across the pond; I am just not on yet.  

It is going to be a fun six-weeks or so. 

Be lucky