Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
Three points of interest
Obsidian Knight capable of making breakthrough on turf
Obsidian Knight's seven wins have all come on the all-weather, but he wasn't far below his best on Timeform's figures when an unlucky-in-running fifth at Yarmouth last time and that bodes well for his prospects in the opening mile-and-a-quarter apprentice handicap (13:30) at Newbury.
Obsidian Knight had disappointed on his previous outing at Chester, but he was back to form at Yarmouth and may well have finished runner-up had he not been short of room inside the final half-furlong when staying on well.
He may be without a win away from the all-weather, but a few of his Timeform performance ratings on the grass, including placed efforts here and at York a couple of seasons ago, suggest he's capable of making an impact on turf from his current mark.
His trainer Terry Kent has remained among the winners in recent weeks and his record in 2025 stands at 12 winners from 30 runners at a remarkable strike rate of 40%.
Unexposed Hinitsa Bay can carry on improving
Hinitsa Bay failed to make an impact in three starts in maiden and novice company, but he had hinted at promise on both outings last season and built on that to go close on his handicap debut at Yarmouth three weeks ago.
Hinitsa Bay was stepping up two furlongs in trip and raced keenly on his first attempt at a mile, but he stuck to his task well and found only one rival three-quarters of a length too strong. He finished six lengths clear of the third, so a 3 lb rise in the weights still leaves Hinitsa Bay looking well treated, and he is 4 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings in the seven-furlong apprentice handicap (13:52) at Yarmouth.
Also of significance is that Hinitsa Bay has a much less-exposed profile than most of his rivals and is the only runner with the Timeform 'small p' to show that improvement is expected. In addition to shaping well last time, his 170,000 guineas sales price and pedigree also offer hope that this half-brother to the useful Chillingham can do better.
His performance may also be a pointer to the chances of Visibility (17:22) later on the card as he chased that rival home at Yarmouth last time.
Beaming Light a big eye-catcher on stable debut
Beaming Light never threatened to strike for his previous stable, but he looked unlucky not to make a winning start for David Loughnane at Wolverhampton a couple of weeks ago.
Beaming Light was held up and pulled hard in a race run at just a modest gallop, but he made significant headway in the straight and passed most of the field to run on into second, finishing three-quarters of a length behind the winner
That eye-catching effort earned him the Horse In Focus Flag from Timeform's reporter, marking Beaming Light out as one likely to be of firm interest next time, and the sectionals also back up the view that he should have won. He was comfortably quickest through the final couple of furlongs and earned a sectional upgrade 7 lb higher than anything else in the race, so he has been handed Timeform's Sectional Timing Flag.
A 1 lb higher mark underestimates his effort at Wolverhampton and he comes out 4 lb clear on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the mile handicap (20:30) at Chelmsford. He's dropping a furlong and a half in trip at Chelmsford but the zest with which he travelled at Wolverhampton suggests that won't be an issue.
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