Dubai Future Champions Festival Saturday 14th October
What a day Friday on day one of the Dubai Future
Champions Festival at Newmarket – so near but so far as they say: Sound &
Silence 2nd, I Can Fly 3rd, Massaat 2nd, Magic
Lily 3rd and Natavia 7th.
Saturday is day two of the Dubai Future Champions Festival at Newmarket and we have the Betfred Cesarewitch as well if impossible handicaps are your thing! I have four that I want to be on and all being well a few beers will be sunk on Saturday evening paid for by out of the proceeds of a hard days punting!
The Listed Zetland Stakes kicks-off the day at 1.50. Dee Ex Bee is one I have talked of and backed this year and he was on my mind for this but his two wins came on soft and heavy and he won’t get that today so I am leaving the heat alone.
The Group Three Autumn Stakes at 2.25 should go to sponsors Godolphin as the Charlie Appleby trained Ghaiyyath looks the one to be on for this at 7-2 with Betfred having won his maiden at the second time of asking over track and trip a couple of weeks ago.
The big race of the day is the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes and a number of 2YO colts will be putting lofty reputations on the line when they line-up at 3.00. Current 2,000 Guineas ante-post favourite Expert Eye is odds-on for this. After making an impressive debut at Newbury, the Acclamation colt swept aside a strong field in the G.2 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before a setback ruled him out of an intended appearance in the National Stakes at the Curragh prior to this. 4-7 today for very good reason he is hard to oppose. Sadly the Jim Bolger trained Verbal Dexterity is not here after a dirty scope and is likely now to be aimed at the Criterium International or Racing Post Trophy making the jolly look and even better thing than he did! Emaraaty is the talking horse and may prove to be top class but he has to prove it yet. He won well at Newbury at the seconf time of asking but nothing has come out of that race to enhance the form. It will surprise no-one that Aiden O’Brien entered a few (at the five-day stage the Ballydoyle handler had seven possible runners from the fifteen to stand their ground!) The one’s that will line-up are Middle Park victor U S Navy Flag, Champagne Stakes winner Seahenge plus Mendelssohn and Threeandfourpence.
The big handicap at 3.40 is a punting puzzle of mammoth proportions and I am not getting involved as I simply can’t convince myself of one.
Queen Kindly has to give a pound or three to the opposition in the Listed Boadicea Stakes at 4.50 but looks more than capable of doing so. The chestnut rarely runs a bad race, has winning form at a higher level and will prefer underfoot conditions to those she has encountered the last twice. Get on at 11-2.
I put up Muffri'Ha earlier this season at the AWC finals day in the Fillies' And Mares' Championships when she was second. All being well I can recoup those loses and then some as she is the pick in the lucky last the Group Three Darley Club Stakes at 5.25. She won this last year, won a mile Listed event here last month, and was far from disgraced in seventh in the G.1 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes last time. I think the William Haggas trained Mare can win again and have the 11-2 about her doing so.
Be lucky