Alex Hammond Blog: Miss Amulet and Minzaal to take centre stage at Newmarket

We haven’t spoken since Doncaster’s St Leger meeting and the world is starting to close in around us once again sadly.

I can’t tell you how uplifting it was to see racegoers enjoying their sport on day one of the Leger Festival, but sadly that joy was to be short lived. The Sky Sports Racing cameras were based on the edge of the parade ring, with our zone a fenced off area not too far from the enclosures that some of the racegoers were in, so we were able to ask how everyone was finding the experience.

They were universally thrilled to be there and felt safe and comfortable in that environment. There was hurt and disappointment when the pilot scheme was halted almost as soon as it had begun, which was a blow to those who had planned their visit and also for the racecourse.

We now face the prospect of many months of racing behind closed doors, so let’s hope our industry can weather the storm.

All of the above was put into perspective, however, when we heard of the tragic and untimely death of Pat Smullen.

I had only met Pat a few times in a working capacity, but he struck me as a kind and sincere man. I bumped into him at Chester last year and we had a short chat, but it was a meeting that stayed with me.

He took time to stop and swap pleasantries, which isn’t something everyone you meet is prepared to, or has time to, do. How important is time? The most important gift we have. Sincere condolences to his family and friends; he was a true legend on and off the track.

So, Newmarket this weekend hosts the Cambridgeshire meeting, but their planned pilot event to welcome a limited number of spectators is no longer happening. There is plenty of racing to enjoy and unravel though and here are a few thoughts going into the fixture which gets under way on Thursday.

I was at Ascot three weeks ago to see some exciting young horses running in a future stayers’ maiden stakes where the first four home acquitted themselves incredibly well and looked exciting prospects for the future.

The winner was La Barossa and he is hot favourite (10/11 with Sky Bet) for the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes. To put that Ascot race into context, the runner up Derab is a half-brother to Enable and the third Greatgadian has won since. The fourth, Champagne Piaff is one I’m tracking after his promising debut for Gary Moore. So, high class Ascot form and it should be franked again by Charlie Appleby’s gorgeous colt, who looked stunning in the paddock before his debut, befitting his 750,000 guineas price tag.

Speaking of Gary Moore, it’s exciting to see Goshen entered up in a couple of races at Haydock on Saturday; one over a mile and a half (where he’d carry top weight) and one over a mile and three quarters (where in this better class handicap he’d be down the bottom of the weights).

It will be fascinating to see where he rocks up (declarations Thursday). In the lower grade 1m4f race he’d have to give 7lb to some interesting three-year-olds, most notably the Richard Hughes trained Brentford Hope who would be making his handicap debut having been gelded.

There’s no doubt he’s been disappointing, but expectations were high for this lad at the start of the season and he would be a potentially tricky opponent for last year’s star juvenile hurdler. Goshen’s last win on the flat came off a mark of 80 and off 88 he still looks very well treated. This is clearly a stepping stone to a winter hurdling campaign, but I won’t be ignoring him wherever he turns up. Aside from the dreadful bad luck in the Triumph he has won his last six starts and we haven’t seen the best of him yet I feel.

Back to Newmarket then where Monday is the worthy favourite for the Rockfel on Friday (just to confuse matters!). Aidan O’Brien’s two-year-old filly is superbly bred, being a first foal of a Group 1 winning juvenile called Ballydoyle. The sky is the limit for this girl who has a raft of top class entries.

The Joel Stakes on Friday has all the ingredients to be a top class race with Kameko and Benbatl the two protagonists for this Group 2 over 1 mile.

Kameko carries a 5lb penalty thanks to his 2000 Guineas win, but gets 4lb weight for age from his older rival, which means Andrew Balding’s colt gives 1lb to Benbatl which leaves him with a bit to find. I’m sure Benbatl will be firing on all cylinders, but he needs the rain to stay away from the Rowley Mile as he bids to win this for a second successive year.

I hope to see Clive Cox win the Royal Lodge on Saturday with Cobh (9/2 with Sky Bet). Aidan O’Brien has a couple entered and they are obvious dangers, but Cobh has strong form himself, including in a listed race over this trip last time out. His only defeat came at Ascot on his penultimate outing, but that was no disgrace as he was runner-up to Chindit, who won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster’s Leger meeting.

The Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes looks as classy as you’d expect. I’ve been trying to find reasons why Miss Amulet can’t win (3/1 favourite) and I’m struggling. She now runs in the colours of Maureen Tabor after winning the Lowther at York last time out and she is still progressing. Ken Condon sends her over from Ireland and he may well return home with a very valuable filly.

There are some seriously talented colts entered in Saturday’s Middle Park Stakes, but I think Sky Bet’s 2/1 favourite Minzaal can continue his progression for a team having the most magnificent year. Owen Burrows trains the colt for Sheikh Hamdan and he should be able to put his exceptional speed to good use here.

So to the Cambridgeshire and I’m hoping the market has got this spot on.

One thing being on course allows us to do as broadcasters at the moment is to try and convey what we are lucky enough to see to you guys. Well, I was blown away by Tempus when he won a handicap at Ascot earlier this month and straight away marked him down as my Cambridgeshire horse.

Roger Charlton trains this blue blooded son of Kingman for owner/breeder Khalid Abdullah and I doubt we will see him in handicaps next season.

The race he won at Ascot has been a good stepping stone to the Cambridgeshire before, with Lord North finishing second in the contest in 2019 before his win at Newmarket; and we all know what he has gone on to achieve.

The only proviso is he wouldn’t want the ground too quick, so check how much rain falls at Newmarket before diving in.

He’s 5/1 favourite with Sky Bet, which might not grab you, but I think he’s progressing at a rate of knots and he’ll do for me despite the competitive nature of the first leg of the autumn double.