After a hectic afternoon Ben Linfoot highlights three horses you may have missed for your trackers while we pick out the highlights from our free video replays section.
Phew. The bet365 Bunbury Cup, John Smith's Cup and Darley July Cup were run in the space of 40 minutes on Saturday and there was plenty more action besides with 11 races live on ITV and 28 contests all told at Newmarket, York, Ascot and Chester. Ben Linfoot picks out a trio of horses that you may have missed to put in your free My Stable tracker on a head-spinning afternoon and we've put together the best video replays, too, ICYMI...
Three for the tracker
- Click the links to add to My Stable and watch the free video replays
Eilean Dubh won the ITV opener, the John Smith’s Racing Handicap over a mile at York, but the one to take out of the race for the future was Richard Fahey’s BLENHEIM BOY. He bolted up at Ripon in soft ground on his seasonal reappearance but had subsequently dipped below that level off his new mark on faster ground. This one-and-three-quarter-length third was good evidence that he can cope with livelier ground and a mark of 89, though, particularly as he was lit up in the early stages. This was a very nice run against his elders getting the 9lb weight-for-age and he’s worth adding to your My Stable tracker in the short to medium term. Churchill progeny are 5/14 at Doncaster and I’d particularly love to see him on Town Moor with a little bit of juice in the ground.
Over at Ascot Bague D’Or continued his improvement by landing the Hi-Speed Services Handicap over 1m6f but the runner-up BERKSHIRE BREEZE looks a very nice long-term staying project for Andrew Balding. He was keen early but was travelling all over his rivals coming into the straight and it looked a matter of how far when Hayley Turner switched him wide for his run. He responded well to pressure but challenged away from Bague D’Or and hung a little, too, still running a little green, before going down by just a head in a tight finish. This was his handicap debut and he shaped well against his elders, looking every inch a smart staying prospect especially when he learns to settle. A potential Melrose or Mallard handicap horse this season, the Chester Cup could be his type of race long-term.
JUMBY is a very capable handicapper over six and seven furlongs and he travelled best of all in the bet365 Bunbury Cup over the latter distance under Christophe Soumillon. Short of room approaching the business end of the race, he drifted from the stands’ side to the far side under the Belgian jockey and did very well in the circumstances to be beaten just over a length-and-a-quarter in a bunch finish. Well proven at Ascot after finishing a cracking third in the Wokingham at the Royal meeting, he’s in the Moet & Chandon International Stakes at that track on King George day and seven at Ascot could be just what he needs to win one of these big-field handicaps.
Magnificent 7: Free video replays not to miss
4.25 Newmarket - Alcohol Free storms to Darley July Cup win
4.05 York - Anmaat lands John Smith's Cup after lay-off
4.40 York - Royal rockets to Nunthorpe favouritism
3.35 Ascot - Chindit edges thrilling Group 2 Summer Mile
2.40 Newmarket - Jimi Hendrix strikes a chord in bet365 Mile
3.15 Newmarket - Isaac Shelby wins bet365 Superlative Stakes thriller
3.43 Chester - Laneqash lands Listed City Plate Stakes
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