Best Bets For The Horse Racing At Newmarket & Ascot Saturday 7th October

All of my punting has been done earlier this week NRNB as it was a quiet few days for me off the back of Arc weekend and it became apparent quickly there were three horses this weekend that I had to be on.

Ascot is the first stop for Triple G on Saturday at 2.25 for the Group Three Cumberland Lodge Stakes which looks to be at the mercy of French raider Waldgeist. The Andre Fabre trained three-year-old filly arrives top rated and gets all the weight for age allowance; his runs in the G.1 Prix Du jockey Club and G.1 Irish Derby making him the clear form pick anyway. I went in at 11-10 earlier this week when it became clear here was coming over. Fabre has been deliberately easy on his charge with the future in mind “He hasn't run for quite a long time, but he is in good form and I am happy with him going into the race," the French handler told Press Association Sport. "He has had no problems since the Irish Derby. We just wanted to give him plenty of time. I wanted to avoid the big races with him as I think he will be a good four-year-old.”

The Group One of the day Saturday is the Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket due off at 2.40. Long time ante-post favourite Persuasive will face 12 rivals and has to be on any short list. That said the French are having a go at this and send a decent looking raiding party in the shape of Andre Fabre's Usherette, Siyoushake from Freddy Head's yard and the Jean-Claude Rouget trained, and member of Triple G Dirty Dozen, Qemah. I think she has been left with a bit too much to do in her last couple of runs including when fourth the slightly muddling G.1 Matron Stakes won by Hydrangea last time; Persuasive was in third. She does need to reverse the form with Roly Poly from the G.1 Prix Rothschild as well prior to that run but she was only half a length behind in fourth in that in a bunch finish having come from last position and the weight-for-age is only 3lb now rather than 8lb back in July. A slightly more positive ride here could see her picking these all off and getting back to winning ways. I am on at 7’s. Harry Herbert, racing manager for owners Al Shaqab Racing, said on Friday “We know she has the ability to be extremely competitive if the cards fall right."

Reportedly cash was coming for Blue Point in the Group Three Bengough Stakes at Ascot due off at 3.00 from very early this week. I of course am a fan of the Godolphin owned Charlie Appleby trained colt and I was one of those punters snaffling the 5-2. The colt has been up there with the best all season over six furlongs and of course broke the track record when winning the G.3 Pavilion Stakes at the start of the year before running third in the G.1 Commonwealth Cup over track and trip and then fourth in the G.1 Sprint Cup Stakes. With a number of the dangers not showing up he is now a best priced 5-4 and looks a good thing. His trainer is happy saying on Friday “Getting back on a bit better ground will definitely help and if he can reproduce any of his previous runs at Ascot it will put him right in the mix. He has come forward a good bit, mentally and physically.” Another plus is William Buick returns from eight weeks on the sidelines for the ride following his fall from the ill-fated Permian in the Secretariat Stakes in America in early August, which caused a compression of his T12 vertebra.: "It's great to have William back.” Appleby said earlier this week “He started riding out last week and he's been itching to get back, he's just been waiting for the green light from the doctor. We're in a very privileged position here at Godolphin to have been able to call on people like James Doyle, who has ridden loads of winners for us in the last few weeks. It's just the way it's worked out that Blue Point is William's first ride back and it's appropriate given he knows the horse so well."

So that’s that the three horses I have been waiting for over the last few days, lets hope they were worth the wait.

Be lucky