John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
Suggy the one to beat getting weight all round
Newbury’s mile handicap for three-year-olds (14:55) looks a good opportunity for Charlie Hills’ Suggy to continue the bright start he made to his three-year-old campaign at Kempton last month. While Suggy didn’t get his head in front last year, he got closer with each run, particularly once switched to nurseries for his last couple of starts, finishing runner-up at Bath and then Kempton where he went down by just a head.
Suggy was returned to the same track for his reappearance three weeks ago and took another step forward in getting off the mark in ready fashion, something signalled by his strength in the market beforehand. Travelling fluently under a patient ride from Jason Watson, Suggy picked his way through the field before quickening to lead in the final hundred yards, winning by a length and a quarter from Blue Celestial. That form is working out well, with Ziggy’s Avenger, a close-up third, himself a ready winner at Ripon last week.
Suggy has been put up 4 lb for that win, but he still looks ahead of his mark, coming out 3 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and looks the one to beat getting weight from all ten of his rivals.
Faith threatening to come good
The most valuable race on Newbury’s card is the seven-furlong handicap (15:30) which has drawn a competitive field of 16 and where a case can be made for several. One who hasn’t won for the best part of three years might not have the obvious profile for such a contest but there are good grounds for siding with the aptly named I Still Have Faith.
He certainly had no trouble winning as a three-year-old as he was successful four times on the Flat and once over hurdles during 2023, with one of those wins coming in the ‘Leger Legends’ race for former jockeys at Doncaster when cruising home under Tom Scudamore. While unsuccessful since, I Still Have Faith has been knocking on the door of late, having left Ben Brookhouse and joined Stuart Williams prior to this season. He twice finished runner-up on the all-weather for his new yard, including when touched off by a nose at Lingfield in April.
Although now six, I Still Have Faith has looked better than ever this year and his two runs at Newmarket last month suggest he’ll end his losing run before long. He finished fifth over a mile on 2000 Guineas day but fared much of the best of his group on the ‘wrong’ side of the track, while on his latest start back at seven furlongs he earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag, shaping better than the result in fourth behind Superposition after meeting trouble. This big field could help him settle better than he has done of late, and he looks worth chancing to get his head in front.
Warrior on way to Royal Ascot?
There’s a two-pronged Yorkshire raid on Leopardstown’s Ballycorus Stakes (19:00) where David O’Meara and Karl Burke both have runners in the Group 3 over seven furlongs. O’Meara runs the former Lockinge winner Audience but he’s unreliable these days, as well as being out of sorts, whereas Burke looks to have much stronger claims with very smart five-year-old Native Warrior.
Admittedly Native Warrior needs to put his last visit to Ireland behind him as he only beat one home in a listed race at Naas last month but that was a contest where none of those held up could land a blow from the rear. Otherwise, Native Warrior’s form over the last twelve months since being fitted with a visor reads very well in the context of this race.
Native Warrior holds entries in the Queen Anne Stakes and the Royal Hunt Cup next week and given his record at Ascot, you’d think he'd be going there if all goes well here first. He was third in the Britannia at three and landed a couple of valuable seven-furlong handicaps there last autumn, the Schweppes and the Challenge Cup, and shaped as if still in top form when fifth in the Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day. Native Warrior was second on his first try at Group 3 level in the Prix Edmond Blanc at Saint-Cloud on his reappearance this year and can go one better now from 8 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.